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The McDade Family of Montgomery County

submitted by Mary Thoeni

For more on this family see the Sept McDade Clan Davidson web page

About 1730, the MacDaids who settled in Pennsylvania and Virginia, joined the new arrivals seeking freedom and new beginnings in this country.

Tradition among the southern branch of the family place our origins in Inverness, Scotland by the way of Enniskillin and near the Giant's Causeway in Ireland.  This tradition echoes studies of Scotch-Irish immigration which reflects that the Scotch had taken up estates of Irish rebels, confiscated by Queen Elizabeth and King James I.  The earliest record discovered by our family researchers  is  one found in Virginia.  The Register of Albermarle Parish, Surrey and Susex Counties (1739/78) states that Willis, son William McDade and wife, Mary, was born 3/7/1739/40.

The McDade of most interest to the Alabama genealogy researcher is James who was granted two hundred acres of land in Anson Co., NC. on the north-east side of Lynche's Creek on January 8, 1760 (Land Grant Book 13, p. 310).  James McDade is also found on the May 15, 1775 "Freeholder" petition presented to Governor Bull  by the land owners in Anson Co.  Due to the creation of new counties and changes in boundaries, James lived in Anson, Mecklenburg, Tyron and Rutherford counties within North Carolina and
Spartenburg County, South Carolina without ever having moved.  During his residence in Spartenburg County, James McDade served in the Revolutionary War (SC Hist. Com. 175F, 54, Columbia).

James McDade married Elizabeth, thought to be a Wilkins, sometime before 1778 when his oldest son, William was born.  Census records show that their daughter Henrietta was born in South Carolina in 1781.  Following the birth of Henrietta, James moved his family to Georgia.  Ruth Blair's "Early Tax Digest of Georgia" reflects his tax payments in 1792. The date of Elizabeth's death is not known, however, it is attested by older family members that she died before James moved his family to Alabama in 1818-1819
(Youngblood-Armstrong and Allied Families by Frances Youngblood and Floelle Youngblood Bonner).

Among other families from the same counties in Georgia who located in the Mt. Meigs section of Alabama were the Armstrong, Diamonds, Germanys and Pinkstons.   James McDade, who died about 1820, is the first person to be buried in the Manning Springs Graveyard near Mt. Meigs.  This cemetery was used by the McDade family for one hundred and twenty-five years.  It is interesting to note that the McDade Family Association is currently working
to obtain and have this site restored and preserved.

The known children of James McDade and wife, Elizabeth, are:  William, Henrietta, Charles, John, James and Alexander.  Before 1820, the McDade brothers, their sister Henrietta and her husband, Jacob Cobb, were settled in Montgomery County.  Robertson's "Early Settlers of Montgomery County, Alabama" states "The McDade brothers were not wealthy, but they were in easy circumstance and were regarded as among the best citizens of the County."

A record of the McDade Family genealogy is found in "Youngblood-Armstrong and Allied Families" by Francis Youngblood and Floelle Youngblood Bonner. Although this book is out of print, a copy can be obtained through the Inter-Library Loan Program.  The McDade Family Association is currently gathering data to update these records.  The family genealogy data base now contains almost 5,000 descendants of James McDade and wife Elizabeth.  

One McDade Web Page maintained by family members is located at http://mcdade.bravepages.com.  Also, the McDade Family Association historian has established a Web Page at myfamily.com.

Send Comments about this Montgomery County site to Carolyn Golowka I do not live in Alabama so I am unable to help with your personal research questions. All the information I know about Montgomery County is posted promptly on this site. Please visit the "Research Resources" section of this site. I would suggest that if you don't find the information your looking for here, that you join the email list and post your question on the query board. The more places you ask the question, the better your chances of getting an answer.

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