Early Sullivans in Anson County

The first record of any Sullivan(t)s in Anson County was Caleb Sullivant. Caleb & his wife, Louisa Grimes, were from Duplin County, N.C. Caleb did not stay long in Anson and moved on to Tenessee. Next to arrive was Issac Sullivant. The first record of Isaac in Anson was when he bought 200 acres from John Sturdivant on Goulds Fork. This is recorded in Anson County Deedbook L & M, page 231. Over the next 37 years, Isaac had many land transactions in Anson County. He also left many descendents in Anson County. Some of his descendents are Jesse William Sullivan, County Commissioner from 1924-1930, Eddie Flavel Sullivan, Baptist Minister, Oscar Alonzo Sullivan, Superintendent of Manetta Mills in Monroe, N.C. and Lucy Flake Sullivan McQuaque, member of Thomas Wade Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revloution and Anson County genealogist.

Isaac Sullivant was born around 1770 according to census records and the affadavit found in Gardner High's Revolutionary War pension records. In his affadavit dated 1838, Isaac stated that he was present when Gardner High and Rachel Gibbs went to the church to get married in Brunswick County, Virginia at the start of the Revolutionary War. It is not known how the Sullivants and Highs or Gibbs are connected but it does show that Isaac was born before the Revlolutionary War. Also, from this record, it is obvious that Isaac was not originally from Anson County. After researching the census records, Isaac was found in the Halifax County 1800 Census Records. No record has been found of him in the 1790 census.

The first official record of Isaac in Halifax County is found in the book Halifax County North Carolina Court Minutes: Volume II:1796- 1797 , Abstracted by Stephen E. Bradley, Jr. in paragraph 837, page 71, May Court 1797, where Isaac was the administrator of the estate of James Merritt with Robert Brantley and Thomas Gayner as securitys. It is not known whether Isaac was born in Halifax County.

Deeds and wills indicate that Isaac was married to Euridice Merritt, daughter of Richard and Sarah Merritt of Halifax County. From the census data available on his children, he was probably married around 1790 although there have been no marriage records found. Isaac is first mentioned as a brother-in-law in a will left by Ephriam Merritt in Halifax County in 1801. The deed evidence in both Halifax and Anson Counties, North Carolina, show that Isaac moved from Halifax County to Anson County in the period between 1807 and 1817. In an 1817 Halifax County Deed, he is listed as a resident of Anson County. He is also listed in the Anson County 1810 census. Isaac owned land in the town of Wadesboro and sold Buck's Tavern to his son in law James Plunkett.

The deeds and census information in Anson County show Isaac and Euridice had the following children:

Euridice died before 1820 and Isaac remarried Nancy Dawson Allen, widow of David Allen around 1824. They had one child Susan born around 1827 who married Richard Thomas. Isaac bought and sold land in several areas of Anson County, including land around Gould's Fork, Jones Creek and Brown Creek A deed was located involving Joseph Sullivant, his son, who was buying property from his sisters, Anson County DB 11, page 97, December 12, 1842. The implications of this deed and the 1840 Ansons County Census are that Isaac died between August, 1840 and December, 1842.

Isaac's first son, Isaac Hunter Sullivant, had a large family in Anson County. Isaac Hunter married Susan Williams around 1822, daughter of John Williams and Susannah Martin, and had the following children:

After Susan died before 1828, Isaac Hunter remarried to Delilah Pritchard and had the following children:

Isaac Hunter Sullivant farmed land around Ansonville and is buried in Eason Cemetery near Ansonville.

Isaac's second son, Joseph, born May 26, 1806, also had a large family that was raised in Anson County. Joseph farmed the land around the Rocky Fork of Jones Creek. He married Mary Gaddy, daughter of James Gaddy and Rilla Gulledge around 1833. Joseph's children were:

The following questions are still being researched on Isaac Sullivant's family in Anson:

Article by Dan Sullivan, based on information from Adam's Ancestors by Thomas Nathan Clark and Anson County Deeds and Wills

For further information on this family, please contact Dan Sullivan-- dan_sullivan@prodigy.com

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