| Notes |
- Simon Carson to Son William, writing in 1849 from Frederick City, VA, says: "...my father was born in Ireland at Pete [Pote?] on Bush Hill, in Armagh Co. in the vicinity of Armagh City.... He came to this country some time previous to Braddock's defeat [1755] he left 5 children [does he mean siblings?] as you know, two of his sisters married brothers of the same name -- Carson. Three of their descendants came to this country prior to the Revolution more or less engaged in our struggle for Independence. Of them, Thos. a daring spirit ventured to take a horse and mare from under the breast works, of the British at Yorktown in 1781. The horse he brought home and called Tarleton after the Col. of the Cavalry, The mare he got a gold watch for from his Captain of the Augusta Riflemen. He subsequently went westward and I think died in Kentucky.
"His brother Simon married and lived many years in this city and left several children. His cousin John went South (Carolina) soon after the close of the war and I have not heard of him since....."
William's letter continues: "His [Simon's?] brothers James and Joseph came to Amer. since the Revolution. The former married in Augusta and then settled some ten miles from Lexington, Ky. where he left a handsome family of children. The latter Joseph exchanged his interest in the freehold for merchandise in order to settle in New York."
"Before proceeding to Simon Carson's son, William, it will be well to trace the history of our Carsons.
"There are records of testimony of some of the older residents of Shenandoah Valley, in the files of Laura Virginia Hale, author of 'The Forebears and Descendants of John Wise Sherman of Mt. Crawford, Virginia' and other books about Valley families, which indicate there were two families of Carsons in Warren County, Simon Carson and Samuel Carson.
"According to these records, Simon Carson, Sr, appeared in the early transactions, buying land along the west bank of the South Fork of the Shenandoah, about a mile above Riverton. From his arrival in 1745 until his death in 1795, he successfully added acreage to his large holdings, and in the Census of 1765 he is listed as head of a household of nine persons.
"He had three sons, William, John, and Simon, Jr (our ancestor), and two daughters, one of whom married Colonel John Overall, a famous Revolutionary soldier, and the other, Jared Williams, Congressman.
"Simon, Sr. and two brothers came to America from Londonderry, Ireland and as a family were interested in the manufacture and sale of Irish Linen. Professor Simon Carson of Roanoke College, Virginia wrote in 1898 that the great skill in fancy weaving and the fondness for it which Simon Carson showed was doubtless his by inheritance from his own father. (Incidentally, the Huguenots were noted for lace and textiles.)
"Passed from one generation to the next is the story that our Carsons originally bore the family name, Sallee, and were French Huguenots who fled to a Scandinavian country, then to Ireland.
"About 1688 the Carson family participated in the famous siege of Londonderry, Ireland, when the Protestant inhabitants were confined by the Catholic Irish power and subjected to a siege that lasted until the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Most of the people died from hunger and privations, yet the survivors refused to surrender. The father of Robert Carson, and grandfather of Simon, Sr., was one of the defenders. He watched a rat hole for half a day that he might shoot its occupant for food; and the entrails of horses were sold by the yard to satisfy the cravings of hunger.
"According to the records of the Campbell family, so great was the stress of the siege that only about 100 survived out of a population of 10,000/ The besiegers had stretched a chain across the river to cut off supplies, but a vessel loaded with provisions broke it after the third attempt, and the siege was raised. King James and William III were the contending monarchs. King William granted a freehold to each of the survivors.
"Robert Carson, father of Simon Carson, Sr., was born in Ireland between 1660 and 1680. He married a Miss Watt and they had eight children. Several of his nephews came to America and served in the continental Army during the Revolution.
"Simon Carson, Sr. was born in Pete on Bush Hill, Armagh County, near Armagh City Ireland. He came to America previous to 1750. Landing at New Castle, Delaware about 1745, he traveled to Frederick County, Virginia, and made his home near the present site of Front Royal. The Campbell records show that he traded in silks and furs, which he carried in a pack to show his customers. He was thrifty, accumulated money, and from time to time purchased about 2,500 acres of land lying on both sides of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. On this land he lived, died, and was buried.
"Simon Carson, Sr. married the widow Pool, formerly Jane Reddin (1748-1843), whose mother's name was Arlege. She was raised at Cherry Point, near Gloucester on Chesapeake Bay. They had five children. -- Bond, Marian Saunders. Some Ancestors, pp. 16-18.
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Taylor Family Genealogy
Abt 1720 - 1795 (~ 75 years)
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