Ebenezer Swinson was born in North Carolina about 1765. His place of birth was probably the Tranters Creek area of what is now Pitt and Martin counties. Ebenezer’s name weaves in and out of the county records of Duplin, New Hanover and Onslow counties for over a half century. These records reveal that Ebenezer’s wife was named Ann, and that he had a son named Richard and a daughter named Ann. Yet, much remains unknown about Ebenezer, and one is forced to speculate about many of his family connections. Is father was probably John Swinson. He probably had brothers named Richard, Theophilus and John, and he probably had two other sons named Richard and Zebadee. His death occurred after 1850 in Duplin County, NC.

The first reference that’s been found to Ebenezer Swinson is dated 1794. He purchased 200 acres of land on Carr Branch in Duplin County from Job Rogers. (Duplin Deed Book 3A, p. 322) The exact location of this purchase hasn’t been determined. However, Carr Branch is a prong of Maxwell Swamp, and Maxwell Swamp flows through the south central part of Duplin County – near the present town of Rose Hill – and into the Northeast Cape Fear River. Theophilus Swinson had purchased two tracts of land on Maxwell Swamp in 1786, and this is one reason for assuming that Ebenezer and Theophilus were brothers.

The next reference that’s been found to Ebenezer Swinson is in the records of New Hanover County. Ebenezer purchased 100 acres of land in New Hanover from John Futch on 17 April 1799 and sold this same land on 17 December 1801 to Bryan Buxton. The New Hanover deeds are not complete, and these actual conveyances haven’t been located. An account of Ebenezer’s purchase and sale is found in a later conveyance of the same property. (New Hanover Deed Book p., p. 287) Elizabeth F. McKoy, in her book Early New Hanover Records, Wilmington, N. C., 1973, indicates that Ebenezer’s land was on the west side of Widow Moore’s Creek, and joined the land of John Swinson.

John Swinson was a key person in the early history of the Swinson family. Therefore, he will be discussed briefly even though this paper is on Ebenezer Swinson. John Swinson was one of the Swinson’s who migrated about 1770 from Tranters Creek, which now forms part of the boundary between Pitt and Martin counties, to the Goshen Swamp area of Duplin County. John appears to have settled first on the south side of Goshen near where this swamp flows into the Northeast Cape Fear River. He acquired 120 acres – in a manner that is not clear – which he sold in 1782. (Duplin Deed Book 7, p. 366) About this time, John married Susannah Parker, widow of William Parker, and moved to her plantation on the north side of Goshen. (Duplin Deed Book F, p. 117) Widow Parker’s plantation was probably five to eight miles from John’s previous home. William Parker’s will is dated 7 March 1779 and was probated at the April 1780 Duplin County Court of Common Pleas and Quarters Sessions. (Duplin Will Book A, p. 375) Beneficiaries were his wife, Susannah; two daughters, Mary Jenkins and Jerusha Parker; and one grand daughter, Easter Cherry. If these daughters and granddaughters were Susannah’s, one could assume that Susannah was at least middle aged when she married John Swinson. From evidence available, one could conclude that John was also middle aged and probably a widower when he married Susannah. It’s believed this is the same John Swinson, for example, who received a land grant on Tranters Creek in 1751. (Secretary of State Land Grant Book 137-B, No. 103) (Some) of John’s children were probably grown by the time he married Widow Parker. However, the 1786 State Census of North Carolina shows two males – probably sons – living in John’s (and Susannah’s) household. Since only daughters are mentioned in William Parker’s will, these sons were probably John’s and they were probably named Ebenezer (age about 21) and John.

John and Susannah sold their plantation on Goshen in 1787 and moved to the west side of Widow Moore’s Creek. This was the same creek mentioned earlier in connection with Ebenezer. John and Susannah’s new home was about 50 miles from their old home on Goshen. The land was in New Hanover at the time. It would now be in the western part of Pender County. John and Susannah actually obtained their new plantation through a trade. They sold 215 acres in Duplin to Jesse Branch of New Hanover for 120 pounds. (Duplin County Deed Book F, p. 117) Branch in turn sold John and Susannah 283 acres in New Hanover for 120 pounds. (New Hanover Deed Book H, p. 583)

John Swinson of New Hanover is not listed in the 1790 Federal Census, but many people were missed at that time by the census taker. Deeds indicate that he lived in New Hanover until 1800. The 1800 Federal Census of New Hanover lists two Swinson families: the John Swinson family headed by a male under 26 and the Ebenezer Swinson family headed by a male between 26 and 45. These are believed to be John’s sons who were living in his household in Duplin in 1786. These younger Swinson’s didn’t remain in New Hanover long after their father’s death. Son John received grants in 1804 and 1812 in Bladen County, a few miles to the west. (Bladen County Land Grants Nos. 0715 and 0716, Secretary of State’s Office, Raleigh) He is listed in the 1810 Federal Census of Bladen. He isn’t listed in the 1820 Federal Census of Bladen, but there is a John Swinson in the 1820 Federal Census of Cumberland County, which is a few miles further to the west. No effort has been made to trace him and his family.

Ebenezer Swinson, the subject of this paper, moved back to Duplin. Actually, he owned the land on Carr Branch mentioned earlier while he was in New Hanover. He, and his wife Ann, sold their land on Carr Branch in 1803. (Duplin Deed Book 5A, p. 508) Duplin County tax lists (now on file in the Department of Archives and History, Raleigh) for 1806 and 1807 show that Ebenezer Swinson owned 150 acres. His holdings had increased to 350 acres in 1808. His name appears on 1811 and 1812 tax lists, but no acreage is specified. His name doesn’t appear on Duplin tax lists found in the Department of Archives and History for the years 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1818 and 1834. His name reappears in 1834, when he owned75 acres. He had purchased 75 acres on Back Swamp in Duplin County in 1829. (Duplin Deed Book 4B, p. 11) Ebenezer and his wife Ann gave this tract to their son Richard in 1833. (Duplin Deed Book 5, p. 212) However, Richard sold this land back to his father on 22 December 1838. (Duplin Deed Book 21, p. 251) In 1842, Ebenezer E. Swinson and his wife Ann made a gift of 50 acres on Back Swamp to their daughter Ann. (Duplin Deed Book 23, p. 192) A witness to this deed was William W. Swinson. (Theophilus Swinson had a grandson named William W. Swinson.) Ann kept her 50 acres until 1860 when she sold it to Lewis Batchelor. (Duplin Deed Book 23, p. 454) Zebadee Swinson was an adjoining property owner when Ann sold her land in 1860.

References have been found to Ebenezer Swinson in several additional records. Minutes of the July 1809 Duplin County Court of Common Pleas and Quarters Sessions show that Ebenezer Swinson was exempted from paying taxes and doing public duty for one year. He received a one-year extension to this exemption at the July 1810 Court. No reason is given for the exemption. Such exemptions were usually granted, however, when a citizen became disabled through age, illness, or injury. Duplin Court Minutes have been perused through 1816 and for most of the decade of the 1830s. No further reference after 1810 has been found to Ebenezer. He apparently was never called for jury duty or any other type of public service. The question, which naturally arises then, is this: Was Ebenezer incapacitated for much of his adult life?

As was pointed out earlier, Ebenezer was in New Hanover County at the time of the 1800 Census. The microfilmed copy of the 1810 Census of Duplin County available in the Department of Archives and History is in poor condition. There appears to be an E_____ Swinson in this Census, which could be Ebenezer. The household includes the following:

1 male under 10

1 male 10-16

1 male 26-45

2 females under 10

1 female 10-16

1 female 26-45

Ebenezer appears as "Ebon" Swinson in the 1820 Census of Onslow County. Onslow joins Duplin on the east and an Ebenezer’s property on Back Swamp joined the Onslow County line. His family consisted of:

2 males 10-16

1 male over 45

2 females 16-26

1 female over 45

Living next to Ebon was James Swinson. Later census records indicate that James Swinson was born about 1800. He could have been Ebenezer’s son. This James is believed to have been the forebearer of several Swinson families who were living in Onslow by the time of the Civil War.

Ebenezer Swinson isn't listed in the 1830 Census of either Onslow or Duplin. However, a Richard Swinson with the following family is listed in the 1830 Census of Duplin:

1 male 5-10

1 male 20-30

1 male 60-70

2 females under 5

1 female 15-20

Could this Richard be Ebenezer’s son, and could the 60 to 70 year old male living in the household be Ebenezer? The ages would tally. Also, living nearby was Elijah Swinson, whose household consisted of one male 20-30 and one female 60-70. Could this female have been Ann Swinson, Ebenezer’s wife? (Elijah Swinson, single, died November 1869 of Typhoid fever at the age of 65, according to the 1870 Census of Duplin County).

Ebenezer was maintaining his own household at the time of the 1840 Census. Living in the household were:

1 male 70-80

1 female 5-10

1 female 30-40

1 female 70-80

The last reference that ‘s been found to Ebenezer Swinson is in the 1850 Census of Duplin. Beginning with this Census all members of a household were listed by name and age. Thus, we find:

Ebenezer Swinson, 85, land valued at $75

Ann Swinson, 85

Ann Swinson, 40

Lucretia Swinson, 15

Lucretia Swinson married Stephen Harrell on 14 February 1864 in Onslow County, according to marriage bonds on file in the department of Archives and History.

The name of Richard Swinson disappears from the Duplin records for 16 years following his sale of land back to his father – Ebenezer – in 1838. In 1854, Richard Swinson and his wife Ann received 107 acres of land from the estate of Ann’s deceased father, Robert Cole. (Duplin Deed Book 21, p. 573) In 1857, Richard and Ann Swinson of Lawrence County, Illinois, granted power of attorney to Gibson Sloan so he could sell their inheritance. (Duplin Deed Book 22, p. 199) Sloan sold 60 acres of the land to Mary J. Cole (Duplin Deed Book 22, p. 369) and the remaining 47 acres to David Cole. (Duplin Deed Book 22, p. 370) it’s assumed that this Richard Swinson was Ebenezer’s son.

It was stated in the beginning that Ebenezer probably had a brother named Richard as well as a son. Only limited evidence can be offered to support this possibility. There was a Richard Swinson in Duplin that married Elizabeth Mercer 23 July 1789, for example, according to the Duplin Marriage Bonds. Richard and Theophilus were associated in several land deals. Therefore, I’ve tentatively concluded that Richard, Theophilus, Ebenezer and John (who moved to Bladen and Cumberland) were brothers.

The evidence is both limited and circumstantial. Certainly, more research is needed on this and several other aspects of Ebenezer’s family.

NOTE: I received the above from Tom in the summer of 1995, as I first embarked upon my search for my Swinson roots, and it has guided me throughout my research. I have yet to find one major flaw in his conclusions and have built upon the information contained in it. Even so, Ebenezer’s exact date and place of birth remain a mystery, as well as the actual date of his death.

The James Swinson speculated to be a son of Ebenezer is my great great-grandfather. James Swinson married a Rebecca Marshburn, date unknown, but suspected to be abt. 1829. The recent discovery of a deed from Zebedee and James Swinson to Maxey A. Manning reveals their father to be Zebedee Swinson, Sr. See the "Descendants of Zebedee Swinson, Sr." for the full text of the deed.

James is listed in the 1850 Onslow County Federal Census, with a household of 6 children. The youngest of these, my great grandfather Jesse Swinson, had seven sons whose descendants nearly populated an entire community in the Ten-Mile area, near Maple Hill, N.C. in Onslow. So, yes, James Swinson is indeed a forebearer of many lines of Onslow Swinson’s.

Although Tom’s theory concerning James as a son of Ebenezer has been disproven, this document still contains a great deal of valuable information for Swinson researchers.