Chapter 4
Jonathan and Keziah England Duckworth
Jonathan Duckworth was born about 1767
and died November 1807 in Burke County, North Carolina. Kizziah England
was born about 1775 and died 16 January 1820 in Buncombe (part that is
now Transylvania) County, North Carolina. She was the daughter of John
and Jane Ann Grant England
Kizziah Duckworth, the widow of Jonathan Duckworth, who died 10
November 1807 in Burke County, North Carolina of a disease that reached
epidemic proportions, came to the Brevard, North Carolina area sometime
before 1810 with seven children: four boys and three girls, "The
Brevard Seven Duckworths.” She was born ca. 1775 in North Carolina,
place unknown, daughter of John England and married ca. 1795 in Burke
County, North Carolina.
Her husband, Jonathan, was the son of William and Jane Duckworth of
McDowell's Creek in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and brother to
John, William and George of Burke County and sisters Althea and Sarah.
He was appointed by the October 1787 Term of the Burke Court of Pleas
and Quarter Sessions to serve on the road jury to lay off a road from
Burke County and Morganton to Widow Hagan's. He was on the 1793 Tax
List of Burke County, one poll, no land, and neighbor to William
Duckworth, John and Daniel England (Hunting Creek). When Jonathan
Duckworth died, he was living on the north side of the Catawba River
and neighbor to Silas Murphy, John Bryant, and Mrs. Mary Bradley, all
dying of the same disease in the course of four days.
There is no record of Jonathan or Kizziah owning land in Burke or
Buncombe County North Carolina. At the time of the 1810 U.S. Census of
Buncombe County, Kizziah was living near Ben Davidson, William Wilson
Sr., Mary Shurk, Samuel King Jr., and George Osborn. It is believed
Jonathan was living with his brother, William, in 1790, in Burke
County, North Carolina.
The first organization of Baptist, in what is now Transylvania County,
North Carolina, was an arm of the French Broad Baptist Church, started
17 April 1813 and organized 22 July 1822, as Cathey's Creek Baptist
Church. Kizziah Duckworth joined the mission prior to the permanent
organization. She died 16 January 1820 and was the first recorded death
of the membership and the first buried in the cemetery.
She was the first Baptist of record in the Duckworth family, and her
influence must have been great, as all four of her sons were active in
the church, and she had two grandsons who became Baptist preachers of
some note.
Jonathan and Kizziah Duckworth were the parents of "The Brevard Seven
Duckworths":
1. John McCamie was born 7 June 1797, died 2 March 1887, married Sarah
Hamlin, daughter of Elikiam and Ann Reagan Hamlin, and lived at
Cathey's Creek.
2. Jane was born ca. 1799, died about 1869, and married William
Harrison Nicholson, son of John Nicholson. They lived at Cherryfield
and Dunn’s Rock.
3. David was born in 1801, died in February 1891, married Mary
Williamson, daughter of Charles Williamson, and moved from the North
Fork of the French Broad River to Union County, Georgia between 1834
and 1836. He will be discussed in next chapter.
4. Jonathan, twin to David, died ca. 1870, married Rebecca Hunter, and
moved from Cherryfield to Union County, Georgia after 1843.
5. William was born 26 April 1805, died 2 July 1884, married Sarah A.
Jordan, daughter of Joseph and Hannah Davis Jordan. Lived and died at
Cherryfield.
6. Elizabeth was born 5 August 1807, died 1 February 1854, and married
John Hamlin, son of Elikiam and Ann Reagan Hamlin. They lived at
Cherryfield and Brevard.
7. Charlotte, whose dates of birth and death have been lost, may have
been twin to Elizabeth. She married Thomas Aiken, son of Ezekiel and
Sarah McCravey Aiken. They lived at Cherryfield.
The Duckworth family were members of the Presbyterian Church before the
marriage of Jonathan to Kizziah England.
Why did Kizziah remove from Burke to Buncombe County after the death of
Jonathan? She had no relatives living in Buncombe County. It must
have been to keep her family together. Had she remained in Burke
County, the County Court would have put her children out for adoption.
The part of Buncombe County to which she moved was a wild and recently
settled area. The possibility of family interference here was small and
they felt safe here.