Truesdale

The following account of the Truesdale family is partly taken from an old letter written by James Truesdale of New York (Samuel Truesdale settled in New York) to his cousin, Jesse Truesdale of Flat Rock, SC: 

Our Truesdale forefathers came from England in the year 1649 with Oliver Cromwell, who came with an army of 12,000 men to subdue the Papists that were in rebellion against the British government. They were also murdering the Protestants throughout Ireland. The Papists had made a stand at a place called Drogheda with a large army, it being a walled town and Oliver Cromwell laid siege to it and took it and put 2000 of the Papists to the sword. 

Our forefathers fought there and when Oliver had captured the place he left a garrison in it and went to the city of Wetford. Our forefathers were left at Drogheda with the garrison. When Cromwell had completed his mission in Ireland and peace being restored, the Truesdales and Hollingsworths settled somewhere about Drogheda. How long our forefathers remained there I cannot exactly tell, but sometime in the year 1700 a family of the Truesdale's and a family of the Hollingsworth's left their friends somewhere in the neighborhood of Drogheda and came to the province of Ulster county of Down and town of Rothfreland and settled there where there is a number of their offspring. They reside there to this day. 

John Truesdale I died Dec. 1795 in Kingshill, Co. Down, Northern Ireland. He had five sons: John, Samuel, Thomas, James and Robert. John and Samuel were the only ones that came to America. Some of the Hollingsworths went to British American, but I have known none of them who came to the United States. All of the families that were with Cromwell were of the same stock. They were all good Presbyterians. Our forefathers fought and bled for that religion. 

 John Truesdale II was born in 1743 in Ulster, Co. Down, Ireland and died in Kershaw Co., SC after 1803. He was a Revoluntionary War soldier, a Presbyterian and married to Mary (Mollie) Hollingsworth, also born in County Down. Their children were named Robert, Hollingsworth, Sarah, John, James and Thomas. 
Of Robert, we learn from a letter dated July 12, 1792 written by an Irish relative to John in America, says "Your son, Robert, left us about ten years ago. He went to sea. He wrote to us and desired we should let him know your address in America. We think he went in search of you. But he probably never got there. 

Hollingsworth died and was buried at sea in crossing.

Sarah married Samuel Jones and moved to Alabama.

Mary married Sterling Horton, son of Capt. William Horton.

James Truesdale, born Feb. 24, 1767 and died before 1840, was the son of John Truesdale II. James Truesdale married Rebecca Ussery, daughter of Thomas Ussery. Rebecca was born ca. 1780 and died Nov. 11, 1860. 

Mary Hollingsworth Truesdale, born May 1, 1800 and died Jan. 27, 1878, was a daughter of James Truesdale. Mary Hollingsworth Truesdale married Eli Williams. 

Back to your ancestor, John Truesdale II. Here is a copy of stub entries to indents for Revolutionary claim, "issued 29th June 1785 to Mr. John Truesdel for two pounds 17 shillings, one and a half pence sterling for 40 days duty in Col. Kershaw's Regiment in 1783 as per account audited Principal two pounds, seventeen shillings, one and a half pence. Annual interest 3 shillings, 11 pence." 
When signing this John spelled his name Truesdel. 

The home of John and Mollie Truesdale and their children was at the place now called "Bob Floyd place" and they are buried in unmarked graves, nearby. Their daughter, Mary Hollingsworth Truesdale married Eli Williams. Eli Williams and Mary Hollingsworth Truesdale had a daughter, Mary Caroline Williams, that married William G. Maughan. 

Back to Index Page