We Have a Horse Thief!

I’m going to be useless for the foreseeable future. I started digging into one of my ancestors over the weekend, thinking I’d learn a few fun facts about an orphaned waif who went to live with his uncle near the Great Dismal Swamp and ended up a prosperous landowner when the Carolina backcountry opened up. I had no idea what I was in for.

Over three generations – from about 1670 to 1804 – the story covers nearly every stereotype and significant historical event in the South. It starts with a criminal transported to the American colonies and ends with a will that mentions the direct ancestor of two Triple Crown winners.

The in-between is anything but boring and sedate. Across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and both Carolinas, it’s a story of fur trading, horse thieving, adultery, multiple prison stints, prosecutions for fornication and disturbing the peace, herds of illegitimate children, Conestoga wagons, battles over inheritance, grudges, forgiveness, the Earl of Granville, a Moravian Bishop straight from Germany, wilderness explorers, the founding of Salem NC, the French & Indian Wars, murder, the State of Franklin, colonial militias, questioned patriotism, slavery, horse races, political influence including a potential run for the U.S. presidency, and a famous descendant of both the Godolphin Arabian (King of the Wind himself!) and the Darley Arabian – not to mention at least three other famous sires of what would become Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, and American Quarter Horses.

I have never wished so much that I could plumb the depths of my aunt Laura Nichols’ equine knowledge to learn more about these famous creatures. I’m doing as much research on the horses named in John Perkins’s will as I am the people.

And every time I find another document, I find more drama.

I have two meetings, a hearing, and a doctor’s appointment this week. Other than that, I will be locked into position in front of my screen and behind my keyboard until the New Year.

You can send food, but I won’t be taking any calls. I have genealogy to do.

Last Updated on January 11, 2024 by Anne