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Anna Earp (1830-1860+), wife of William Allen Broyhill
     Ann Earp, sometimes called "Anna," "Annie," and "Nellie," married William Allen Broyhill in Wilkes County, NC on Nov. 16, 1848. 

Ancient Earps

The name Earp is listed in numerous studies of English surnames but authorities do not agree on its exact origin and meaning.  Several maintain that it is old English, describing personal appearance, and means "dark", "dusky", or "swarthy".  The fullest, most interesting explanation which was found under the spelling Erp, follows:
A common personal name in Pictland, Erp, Yrp, appears as the name of a Welsh king.  The name was borrowed from the Pict by the Norsemen and given name to the Icelandic family of Erplingi.  Erp, son of Meldun, a Scots Earl was captured by the Norsemen and as a free man went to colonize Iceland by the end of the ninth century.  Erp is the Gaelic equivalent of the name.
    Regardless of the origin, and exact meaning, there is little doubt that it is an English name and family which date back many centuries.  The earliest record found was the marriage of William Erpe in London Town in the year 1561 ?.  There are many Earps living in England today, some near Stratford-on-Avon, the home of Shakespeare.  Several Earps of England have been very prominent people and their works are found in the Library of Congress.  There is also a sprinkling of Earps today in Canada, the Union of South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil.

Early Earp Immigration

    The Earps came early to the American Colonies.  Some came first to the Maryland colony in the 1680's and 1690's.  There were some who came early to the South Carolina colony.  "August 10, 1669, landing in Charleston names known as Mrs. Sarah Erpe [Editor-This spelling could be 'Erps'], Elizabeth Erpe, and Mrs. Mary Erpe." There are other records of these later in the colony.  Another group located in Wake and Johnson counties in North Carolina.  Many still live there today.  Another family located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, coming from Leicistarshire [Editor - illegible], England, in 1794.  Earp Street in Philadelphia was named for this family.  During the Civil War, there was a town named Earpsboro in North Carolina.
    During the War of Independence, many Earps served in the Colonial Army, some in the War of 1812.  In the Civil War, the author has record of some 200 Earps who served in that great war.  The Earps were mostly Southern, but some did wear the blue of the Northern Army.  It appears that some Earps had branched off before the War moving to Illinois and Iowa.  One of the most interesting of the Southern Earps was a Colonel Cullen R. Earp, who lead the 10th Texas Regiment in several important battles of the War.  It is assumed that most, if not all, of the Earps in America are related and the author hopes to do more research on this.

Thomas Earpe Jr. (1650??-1719+)
Immigrant Ancestor

    Our first known ancestor in America was Thomas Earps [Editor - could be "Earpe"], who came as an indentured servant to Maryland.  According to some information could have first come to South Carolina with the above mentioned Earpe [Editor - could be "Earps"], landing in South Carolina, and then to Maryland, since South Carolina was not too well settled by that time.
     This Thomas Earp is listed as "junior", so it is safe to assume that his father was also named Thomas, but may have died in England, and the above Sarah, or Elizabeth or Mary was a widow and mother of Thomas Jr.
     Thomas Earp Jr. was born about 1650, apparently in England and died around the year 1720.  He owned land around the present city of Baltimore in the 1690's.  It must be emphasized that records were scare at this time.  No vital statistics were kept by the authorities as we know them today.  No marriage licenses were issued until 1775 and we have to resort to church records which are far from being complete.  Some churches did record baptisms, marriages, burials, etc.  Colonial education was virtually unknown and most colonists could neither read nor write and therefore repeated their names verbally for records.  Some court clerks wrote it down as he heard it and this often resulted in the most unusual phonetic spellings.  This resulted in such spellings of Earp as:  Arp, Arpe, Aerp, Harpe, Harp, Yarp, Erps, Erp, and Earpe.  At times it is almost impossible to unscramble some records and keep from getting into the wrong line.
     Thomas lived on the Patapsco River in Maryland, a few miles northwest of the present site of Baltimore, Maryland, as numerous records attest.  We are almost sure he came from England, as many colonists did indentured to work for some other person for a period of years in return for his passage payment, but this is only a conjecture. He witnessed a will in 1698 and is mentioned in court records of 1700 and 1707.  In 1716, he filed an application by patent from the colonial proprietor for a 100 acre tract of land listed as "Lurgen" or "Lilngen".  In 1719, Thomas Earp signed a petition to the provincial court regarding road rights along with other inhabitants from both sides of the river.
     An interesting sidelight is the fact that another signer was one Jon Peddicord(Petticoat) and that the only known Revolutionary soldier from this area named Earp was one Peddicord (Petticoat) Earp, thus strongly indicating there was a marriage link here between Earps and Peddicords.  We believe Thomas Earp married a Peddicord girl.
     He had at least two sons.  One of them, Joseph Earp, was the subject of a genealogy written by Charles A. Earp of Baltimore - apparently his descendent.  The other known son is the John Earp listed below.

John Earp (1650??-1720?)
son of Thomas Earp Jr.

    John was the progenitor of the Earps, who settled along the Potomac River in Virginia, Fairfax County.  He married a woman named Rebecca ________ and had known sons as follows: Henry, Thomas, America, Joseph and William.  In 1719, he patented a large farm known as Macklams Friendship near his father's place in Maryland and paid rent to the colonial proprietor along with the brother Joseph. He sold these properties in 1728 and moved to Virginia.  John Earp's will was probated in 1745. 

Joshua Earp (1706-1771)
son of John Earp

     The name Joshua is sometimes called Joseph, but is believed to have been Joshua Earp.  Joshua Earp apparently followed his father to the Potomac River area because he sold his property in 1737, and bought land in Virginia.  He married Mary Budd and had at least three children.  Joshua apparently died in 1771, as records indicate.  His widow, Mary Earp, was listed in Virginia Census as still living in 1785.   Three Known sons:
William Earp.  Born 1729 and married Priscilla Nicholas. He was the progenitor of the Wyatt Earp families.  His descendants hold an annual family reunion the first Sunday in August each year at Andrews, Texas.
Caleb Earp.  Born 1754, but apparently never married and ran a drug store in Alexandria, Va. during the Revolutionary War.  It is said that he provided medicine to George Washington.  He died in 1800 and left his property to his only living brother, Matthew Earp, "Earps Ordinary" or Inn.
Matthew Earp.  Born about 1736.  See below.

Matthew Earp (1736-1808)
son of Joseph (Josuha Earp)

     Matthew was born about 1736, son of Joseph (Joshua) and Mary Earp and was brother to the above mentioned William and Caleb Earp.  He lived near Little Falls a suburb of Alexandria, Va.  He apparently owned large amount of land as he was mentioned very frequently in Fairfax County Courts as land owner, jury service, witness, etc.  He served in the Revolutionary as Sergeant Major in 10th NC - Va Regiment.
    He married a woman named Anna. One family historian states that her last name may have been Herndon.  ----.  Her last name may have been Herndon.  However the IGI Family Record sheet names her as Anna Dunlap.  They married about 1756.  It is believed that they had twelve children.  He was probably a very religious man since all his children had Biblical names.  A conjecture is that he joined the Methodist Church.  His oldest son was Methodist Missionary to South Carolina.  In 1782, he was appointed State Tobacco Inspector at Little Falls Warehouse, Va.  The IGI Family Record sheet lists seven children.
Daniel Earp 1757-1815
James Earp 1759-
Christina Earp 1760-
Abendnego Earp 1763-1844
Joel Earp 1764-
Simon Earp 1766
Caleb Earp 1768

Abendnego Earp (1763-1844)
son of Matthew Earp

     Abendnego was the son of Matthew and Anna Earp.  On Oct. 15, 1834, he made his Revolutionary War Pension Application in Wilkes County, NC.  (No. W.3529 - the "W" prefix denotes a widow's pension.  His second wife, Susannah, made the application on Feb. 21, 1853.
     In his original application, Abendnego stated that he was born in Fairfax County, Virginia in 1763, and that he enlisted at Alexandria, Va., and marched to Hillsboro, S.C., where his unit joined other troops after the ill fated Battle of Camden.  After the War, he settled in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.  He was married twice.  
      Abendengo moved his family to Wilkes County, North Carolina.  On March 9, 1804 he purchased from Jacob Hagaler 200 acress on the middle fork of Moravian Creek adjacent John Trible.  [DB F-1, p. 66].  On  Nov. 11, 1805, he purchased 200 acres from from Joel Hampton, also on the middle fork of Moravian Creek.  [DB F-1, p. 386].
     Abendengo was the grandfather of Ann Earp, who married William Broyhill, grandson of James Broyhill.  Both Abendengo and James served at the Battle of Camden during the Revolutionary War.  After the war, both lived in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, both migrated with their familes around 1804 and the 1810 census shows they lived very close to one another.
     In her letters of the late 1960's, Mrs. Head stated that her Hampton ancestors were also from Pittsylvania County and settled on Cub Creek in Wilkes County.  Two of James Broyhill's daughters married Hampton men and Mrs. Head suggested that the two families may have been quite close, perhaps moving to Wilkes together from Pittsylvania.  It is interesting that Abendengo Earp purchased land from a Hampton in 1805.
     All of this suggests that the three families - Broyhill, Earp and Hampton - and perhaps others, migrated from Pittsylvania County, Virginia to Wilkes County, NC together.  In any event, it seems likely that Abendnego Earp and James Broyhill spent many a lazy hour swapping "war stories."
     His first wife was Elizabeth Wright, daughter of Thomas Wright.  They were married in Pittsylvania County, Virginia on May 22, 1793.  She was the mother of all his children.  He married Susannah Montgomery in Wilkes County on Sept. 2, 1828.
     On the 1840 Wilkes County Census he is listed as age 82, and a Revolutionary War Pensioner.  He died in Wilkes County on Dec. 17, 1844.  His will [WB4, p 304-305] was probated in May of 1845.  It names his wife Susannah the twelve children named below.  The comments about each were provided by Mrs. W.O. Absher, a Wilkes County genealogist.    
Hanna Earp Married John Hubbard in 1817
Thomas Earp 1794- Married Ann Land in 1816.
Abendnego Earp Jr. Married Nancy Gray in 1817
Mary Earp Married a Grayson
James Earp Married Ann Gray in 1819
Caleb Earp Married Mariah Watts in 1825
Martha Earp Married Alfred Davidson in 1822.
Wright (Lane) Earp 1806- Married Susan Wellborn in 1833, 
Married Frances Wellborn in 1836
Elizabeth Earp 1807??-1860 Married Jessie Oliver
Emily Earp 1808- Married Benjamine Kilby in 1827.
Caroline Earp Married William S. Kilby.
Martin Stokes Earp Married Rachel Barnes in 1832.

Thomas Earp (1794-1830+)
son of Abendnego Earp

     Thomas Earp is listed on the 1850 Federal Census for Wilkes County, NC as age 57.  Thus he was born about 1793, when his parents lived in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. He moved with them  to Wilkes County, NC in or before 1805.
     He married Ann Land in Wilkes County on Feb. 19, 1816.  On the 1820 census his household contains 1 male age 26-45, 1 female age 0-10, and 1 female age 16-26.  The 1830 census lists one male 0-5, one male 30-40, one female 0-5, one female 10-15, one female 30-40, and one female 50-60.  The 1850 Census lists his as head of household #1766.  Andrew Earp, age 21, is listed with him.  In 1860, he is head of Wilkesboro household #73 and is 68 years old.  Andrew is 30. In 1870, Thomas Earp is in household #216, Beaver Creek Township, age 80.  In his household are R. Earp, a female age 80 and black and Jesse Earp, male, age 14 and black.  According to a deed dated Jan. 11, 1876 [DB F-3], he was married to a woman named Dorinda.
     On the 1841 school census in Warrior Creek township Thomas Earp had three males and two females between age 5 and 21 in school.  They are not named.  
     In 1821, Thomas Earp sold 100 acres on Warrior Creek to William R. Noland.  He signed his name to the deed, indicating that he could read and write. In 1855, his son-in-law William A. Broyhill sold him two tracts of land in the middle fork of Moravian Creek.
     Wilkes County genealogist Mrs. W.O. Absher wrote that the school census cited above contained the names of six children.  Comments are by her.
Elizabeth L. Earp 1818? Married James Hampton in 1838.  She may have later married a Birchfield and  lived in Monroe County, Tenn.
Thomas S. Earp Married Eleanor Pearson in 1850.
William M. Earp Married Anne.
Moved to Roan County, Tenn.
Andrew W. Earp 1830? Died Unmarried?
Ann Earp Married William A. Broyhill
Nancy Earp Married a Snead.
Moved to Monroe County, Tenn.

Ann Earp
daughter of  Thomas Earp

     Ann Earp, sometimes called "Anna," "Annie," and "Nellie," married William Allen Broyhill in Wilkes County, NC on Nov. 16, 1848.   
For information on their family, see William Allen Broyhill.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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