"On 14 July 1760, Samuel Rankin purchased 320 acres from David Alexander
on James Cathey's Mill Creek in Rowan County, NC. John and William
Rankin, believed by some to be Samuel's brothers, both preceded him to
that part of Orange County near Rowan County which later became Guilford
County. Between 1760 and 1765, Samuel was very active in Rowan County
serving on various juries and grand juries. On 31 Aug 1765, he and 'wife
Elenor' sold this same 320 acres on James Cathey's Mill Creek to John
McNeeley." [A. Gregg Moore & Forney A. Rankin, The Rankins of North
Carolina, (Marietta, GA: 1997), 20.]
Samuel and Ellen Rankin moved from Rowan County to Mecklenburg County
around 1765. On 19 Jan 1768, they purchased 150 acres of land on
Kuykendall's Creek in what is now Gaston County from David Alexander,
planter of Mecklenburg County. Then, on 22 Dec 1768, Samuel Rankin
received a grant of 200 acres of land from Governor Tryon. His land
transactions were numerous. [A. Gregg Moore & Forney A. Rankin, The
Rankins of North Carolina, (Marietta, GA: 1997), 20.]
From the Tryon County, North Carolina Court Minutes:
At the October 1771 term a deed of sale from David Alexander to Samuel
Rankin dated 19 Jan 1768 for 150 acres of land was acknowledged in open
Court and ordered to be registered.
At the April 1774 term a deed of sale from Samuel Rankin & Eleanor his
wife to Philip Alston for 150 acres of land dated 26 March 1773
acknowledged in open Court by Samuel Rankin and ordered to be
registered. At the same session, a deed of sale from Samuel Rankin to
Philip Alston for 200 acres of land dated 26 Jan 1773 was acknowledged in
open Court and ordered to be registered.
At the April 1774 term a deed of sale from Alexander Gilliland to Samuel
Rankin for 202 acres of land dated 8 Mar 1772 was acknowledged in open
Court and ordered to be registered.
At the July 1774 term Samuel Rankin served on the Petty Jury.
At the July 1777 term a deed of sale from Samuel Rankin to Robert Park
for 202 acres of land on a branch of Crowder's Creek dated 30 (13?) Nov
1775 was proved in open court by Alexander Gilliland an evidence thereto
and ordered to be registered.
At the April 1778 term a deed of sale from George Lamkin to Samuel Rankin
for 300 acres of land dated 12 Jan 1775 was proved by Robert Alexander an
evidence thereto and ordered to be registered.
At the April 1778 term a deed of sale for land from William Alston to
Robert Alexander was proved by Samuel Rankin.
At the October 1778 term Samuel Rankin assee &c vs Samuel Adams. Jury
impanelled and sworn; assess the plaintiff damage to £14 11 7 and /6 cost.
[Brent H. Holcomb, Tryon County North Carolina Minutes of the Court of
Pleas and Quarter Sessions 1769-1799, SCMAR, Columbia, South Carolina,
1994.]
Last Will & Testament:
In the name of God Amen.
I, Samuel Rankin of the State of North Carolina and County of Lincoln
being of sound and perfect mind and (memory?), blessed be God, do this
16th day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand Eight hundred
and fourteen, make and publish this my last will and testament in manner
and form following (viz) Item 1st I allow all my worldly debts to be paid
out of my Estate.
Item 2nd I give unto my son William Rankin one dollar. Item 3rd I give
unto my daughter Jean Heartgrove one dollar. Item 4th I give unto my son
Samuel Rankin one dollar.
Item 5th I give unto my son David Rankin one dollar. Item 6th I give
unto my son Robert Rankin one dollar. Item 7th I give unto my son
Alexander Rankin one dollar.
Item 8th, I will unto my Daughter Anna Rutledge two cows which she has
now in her possession and no more. Item 9th I give unto my daughter
Nelly Dickson one dollar.
The above mentioned monies that I have willed unto my children, I allow
the same to be paid out of my Estate.
Item 10th I will and bequeath unto my son James Rankin and his heirs the
plantation whereon I now live.
Item 11th I will unto my son James Rankin my sorrel horse and all my
stock of cattle and sheep and my bed and furniture of every kind likewise
and large kettled and one (- - - -).
And I hereby make and ordain my worthy son Alexander Rankin Executor of
this my last will and testament in witness whereof the said Samuel Rankin
has to this my last will and testament set my hand and seal the day and
year above written, signed sealed published and delivered by the said
Samuel Rankin the Testator as his last will and testament in the presence
of us who was present at the time of signing and dealing thereof.
H. McGee
Blair McGee
George Graham
(signed) Samuel /his X mark/ Rankin
A bronze marker placed by D.A.R. on the stone wall surrounding
Goshen Grove Cemetery where he is buried commends Samuel Rankin as
patriot in Revolutionary war - due to age, probably gave supplies and
services.
From Revolutionary Army Accounts for North Carolina A:179,
Historical Commission, Raleigh North Carolina: "For sundries furnished
the militia of North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina as allowed by
Brown, McKissick, auditors, Salisbury District September 1781 to Samuel
Rankin for wagon hire."
Also, A:225: "For sundries furnished the Militia of North Carolina
as allowed by Ervin and Miler, auditors for Morgan District."
Also from Revolutionary War Accounts of North Carolina, Volume 5,
page 36, folio 1.
An article by Minnie Stowe Puett, Gaston Co. historian, in her book
"History of Gaston County" :
Samuel Rankin, the Gaston County pioneer of the family of that name, was
of Scotch-Irish stock.
He, with the Moores, Alexanders, and others of his countrymen, came to
the Mt. Holly section from Pennsylvania about 1763 and settled on
Kuykendall or Dutchman's Creek on lands opened by the government a short
time before, some of which had been taken by James Armstrong. The lands
of Samuel Rankin's first settlement were purchased from Armstrong. Two
years later he moved to a large grant of 2000 acres, lying between
Stanley and Dutchman's Creeks.
While living in Pennsylvania, he married Ellen Alexander, a sister of
Robert Alexander and an aunt of Margaret Alexander, Robert's daughter,
who was betrothed to Major William Chronicle at the time of his death at
King's Mountain. Robert Alexander also moved to the Mt. Holly section
and became prominent in the county.
Samuel Rankin and his wife had eleven children. One of these,
William, was a soldier of the Revolution. A sketch of him will be given
later.
Much of the land of the original grant to Samuel Rankin is still in
possession of his descendants. The late Rufus Rankin, reared in the New
Hope section of the county, built a new house on the site of the original
settlement, about two miles from Stanley on the north side of Stanley
Creek. Rufus died a short time after his home was completed. His widow,
Minnie Armstrong Rankin, continued to occupy it for a while, but she
later moved to Gastonia.
The settlement has for years been known as Rankintown.
Article from "The Gastonia Gazette" - Gastonia, NC, May 1955
by Mrs. Kay Dixon
(picture included)
Samuel Rankin and wife, Ellen Alexander, were pioneers who settled
in this area in 1765, and obtained a grant to a large tract of land, the
majority of which is still in the possession of the Rankin family.
Samuel built a house in 1765 on a hill overlooking the 300 acres
that he was later to deed to his son William (born 1760 - died 1853, age
93 years).
When a boy of 17 William joined the military company of his uncle,
Captain Robert Alexander; he saw service in the Cherokee uprising, in the
battles of Cowpens and Eutaw Springs.
When he was 27 years old he married Mary Moore Campbell, sister of
General John Moore. They settled on land Samuel Rankin gave them and
built a small log house with a tremendous eight foot fireplace. Here
they lived until the finer, larger house in front of it was completed in
1800.
The first cabin then was used for a kitchen; unfortunately this
interesting old building has been torn down, and many tools, looms, farm
implements of by-gone days have been lost. The charming old house, of
logs covered with siding, has small rooms, quaint old mantles, and an
inclosed (sic) stairway.
The house is a veritable store house of valuable and interesting
articles, among which are straight chair that William Rankin used,
cupboards with some of the original china in them; spool beds, old
trunks, and tables, the old Bisanar clock with weights that rest in a
sand box, a fine old secretary with secret drawers. The furniture was
said to have been made by Isaac Holland.
William's sister Ellen married Joseph Dickson, son of General Joseph
Dickson and went with that family to Tennessee.
William and Mary Moore had nine children, who married into the
Rutledge, Moore, Johnson, and Campbell families, neighbors in that
section. William's son Richard (born 1804, died 1899) married Annie
Hartgrove, Carolyn Beatty, and Delia Bisaner. There were 14 children,
the progenitors of the many Rankins of Gaston county.
Richard represented Lincoln county in the legislature of 1844-1850,
and Gaston county in 1856, was influential in the organization of Gaston
county in 1847.
The youngest son of Richard Rankin and Delia Bisaner, Rev. Frank
Rankin, inherited the old home. He married Aneta Battley and their
children were born in the house. Mrs. W. H. Jarman (Mary Delia), Mrs.
Craig Watson, (Katharine), Mrs. Landon Roberts, (Jean), and the two sons
Richard and Frank. The sons live in Mt. Holly and "Willowside" is cared
for and cherished by the widow of Rev. Frank Rankin. Rev. Frank Rankin
and his sister, Mrs. Kathleen Rankin Moore have died in the past few
years. They were among the very few grandchildren of a Revolutionary
soldier left in the county.
William Rankin died in 1854, age 93, Richard died in 1899, age 95;
William is buried at Goshen, Richard at Mt. Holly.