Almost to the moment we had entered the grid to the War Zone Games, the Space Shuttle Challenger had exploded not too far from our location, and all the surface ships had been immediately tasked to assist in rescue and search operations.

     This short Tribute, on this Memorial Day, is to the Crew of the Shuttle Challenger, STS-51-L. May we remember those whose adventure was tragically cut short.

Click on the Shuttle Image to view an Article on NASA's Website
"Remembering Challenger and Her Crew"

     The crisp Northumberland English landscape of the high moorlands, with its vast undeveloped landscapes, stretches along the eastern borders of the Anglo-Scottish line and is the ancestral land of the Truitt family.  With their persistent beginnings, this families fascinating adventures focus on a culture full of personal struggles, religious identity, and national pride.  From these Northern English roots grew a cultural line whose adventures would eventually cross the great Atlantic Ocean to participate in the founding of the Virginia colonial experience.  The consequences that follow stretch from the virgin tobacco fields of this new wilderness, through struggles of religious hardships, and culminates in a war for a new Nations identity.  The story that surrounds this family is entwined in the birth of the American Experience and the foundation of a Nation.

     Through the efforts of numerous family historians, the tale of this Truitt’s families adventures dramatically come to life.  Scrupulously gathered facts gleaned from ancient documents, combined and collaborated through modern research, sprinkled with conjecture, formulated and weld together to form a story that was once lived by these forefathers, and gives us a peek into the lives of those ancestors whose struggles and triumphs must be retold.

     The original emigrant of this Truitt family to the Americas was George Truitt, who arrived in the thriving community of the Virginia Colonies sometime between 1635 and November of 1640.  He became a stalwart landowner and tobacco farmer on the eastern shore of Northampton County, Virginia, married twice and had nine offspring.  He converted and became a staunch practitioner of the Quaker faith, an upstart religion that challenged the structure of the dominant Anglican religious base during the Virginia colonial years.  Through his struggles and successes, he set the path that several generations of posterity came to embrace and to be deeply influenced by.

     The following articles will faithfully attempt to compile as much formulative information about these progenitors of the Truitt family, tracing their history from Northumberland County, England, down through the American Revolutionary War.  The attempt to accurately compile and faithfully portray the Truitt family line, is vast and complex, and it is hoped that this presentation will be informative, insightful, and entertaining, and will be a lasting tribute to the history of a family whose lives influence us to this day.
 

*****

~ Main Line being followed in this Article ~

 
George Truitt (~1617-1670) & Frances Graves (1621-1691)
:
George Truitt (1647-1721) & Eleanor Meredith (1646-1732)
:
Samuel Truitt (1686-1756) & Jennet Porter (1693-    )
:
Samuel Truitt (1725-1801) & Mary Collins/Collings (1734-1836)
:
John Truitt (1753-1821) & Elizabeth Gray (1757-    )

     The Battle of Culloden[i] was fought in the spring of 1746 between the forces of King George the II of England, led by his son Prince William Augustus, the Duke of Cumberland, and the Scottish forces led by Charles Edward Stuart, commonly referred to as Bonnie Prince Charlie.  This was the last great engagement fought on either Scottish or British soil between these two contentious forces, and is known for its determined ferocity, vicious brutality, and rapid British victory.

     The conflict was spurred by an attempt of Scottish loyalists to restore “The House of Stuart” (or Stewart) to their hereditary and rightful place as rulers of the British Isles, which encompassed Scotland, England, and Ireland.  Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788) was an exiled Jacobite[ii] who persisted in his rights to the throne after his grandfather, King James II of England, was deposed in the Revolution of 1688, more commonly referred to as the ‘Glorious Revolution.’  As a result of this claim, Charles was labeled by those favoring British rule as “The Young Pretender.”

     The MacGregors were supporters of the Jacobite cause.  The Clan MacGregor (or Clan Gregor) is believed to have risen during the 800s.  One source states that the origins of this clan began with Gregor [iii], a son of King Alpin II Mac Eochaidh of Scotland and a younger brother to Kenneth MacAlpin.  King Alpin II was the first Scottish ruler to unite Scotland in 843 A.D.  Though historical records are inconclusive to this theory, recent DNA technology is supportive of this claim to the origins of the Gregor Clan and its ties to the Alpin or MacAlpin clan.  The ancient creed of the Gregor clan is, “My race is Royal,[iv]” translated from the Gaelic language of northern Scotland, “S’Rioghal Ma Dhream.”  One suggestion for the meaning of the name Gregor, is “derived from the Latin ‘Gregorious’ and the Late-Greek ‘Gregorious,’” which is translated as meaning “Alert, Watchful, or Vigilant.[v]”  The prefix of ‘Mac’ refers to ‘son of.’  Thus MacGregor literally refers to ‘the son of Gregor.’  The ancient Gaelic spelling of the name is “macGrioghair.”

     The ancient homeland of the Gregor clan was centered along the eastern border of Argyll and stretched to the western border of Perthsire.  The first suspected lands given to the clan Gregor were located in Glenorchy and may have been deeded to them during the reign of Malcolm Canmore (1057-1093), though this origin is still speculative.  It does appear that during the reign of Alexander II (1214-1249) Glenorchy was officially conferred upon them.

     The MacGregor Clan retained its historical and hierarchical importance in Scotland until Robert the Bruce, the 14th century “King of the Scots” who ruled Scotland from 1306 until his death in 1329, superseded the MacGregor’s land rights to the Chief of the Clan Campbell.  This relegated the MacGregor clan to seek its rights through persistent and continual conflicts with the Campbell’s.  Though their efforts eventually proved unsuccessful, the clan diverted its focus to harassing numerous settlements in the region by pilfering local resources.  They became so proficient at this tactic that local clans would pay the MacGregor’s not to raid their fields and cattle, rather then redress their grievances through physical confrontation.  The MacGregor’s had always been known as being fierce fighters who would defend their rights by the use of cold steel and relentless tactical intrusion upon their rivals’ lands and possessions, which probably influenced those who fell within the ire of these MacGregor raids to pay a ransom for their goods not to be repossessed.

     History confirms that the Clan MacGregor was forced to take refuge for a period of time in various mountainous fortresses and refuges, constantly defending the clan’s rights by mere force and determined ferocity.  At one point the clan was under the threat of extermination, but instead of retreating inflicted terrible vengeance upon their enemies.  The MacGregor clan fought for what was theirs and gave no ground to those who aimed to suppress and destroy them.

     In reference to the MacGregor clan, the famous novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott in his History of Scotland, states “that they were famous for their misfortunes and the indomitable courage with which they maintained themselves as a clan.  The MacGregors strove to retain their lands by the cold steel.”

     It was under this heritage that Archibald MacGregor, the main subject of this story, had grown up in.  Nothing is known of his early life.  It is estimated that he was born around 1720 and was a contemporary of the famous Rob Roy MacGregor that so much has been written about.  The first information we have of Archibald is carried down through family history and begins at the battlefield of Culloden Moor.

     Archibald MacGregor was considered a young man at this time, of “fine stature and immense physical strength.[vi]”  He may have been about 26 years old at the time of the final Scottish battle at Culloden Moor and was sent to the field with dispatches for the commander of the forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie.  The main force of the MacGregor clan were stationed elsewhere[vii] and did not participate in the actual battle, which may have made Archibald the soul representative of the MacGregors in this historically significant conflict[viii].

     The Battle commenced on the 16th of April, 1746, shortly after one o’clock, and was relatively short, lasting forty minutes from beginning to end.  The main supposition for the quickness of this conflict was caused by the exhaustion of the Highlanders, who had been rapidly traveling from a foiled campaign to seize control and overthrow the English Monarchy in southern England.  The main body of Charlies’ forces had been on a forced marched to return to the northern country, and had entered the battle field at Culloden physically exhausted, but of more significance, insufficiently fed.  The troops were said to be famished.

One description by Dr. Robert Chambers, in his book Lyons in Mourning, states the following:

     The Reverend George Innes, in his description of events, spoke of the fatigued Highland armies, stating that “the men were nodding with sleep in the ranks” as the battle began, and that many were surprised after the battle had concluded by having their throats cut where they lay.

     Though Archibald may not have been distressed by hunger and extreme fatigue, having arrived at Culloden with dispatches from the MacGregor line away from the moor land[ix], Archibald nevertheless suffered from the results of these circumstances by the ill condition of his fellow Highlanders.

     Even under these conditions the Highlanders of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s forces fought with value and determined ferocity.  One eyewitness recounts:

     Archibald was severally wounded during the battle.  It is unknown at what point he was injured.  Whether it occurred during the initial cannon barrage, which had effectively reduced the Scottish ranks, or during several marches to confront the British line, or perhaps from close quarter combat, is knowledge that has not been passed down.

     It is known that Archibald was left for dead on the Culloden Moor amongst the cold, drenched marsh land, perhaps as the enemy forces streamed over him in pursuit of the retreating Highland forces.  Accounts testify that the battle ground was difficult to transverse, as the moorland was extremely soggy and rapid movement hampered.  The severity of his wounds must have been seen as fatal to be left for dead, for his body was stripped by Royalist looters after the conclusion of the conflict.  Also, the severity of his circumstances was tenuous, as one account implied after the battle was concluded that the forces of the Duke of Cumberland performed the following:

     In Peter Anderson’s account, Culloden Moore and Story of the Battle, he states that during the retreat “all wearing the Highland dress, without regard to age or sex, including several of the inhabitants of Inverness whom curiosity had led towards the scene, were indiscriminately massacred…  Several, disarmed and helpless, were remorselessly hacked to death.  The retreat was more fatal then the engagement.”

     After regaining consciousness, Archibald, “with great difficulty and much suffering reached his own country.”  This must have been an extremely perilous and tenacious endeavor, not only in regards to the physical condition he was in, but also in his attempts to avoid the British troops who were under orders from Prince William Augustus, the Duke of Cumberland, to dismiss any enemy company by any and all means necessary.  In Lord Mohon’s History of England, he states that “every kind of havoc and outrage was not only permitted, but…encouraged,” which pertained not only to those who had fought on the moorlands, but any and all occupants in the surrounding countryside.

     Upon escaping the region, Archibald was “concealed until he had recovered somewhat from his wounds.”  During the following month after the Culloden Moor battle, the Duke of Cumberland proceeded with his army and advanced north into the Highlands, venturing as far as Fort Augustus, there he “encamped, and sent off detachments on all hands to hunt down the fugitives, and lay waste the country with fire and sword.  The castles of Glengarry and Lochiel were plundered and burned; every house, hut, or habitation met with the same fate without distinction, all the cattle and provisions were carried off; the men were either shot upon the mountains like wild beasts, or put to death in cold blood…  Women, after having seen their husbands and fathers murdered were subjected to brutal violations, and then turned out naked, with their children, to starve on the barren heaths.[xi]

     The numerous atrocities carried out by those under Prince Augustus’ command are still debated and held in extreme contempt by those in the Scottish homeland to this day.

     Also, on the 1st of August, 1746, King George issued a proclamation called “The Act of Proscription[xii]” that endeavored to disassemble the Scottish Clan system.  In effect it outlawed the wearing of the Kilt or “Highland Dress”, the traditional clothing of most Scottish families; and forbid the use of the claymore (sword), broad sword, and any other method of arms.  It stipulated the strict penalties for those who were found in default of this proclamation, along with fines, imprisonment, and forced conscription.  Those who persisted to violate its tenants were “liable to be transported to any of his Majesty’s plantations beyond the seas.”

     Archibald survived under the threat of these privations that existed around him, and those who concealed him probably felt the strains that existed during this period of time as well.  The threat of exposure to the brutalities that have been lightly touched on seemed to have spurred Archibald to leave his homeland and escape to the British colonies in the Americas, following his fellow countrymen who had already left the British Isles.

     It is said that Archibald may have left with members of his family, and perhaps with others fleeing the county.  One thought is that Edith MacAlpin, the daughter of Henry MacAlpin who also served at the battlefield of Culloden Moor and who perished there, accompanied Archibald to the Colonies in the Americas.  Other references state the Archibald did not meet up with Edith until after his arrival in North Carolina.

     The attraction to migrate to North Carolina as a gathering place for several Scottish immigrant groups appears to have been influenced by the current Royal Governor of the Colony at the time, Gabriel Johnston, himself a native Scotsman, who in 1739 persuaded about 350 Highland Scots to relocate to the Carolinas[xiii].  This group became known as the Argyll Colony.  He also succeeded in recruiting a small portion of those disposed by the British at the Battle of Culloden, and who were under the threat of economic and political distress, to relocate there as well, along with other Scottish immigrants who left the British Isles for want of land, self-determination, or to seek their own fortunes[xiv].  This produced a large Scottish population that flourished during the eighteenth century in the Carolinas.  They were a fiercely isolated group who maintained their Gaelic language and Highland traditions almost up to the time of the American Civil War in the 1860’s.

     When Archibald MacGregor and Edith MacAlpine arrived in the North Carolina colonies is unknown.  It is stated that they were married in North Carolina about 1755, probably along the coastal region.  Many researchers list their marriage place as Guilford County, but the county wasn’t officially developed until 1771, siphoning territory from Rowan and Orange Counties, and was located inland, populated by Cherokee Indians, away from the majority other known Scottish immigrants, and was only sparsely populated by camps and settlements that were still in their infancy.  The Carolina’s only began to develop numerous settlements as early as 1749, mostly divided between three distinct groups, the Scotch-Irish[xv], Palatine Germans, and English Quakers.  Other Scottish groups migrated to the territory as well, consisting of the Highland Scots, which were mentioned above as the Argyll Colony, and Lowland Scots, who mainly immigrated for land and grazing rights.  Each group located in a different region.  The Highlander’s mainly settled in Cape Fear Valley[xvi], while the Lowland Scots moved more as individual family groups along the coastal areas, and the Scots-Irish moved toward the Piedmont, along the Eno and Haw Rivers, into the western back-county and mountainous regions.

     Archibald is thought to have settled with his fellow Highlanders, where the Gaelic language flourished.  Whether he settled in the Cape Fear Valley along the river, or in the mountainous regions round about which was reported to have several Gaelic speaking settlements, or elsewhere in the region, is only speculative.  It is known that Archibald and Edith MacGregor were living in North Carolina when their first and only child, Ann MacGregor, was born.  She was born on the 14th of February, 1756.  Sometime in 1758 Archibald MacGregor died from complications attributed to the wounds he had received at the battle in Culloden Moor.

     The life story of Archibald MacGregor is quoted by multiple family historians and is well established in the fabric of family lore.  We are only allowed a minute’ fraction of his life’s story, yet it gives us a visualization of a proud and fiercely determined individual who survived through pure strength of will.  It is hoped that the account given in this prospective is a true reflection of his life and does justice to the Scotsman known as Archibald, from the Clan MacGregor. 

     The historical relevance of the MacAlpin clan of Scotland travels back to the beginning of the clan system.  Edith MacAlpine’s ancestry can literally be traced back to the first known King of Scotland, Alpin II Mac Eochardh according to clan history, and to his son Kenneth MacAlpin, in the 9th century.  At least that is the tradition passed down through historical lore, but the reality is that much is unknown or unconfirmed about this particular clan’s history beyond its foundation, and its connection to the Clan Gregor (or MacGregor) previously mentioned.

     What is known is that Kenneth MacAlpine[xvii] was referred to as the first King of Scots[xviii] and reigned from 843 until his death on the 13th of February, 858.  His influence united the various northern tribes under one banner.  The line of succession appears to have been handed down through the generations by those holding the Alpin name.         The Alpin or MacAlpine name is still a common one found in Scotland, though the solidity of its existence as a certified clan is constantly being drawn into question.  Those who claim a connection to this name are often referred to as Soil Alpin, meaning the Seed of Alpin.  There are seven clans that fall into this category, the Clan Grant, Clan Gregor, Clan MacAulay, Clan Macfie, Clan Mackinnon, Clan MacNab, and Clan MacQuarrie.

     The battle cry of Clan Alpin is “Cuimknich bas Ailpein” in Gaelic, meaning “Remember the death of Alpin,” a reference that originated from the murder of King Alpin of Brudus in the defeat of the Picts in 843 A.D., and who was succeeded by his son Kenneth.  It can only be deduced that Edith MacALPINE’s name was carried down through the generations and that she is a descendant of Clan Alpin, whose ancient seat was in the Argyllshire, a county on the western coast of Scotland.

     Edith was born in 1724 [xix], in Scotland.  Her father was Henry MacALPINE, who also fought in the Battle of Culloden Moor and perished there.  Little else is known about her father, or about her immediate ancestry.  After the death of her husband, Archibald MacGREGOR in 1758, she married a fellow Scotsman named LANGLEY, whose first name is unknown.  Edith may have married him about 1760, in North Carolina, and from this marriage she had several other children.  There is no other information about her life from that point except that she died about 1774 in Guilford County, North Carolina.

     The daughter of Edith from her marriage with Archibald was Ann MacGREGOR, who was born[xx] on the 14th of February, 1756.  It is known that she married Henry CONNELLY--who had fought in the American Revolutionary War--in 1774 in Guilford County, North Carolina.

     Archibald MacGregor, of the Clan MacGregor, Highlands of Scotland, espoused the cause of Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, in 1745, as did his clan and his country.  He was a young man of fine stature and immense physical strength.  His clan was not in the battle of Culloden Moor, having been stationed at another point, so it is said in the traditions of our family, but he had been sent to the commander of the Pretender forces with dispatches, and so was on that disastrous field.  There he was dreadfully wounded, being left on the gory field for dead, and his body stripped by the Royalist looters.  He, however, revived and with great difficulty and much suffering reached his own country.  There he was concealed until he had recovered somewhat from his wounds, when he succeeded in escaping to the colony of North Carolina, where so many of his countrymen were then living.  There he married Edith MacAlpine, the daughter of a Highlander who had also been in the battle of Culloden Moor, and who had with great difficulty escaped with his family to America.

     Archibald MacGregor, of the Clan MacGregor, Highlands of Scotland, espoused the cause of Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, in 1745, as did his clan and his country.  He was a young man of fine stature and immense physical strength.  His clan was not in the battle of Culloden Moor, having been stationed at another point, so it is said in the traditions of our family, but he had been sent to the commander of the Pretender forces with dispatches, and so was on that disastrous field.  There he was dreadfully wounded, being left on the gory field for dead, and his body stripped by the Royalist looters.  He, however, revived and with great difficulty and much suffering reached his own country.  There he was concealed until he had recovered somewhat from his wounds, when he succeeded in escaping to the colony of North Carolina, where so many of his countrymen were then living.  There he married Edith MacAlpine, the daughter of a Highlander who had also been in the battle of Culloden Moor, and who had with great difficulty escaped with his family to America.

     Captain Henry Connelly married Ann MacGregor.

Archibald MacGREGOR.  He was born in 1720, in Scotland, and died in 1758, in Guilford County, North Carolina.  He married Edith MacALPIN in North Carolina.  She was born on the 14th of February, 1724, in Scotland, and died in 1774, in Guilford County, North Carolina.  She married a Mr. LANGLEY after Archibald’s death.

Children of Archibald & Edith (MacALPIN) MacGREGOR: