Garrason and Allied Families
© 2007 Cecil Calder Garrason

Support Our Troops - Not the War!
Bring Them Home!

Who Was the Father of the Duplin County, NC Garrasons?


First of all, let me state that records fail to show Christopher Garrison (chr 1730/1 Staten Island, NY), ever lived in Duplin Co or, for that matter, ever lived in any part of North Carolina. DNA Test Results prove that Christopher could not have been the father of Ebenezer Garrason and Jedediah Garrison and, because of that, was probably not the father of any other North Carolina Garr*son. See The Christopher Myth for details.

These facts can be proved:

1. A man named James Garrison purchased 150 acres in Carteret Co, NC 27 Feb 1762 from John Harper.

2. A man named Isaiah Garrison sold [150? difficult to read] acres in Carteret Co, NC "formerly James Garrison's" 4 Jun 1771 to Stephen Dudley.

3. Men named James Garrason and Jedediah Garrason witnessed a deed in Duplin Co, NC in 1771 by which Ebenezer Garrason purchased land from Andrew McIntire.

4. Jedediah Garrison sold land in Duplin Co in Feb 1776. In Oct the same year his name appears on a petition in Orange Co, NC. He was named on a tax list in1781. Several of his descendants reported that his older children told they were born in Orange (now Alamance) Co, NC.

5. An Onslow Co, NC record of 1776 described an Isaiah Garrison and his father James Garrison, then residents of Orange Co, as having once lived in Onslow Co.

6. Jedediah Garrison died 1830 in Franklin (now Banks) Co, GA. His obituary, printed in a Methodist publication, said that he was born 1752 in Cortwright Co, NC. "Cortwright" is an old, ignorant pronounciation of "Carteret". At times the pronunciation was so common even deeds were recorded with the county name spelled "Cortwright" or "Cortright" or even "Cartright".


WARNING: Speculation follows:

Now, without satisfactory proof, the late Sam Garrison told of a James Garrison/Garritson who grew up in Delaware and married _____ Hussey. He gave the names of James' ancestors as he saw it but I will not repeat them here for fear that some over-enthusiastic novice will copy them and submit them to LDS for the IGI. [Likely it is already posted there, but I do not know that because I avoid the IGI religiously; it is such an unreliable source. Yes, I know they say use it as a guide to further research but that entry would probably lead me to Sam's book and that is the source I am not sure about.] He also claimed that James of Delaware was the James of Carteret (mentioned above in items 1-2) and that he was the James of Duplin (item 3). He proposed that he was father of Ebenezer and Jedediah (item 3) and brother to Thomas the Mariner (see below for more data). I sincerely hope that someday we will be able to prove Sam right!

Dear Reader, you probably are bored by my often repeated statement that Jedediah was not son of Christopher of Staten Island, NY. I am trying to brainwash you. The possible Hussey connection, would if proven, give us a different source for "Christopher" as the name of Jedediah's son born 1781.

IF James of Delaware were the James of Carteret and IF James of Carteret were the father of Jedediah, then Jedediah had a grandfather Hussey. I have not found any Garriston-Hussey marriage in Delaware but that does not mean it didn't happen. In researching the Hussey family I discovered that Christopher is a very common name for sons in that family. In fact, the immigrant ancestor was Christopher Hussey (bp 1598/9, d 1685/6) of Dorking, Co Surrey, England, who settled 1633 in Lynn, MA. As generations passed some branches of the Hussey moved to New Jersey and on to Delaware, It is possible that Jedediah's grandfather was named Christopher Hussey and when the story was told that the young "Christopher was named for his grandfather" it originally meant that he was named for Jedediah's grandfather.

Note that the one deed (item 2) does not call James "deceased", nor does it identify James as Isaiah's father. The Onslow Co record (item 5) does that. It is possible that James and supposed sons Jedediah and Ebenezer left Carteret Co by 1770, ahead of Isaiah, settling in Duplin Co while Isaiah soon after 1771 moved to Orange Co.

End of Speculation.


Relationships in Duplin County that Can Be Proven

Very few things can be proven about the Garr*sons of Duplin County, North Carolina. Garr*son is my generic spelling because there was no consistent usage in the records. We know from later records that most, if not all, of the Duplin Garr*sons used the spelling Garrason. Some appear as Garrison in only one or two records and never again so it is impossible to state for sure the correct one. However, the purpose of this article is not to discuss the spelling of the name, but to show what relationships can be proven among those whose names do appear in the Duplin County records.

1. DNA Test Results prove that Ebenezer Garrason c1750-1801 (Bio here.) and Jedediah Garrison c1752-1830 (Bio here.) were brothers. Actually, the DNA lab does not definitely state any relationship for any two testees, but estimates the number of generations back where there would have been a common ancestor. Given the similarity of our Test Markers it is apparent that they were very closely related. Because they were about the same age and lived in the same community for a time, witnessing each others' legal documents while there, it is safe to declare them brothers. Because there was not a large family connection of Garr*sons in Duplin Co we do not believe they were cousins.

2. Wills in Duplin County prove that Thomas Garrason 1764-1841 (Bio here.), Ephraim Garrason who died 1792/3 and Elizabeth Garr*son who married 1793 Joseph Merrill were siblings (Bio here.). Ephraim's 1792 will named his brother Thomas a co-executor. Merrill's 1795 will named his brother-in-law Thomas a co-executor.

3.Circumstantial ecidence suggests strongly that Darius Garrason c1772-1838 (Bio here.) was a brother to those named in Item 2.
mmmmm(a) Darius Garrason c1772 moved to Effingham County, GA about 1794. In the 1820 and 1830 censuses there were two adult females counted in his household. One obviously was his wife. The other likely was Elizabeth (Garr*son) Merrill. The reason I make that suggestion is there were no Merrill households in either of those censuses in Effingham Co, but Elizabeth was living there in 1822 when she sold property she owned in Duplin Co to Thomas, also of that place. The deed, recorded in Duplin, definitely describes her as "of Effingham Co".
mmmmm((b) A young Darius Garrison (spelling adopted by his family) born in the 1790s in Duplin Co, son of Thomas Garrason 1764-1841, moved to Telfair County, GA about 1821. To this day his descendants repeat the story that once a year the men of Telfair would form a wagon train and drive east to Savannah for the goods not available on the frontier. While on that trip young Darius would detour through Effingham County to visit his "Uncle Darius".

4. Ephraim Garrason (died 1792/3) (Bio here.)in his will named his wife Joanna and three children: David, Thomas and Mary ("Polly" in some records). Joanna was pregnant when the will was written and Ephraim left instructions that if the child were a boy he was to be named Ephraim. The document was set up so that the bequeaths were all changed about to give the best piece of property to the newborn, with land of lesser value to the older sons and no property to daughter Mary. Apparently Joanna lost the child or it died very young. There is no mention of either a son named Ephraim or another daughter. Proof that an Ephraim did not survive is that in 1816 Mary sold her inherited property to her uncle Thomas 1764. Some have erroneously identified Thomas 1764 as Ephraim's son Thomas but that cannot be. A bill-of-sale of 1803 shows that Ephraim's orphan Thomas was still a minor (therefore born after 1782) and his guardian was Thomas, undoubtedly his uncle Thomas 1764.

5. John Garr*son (Bio here.), who appears in Duplin Co records only once, in 1793 put a sum of money in trust for Catherine Garr*son. The trust deed does not give their relationship. Some have proposed she was his wife but there is no marriage record for them. Others, perhaps correctly so, suggest she was his daughter because some years later after the first two trustees had died, Thomas 1764 (perhaps her uncle?) was appointed trustee by the court.


Among those Unidentified Duplin County Garr*sons we find:

1. Thomas "the Mariner" Garrison (recorded as Carrison in a copy of the original now unavailable book), a seaman (called Capt without known proof by one careless writer), purchased two tracts of land in Duplin Co in 1765. The next record for a Thomas was after Thomas born 1764 was grown so it is believed that Thomas the Mariner spent all his time at sea and, for lack of any estate records, died at sea.

2. Jane Garrison who was on the county tax list of 1783. Her name appeared just a few lines away from that of Ephraim Garrason. This writer has speculated, but cannot prove, that Jane was the Jane Ferris who in 1754 in New Castle Co, Delaware, married a Thomas Garr*son. I have further speculated that her husband was Thomas the Mariner listed in the previous item. Perhaps it is coincidental but Thomas and Jane of Delaware disappeared from the records there about the same time that Thomas the Mariner appears in Duplin Co. It is likely that no other Duplin Co records can be associated with Thomas the Mariner (the later ones were for Thomas 1764) because he was at sea most of the time and perhaps even died away from home.

Thomas Garr*son, husband of Jane, was christened 1730 in New Castle Co, DE, son of John and Elizabeth (Peterson) Garr*son. John was the son of Paul Garretson, immigrant from Netherland who arrived in Delaware before 1681 with his mother Elizabeth Hendricks and brother Hendrick Garretson. Paul's wife was Elizabeth Harris. [All the preceding can be proved with immigration, church and court records in Delaware but I will not bog down this discussion by listing them -CCG]

3. A man named James Garrason (so spelled) joined Jedediah Garrason (so spelled) to witness a deed in 1770 whereby Ebenezer Garrason purchased land in Duplin Co. This writer proposes (but cannot prove) that James was the father of both Jedediah and Ebenezer. See Item 3 in the first list above and the Speculation section above.

4. Another James Garr*son was found in the records of 1795 in which he was appointed to help Thomas 1764 maintain the road from their community to the court house in Kenansville. Likely this was the writer's James Garrason c1778-c1812 who shortly afterward moved to Effingham County, GA, the same place to which the older Darius Garrason c1772 moved about the same time.

5. There were other James Garr*sons but they were of a later generation. Both Thomas 1764 and Adonijah had sons named James.

6. Adonijah Garrason c1761-1823 (Bio here.) was found as an adult in Duplin Co and after marriage moved to New Hanover County, NC which was just south of Duplin. He settled in the Topsail Beach area (known for being the target of recent hurricanes) which later became Pender County. There is a cemetery near Topsail which adjoined a now disbanded Methodist Church that is full of markers with the spelling Garrason. A genealogist in Adonijah's line, himself a Garrason, reports that only he and his son remain of all the direct-line male descendants of Adonijah.


A Recap of the Above Ideas


1. Unknown Garrason perhaps James from Delaware (sons were proven siblings)
mm 1. Ebenezer Garrason c1750-1801 Duplin Co
mm 1. James Garrason c1778-c1812 d Effingham Co, GA
2. Jedediah Garrison c1752-1830 d Franklin (now Banks Co), GA
1. David Garrison 1777-1842 d Franklin Co, GA
2. Levi Garrison 1779-c1855 d Anderson Co, SC
3. Thomas Garrison 1780-1864 d Banks Co, GA
4. Christopher Garrison 1781-1811 d Franklin Co, GA
5. Rebecca (Garrison) Burton 1783-aft 1840 d GA
6. Jane (Garrison) Meaders 1785-1879 d Banks Co, GA
7. James Garrison 1786-by 1840 d Franklin Co, GA
8. Caleb Garrison, Jr 1789-1862 d Conway Co, AR

1. Unknown Garrason perhaps James from Delaware (above)
mm 1. Adonijah Garrason c1761-1823 d New Hanover (now Pender) Co, NC
mm 1. Isaiah Garrason by 1786-bef 1828 d prob New Hanover (now Pender) Co, NC
2. Isaac Garrison c1786-c1827 d New Hanover Co, NC
3. _____ Garrason (supposed son) under 16 in 1790, perhaps d by 1800 NC
4. _____ Garrason (supposed son) under 16 in 1790, perhaps d by 1800 NC
5. Jedediah Garrason 1795-1863 d New Hanover Co, NC
6. Jacob Garrason 1799- 1854 d New Hanover Co, NC
7. Simeon Garrason c1801-1861 d Brunswick Co, NC
8. John A Garrason c1803-bef 1840? d NC

1. Unknown Garrason perhaps Thomas the Mariner adult 1765 (from Delaware?) [Wife Jane?] (children listed were proven siblings whoever the parents were)
mm 1. Ephraim Garrason d 1792/3 Duplin Co
mm 1. David Garrason c1788, d 1831 Crawford Co, GA
2. Mary Garrason c1789, last seen 1816 Duplin Co
3. Thomas Garrason c1790, d 1814 Wilkinson Co, GA
mm 2. Thomas Garrason 1764-1841 d Duplin Co, NC
1. Ephraim Garrason c1794-by1828 d Duplin Co, NC
2. Darius Garrison c1795-1860s d Telfair Co, GA
3. Elizabeth (Garrason) Kilpatrick c1796-by 1830 d Duplin Co, NC
4. Mary Ann (Garrason) Williams c1801-by 1860 d Lee Co, GA
5. David B Garrason c1804-1829 d Duplin Co, NC
6. James Garrason c1806-aft 1853 d New Hanover Co, NC
7. Penelope N (Garrason) Williams c1807-? d Duplin Co, NC
8. Sarah (Garrason) Bostic by 1812-by 1829 d Duplin Co, NC
9. Thomas Garrason, Jr by 1812-age 16 d Duplin Co, NC
10. Catherine (Garrason) Dobson 1813-1903 d Duplin Co, NC
3. Elizabeth (Garrason) Merrill c1775-aft1822 prob d Effingham Co, GA
1. William Merrill b 1794/5, nothing more known.
4. Darius Garrason c1772-1838, d Alachua Co FL
1. Michael Garrason 1793-1856 d Hernando Co, FL
2. Isaac Garrason 1795-1865 d Hernando Co, FL

1. Unknown Garr*son likely Thomas the Mariner (above)
mm 5. John Garrison adult 1793 Duplin Co; had dau (probably) or wife (perhaps) named Catherine who was still living 1805.
mm 1. [Perhaps] Catherine Garrison b by 1793, liv 1805