In 1767, Thomas Lindsay arrived in Charleston, South Carolina from Ireland on the ship "Earl of Hillsborough", along with his wife Elizabeth (age 35), and children named Agnes (age 13), Elizabeth (age 4), James (age 3), and Thomas (age 1).  Additionally, a daughter named Arabella was born in Charleston in 1767, while Thomas Lindsey was awaiting a grant of land.  Also on the ship was John Lindsey and wife Agnes (age 35), and children named John (age 7), Robert (age 5), and Elizabeth (age 3).  Other Lindsay's on the ship were Samuel (two were listed as petitioning for land, but only one got a grant, so maybe there was only one Samuel), and Isabella. Henry Linden and Arabella Linder were also listed on the ship.  Perhaps this was Henry Lindsay, who received a grant for land on Long Cane Creek in 1767.  Arabella may have been Henry's wife.  Some family information states that Elizabeth Lindsey, wife of James Ellis, was also on the ship.  There was a James Ellis  listed onboard, but the only other Ellis listed was Isabell, age 25.  Perhaps this was Isabelle Lindsay Ellis, wife of James.

The Lindsay's aboard the ship who petitioned for land were successful in receiving grants. Thomas Lindsay's grant was for 400 acres on Long Cane Creek, in the southern part of modern day Abbeville County, while John Lindsay received 250 acres on Clark's Creek, in the northern part of the county.  Samuel and Isabella each received grants of 100 acres, indicating that they were single.  Samuel and Isabella's land grants were close to John Lindsay, which means that they might have been older children of John, who were able to get land grants in their own names.  Robert Lindsay received two land grants near John (1775). Henry Lindsay settled near Thomas Lindsay on Long Cane Creek, and he may have been related, too.  James Ellis received a grant for 150 acres on Clark's Creek.  The plat map shows that James Ellis's land adjoined that of John Lindsay, so it seems that Isabelle Ellis might have been a Lindsay by birth.

Below is a map that I marked to show the approximate locations of the Lindsay lands in Abbeville County.  The map is a small version of one found on the excellent web site "Mapping Colonial Abbeville District":

  http://www.bfthompson.com/abbeville_colonial_plats/AbbePlats_home.htm
 

Abbeville County Lindsay land plats:

Of the Lindsay landowners shown above, Robert appears to have actually lived in Charleston.  An article in the May 9, 1810 issue of  The Times of Charleston listed various properties that had been owned by Robert Lindsay, a wealthy merchant who had died in London in 1803.  The two tracts above, were included as part of Robert's estate. Click here for an image of the article.

Family Data

I don't know if there are any source records that can prove if John and Thomas Lindsey were brothers, but they seem to have been closely related because they were on the same ship, and they settled in the same area.  Henry, Samuel, and Isabella Lindsay seem also to have been related because they settled nearby. 

Some researchers give a birth date of 1728 for Thomas Lindsay Sr., but no source documents have been found to confirm this. To date, no will or probate records have been found for Thomas Lindsay Sr.  It is believed by some researchers that Thomas and Elizabeth may have had another son named John, who was born ca. 1770.  The 1790 census for Abbeville County listed Elizabeth Lindsay as living alone.  Living nearby were Thomas and James Lindsey, who were probably her sons who were listed with her on the ship in 1767.  Neither Thomas nor James had a male in their homes the correct age to have been John Lindsey, b. ca. 1770.

There was one John Lindsey on the 1790 census in Abbeville County, but he appears to have been living in the northern part of the county, where the family of John Lindsey (wife Agnes) settled in 1767. There were 3 males over sixteen in John's home, as well as 3 females, so he does not seem to have been a young man just starting out on his own.  This seems to have more likely been the same John Lindsay who received land in 1767, with some of his children still living with him.  This John Lindsay had a son named John who would have been 30 in 1790.  There is some information that states that John Lindsey, b. ca. 1770, was the son of Samuel Lindsey.  Samuel Lindsey did have several males in his home in 1790, and one might have been John.

It is possible that Thomas Lindsay Sr. died shortly after arriving in America.  Thomas's wife, Elizabeth, was only 35 in 1767, and it seems that there would have been minor children living with her on the 1790 census if she and Thomas had continued to have children after their arrival in South Carolina.  Elizabeth's childbearing years would have extended to about 1780.  John Lindsey and his wife Agnes (same age as Elizabeth) were shown to have four children still living at home in 1790, and it seems that Elizabeth Lindsey would have had some children still at home, too, if her husband had lived past 1774.

Below is a family tree concerning the family of Thomas Lindsay Sr.

Source: Leonardo Andrea Lindsay/Lindsey file, page 64
It is unclear who submitted the tree, perhaps Smythe Lindsay?

 

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Revolutionary War
 

Several of the Abbeville County Lindsay men served during the Revolutionary War. Samuel Lindsey served as a private in Captain Wilson's Company, James Lindsay served in Capt. Norwood's Company, and John Lindsay served in Capt. Andrew Miller's Company.  Records show that these men saw some pretty exciting events during the war.

Samuel Lindsey served as a private in Captain Wilson's Company. Source: Samuel Lindsay Account Audited file #4598, SC Archives. Note: The links to the AA files are actually to the Newberry County Lindsey web pages.  The images posted here were taken from the files, which can be downloaded on the Newberry pages.	James Lindsay served in Capt. Norwood's Company, part of the time as a spy. Source: James Lindsay Account Audited file #4594, SC Archives.	John Lindsay served in Capt. Miller's Company.  He was also serving with Capt. Moses Liddell when they were surprised by a party of Tories and Indians led by Bill Cunningham.  They had to flee, and John Lindsay lost a saddle and wagon. Source: John Lindsay Account Audited file #4595, SC Archives.

Some of the Abbeville Lindsay men were mentioned in the Revolutionary War pension applications of other soldiers:

Robert Ellis mentioned these Lindsay's: John, James, Samuel, and Ephraim: http://southerncampaign.org/pen/s26084.pdf

James Lindsey was mentioned as having been a spy in the pension application of John Miller: http://southerncampaign.org/pen/s1702.pdf
Note that the indent, above, included pay for service as a spy.  According to the pension application, this James Lindsay was living in Georgia in 1833.  A James Lindsey of Hall Co., GA won land in Carroll Co., GA in the 1827 land lottery.

Confusion over service:

There has been confusion between the Abbeville County Lindsay's and the Group 2 Lindsay's of Newberry County in the Revolutionary War records.  Both Abbeville County and Newberry County were part of 96 District during the war.  For many years, DAR records listed Thomas Lindsay Sr. of Abbeville County as having served as a lieutenant under Capt. John Lindsey, and also as a captain in Col. Philemon Water's Regiment.  But research has proved that Thomas Lindsey of nearby Newberry County actually did the service that has been attributed to Thomas Lindsay of Abbeville County.  Captain John Lindsey who was the in the records was John Lindsey of Newberry County, a brother of Thomas Lindsey of Newberry County.  DAR records have recently (2011) been changed to reflect the correct service by Thomas Lindsey of Newberry County.  Click here to read a report about this issue, with the documentation that proves that Thomas Lindsey of Newberry County did the Revolutionary War service.  More information about Thomas Lindsey of Newberry County can be found on this web page about him.

Divided loyalties:

During the Revolutionary War, back country South Carolina was torn between loyalty to the crown and loyalty to the new country being formed.  Some of the Abbeville County Lindsay's served as loyalists during this time.  Robert, Thomas, and James Lindsay were all listed on the payroll of Col. Richard King's Long Cane militia in 1780 (this is the time period that Thomas Lindsey was serving under Capt. John Lindsey, see report.).  Thomas and James Lindsay served in Captain Jesse Campbell's Company at this time. Source: Clark, June Murtie.  Loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War, Volume I: Official Rolls of Loyalists Recruited from North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana.  Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1981.  Pages 290 and 292.  Captain Jesse Campbell lived on Long Cane Creek, just a few miles away from Thomas Lindsay Sr.

	Title page		Page 290: Thomas and James Lindsay		Page 292: Robert Lindsay

Robert Lindsey, listed on page 292 above on a payroll with Joseph Ellis, was the son of John and Agnes Lindsay.  Robert was age 5 when the family sailed from Ireland to America in 1767.  Robert joined a Loyalist company during the Revolutionary War, and he later fled to Nova Scotia.  Below is a transcription of a statement made in 1784 by John Hamilton, a Loyalist officer, concerning Robert's military activities during the war:

"That the memorialist hath personally known the said Robert Lindsay these several years past – that he was always considered as a person zealously attached to His Majesty and the British Government.  That he served in the Ninety Six Garrison during the siege. That shortly after being on a visit to his friends about thirty miles from the Ninety Six he was surprised by a party of Americans and taken prisoner and after being threatened and confined for some time he was set at liberty on his promising future amendment towards them and joining the Militia under General Green.  He accordingly joined Green, but from whom he deserted (with a faithful companion Joseph Ellis now in Nova Scotia) on the night preceding the battle of the Utaw  and after wandering the greater part of the night thru the Woods got into the British Camp in time to give the necessary and important information to General Stuart of Green’s intended attack early on that morning  – That the said Robert Lindsay embarked with your Memorialist at Charles Town in November 1782 for Nova Scotia – That your Memorialist left him at the River St. John the 5^th of last month in circumstances embarrassed as to render his laying in his claim in person impracticable. A Schedule of his Losses together with his affidavit are hereto subjoined –

Your Memorialist therefore prays that the said Robert Lindsay’s case may be taken into your consideration in order that he may be enabled under your Report to receive such aid or Relief as his Losses and Services may be found to deserve.

London No. 7 Essex Street
March 22^nd 1784
Isaac Stuart, John Hamilton - to prove loyalty
Nath’l  Wilson – St John River to prove Property"

The record for Robert Lindsey also included a listing of his property in America, and a statement signed by him in 1784:

  "An account of losses sustained by Robert Lindsay, late of Ninety Six District and Province of South Carolina since May 1781, in consequence of his attachment to His Majesty."  The account included a plantation on Clark’s Creek, waters of Little River, containing 200 acres with improvements.  Additionally, horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs were listed, with a total value of 114.10 pounds, British sterling.

Below the account is the following statement (transcribed by Susan Grabek):

"Nova Scotia
Sunbury County

Personally appeared before me Geo. Leonard one of His Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the County aforesaid the above named Robert Lindsay, who being duly Sworn on the Holy Evangelists deposeth and saith that the above is a just and true state of his Losses amounting to one hundred and fourteen pounds ten shillings British Sterling, that he never sold or rece’d consideration for any part of the above recited property, that the prices or valuations annexed thereto are under what he would have accepted when he was in peaceable possession of the same and that he was obliged to abandon said Property solely on acco’t of his exertions for and attachment to His Majesty.

Signed and Sworn to 2^nd Febry 1784 – Robert Lindsey

Geo Leonard  Justice peace"

It is not known when Robert Lindsey returned to South Carolina.  He was not on the 1790 census.  Robert must have returned sometime before 1800, because he was an executor of the estate of James Gray in 1797, along with Robert Ellis.  Robert Lindsey's signature on the 1784 statement made in Nova Scotia matches his signatures found on several documents in Abbeville County, inluding the 1808 probate record of his father, John Lindsay

Source:  Ancestry.com. UK, American Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.  Original data: American Loyalist Claims, 1776–1835. AO 12–13. The National Archives of the United Kingdom, Kew, Surrey, England.

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Probate Records
 

1791: James Lindsay, 12 Sept. 1791
Administrators: Elizabeth Lindsay, widow, and John Lindsay
Bondsmen: William Ross and James Stevenson
Appraisers: Samuel Lindsay, John Murphy, William Brownlee, William Ross
Citation read to the full congregation of Long Cane Church on 4 Aug. 1791
Source: FamilySearch.org.  South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964, Abbeville County, Probate Court, Probate records 1782-1958, Box 108, Package 2947.  Click on an image below to view the file.

	Cover		Administration Bond		Inventory		Citation
Note that John Lindsay's signature in the administration bond is the same as the signature on the indents, above.  So John must have been the Rev. War soldier. He would have been born by 1766, and was probably John Lindsey, the head of family on the "Earl of Hillsborough", or his son, who was born ca. 1760.

1808: John Lindsay, 24 Oct. 1808
Administrator: Robert Lindsay
Source: FamilySearch.org.  South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964, Abbeville County, Probate Court, Probate records 1782-1958, Box 108, Package 2948.  Click on an image below to view the file.

	Cover		Administration Bond
(This may have been John Lindsay on the "Earl of Hillsborough", whose son, Robert, was b. ca. 1762.  Robert died in 1834.)

1816: James Lindsay, 1 Oct. 1816
Administrator: John Lindsay
Bondsmen: Joseph Miller, William Hadden
Appraisers: Samuel Pruitt, Joseph Lindsay, George Brownlee, Jr.
Buyers at estate sale: Widdow Lindsay, Joseph Lindsay, John Lindsay, Samuel Lindsay, John Brownlee, and others
Source: FamilySearch.org.  South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964, Abbeville County, Probate Court, Probate records 1782-1958, Box 055, Package 1308.  Click on an image below to view the file.
 

Cover	Inventory and Sale	Inventory and Sale	Letters of Administration and Bond	Warrant of Appraisement

1821: Thomas Lindsey Jr. (b. ca. 1766, d. ca. 1821), son of Thomas Lindsay Sr., wrote his will in Abbeville County in 1820.  His probate file is on record in Abbeville County.  Source: FamilySearch.org.  South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964, Abbeville County, Probate Court, Probate records 1782-1958, Box 056, Package 1339.  Click on an image below to view the file.

Cover	Will Page 1	Will Page 2	Inventory Page 1	Inventory Page 2	Letter of Administration

Below is an abbreviated version of the will:

http://files.usgwarchives.net/sc/abbeville/wills/l5320001.txt

I, Thomas Lindsay of Abbeville,

dist. being in full possession of mind and memory. I desire that my

funeral expenses and just debts are paid. I give to my wife Grizel

Lindsay the plantation whereon I now live, at her decease to descend to

my son Jesiph C. Lindsay and my two daughters Grizel and Polly. As long

as they remain single, if they remove or marry then Joseph to pay each

the sum of fifty dollors and the whole of the belong to him. Wife to

have use of all the household and kitchen furniture, stock, tools, other

personal property, at her death to decend to my five children viz; names

six: Thomas, James, John and Joseph Lindsay and Grizel and Polly

Lindsay. I appoint my wife executrix and John and James Lindsay

executors [sic]. Dated 25 May 1820. Wit: Patrick Gibson, William Bond,

before Moses Taggart. Ord. this 27 Dec. 1821.   

(Note by Susan: Daughter Ann Boyd was also mentioned in the will.)

Click here for the bible record of James Lindsay, b. 1795, son of Thomas and Grizel.

Click here for the bible record of John Lindsay, b.1800,son of Thomas and Grizel.

Here are some wills that Thomas Lindsay witnessed in Abbeville County.  They provide some good examples of his signature, 

and they look like the writing of the same person in his family bible:

 William Carson 1801     Benjamin Howard 1813      Thomas Lindsay bible

1834: Robert Lindsay, b. ca. 1762, son of John and Agnes Lindsay

Administrators: Sarah Pratt and John Pratt (Sarah Lindsay married James Pratt.  John Pratt was her son.)

Click here to view the files for Robert Lindsay.

Source: FamilySearch.org.  South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964, Abbeville County, Probate Court, Probate records 1782-1958, Box 056, Package 1345. 

1841: John Lindsay, b. ca. 1770, married Elizabeth Brownlee

Click on the image to the left to view the will of John Lindsay, 1841. 
Image reproduced with permission from the South Carolina Archives: http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov

Click here for information about the probate of John Lindsay, 1841.       

Click here to see the probate files for John Lindsey (ca. 1770-1841)

Source: FamilySearch.org.  South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964, Abbeville County, Probate Court, Probate records 1782-1958, Box 055, Package 1295. 

Click here for probate, will, and bible information from the Leonardo Andrea Lindsay/Lindsey files. (PDF file, 10 pages, about 4Mb)

Click here for misc. information from the Leonardo Andrea Lindsay/Lindsey files. (PDF file, 17 pages, about 409K)
 

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Census Data
 

Robert, age 5 in 1767, would have been 28 in 1790, and should have been on his own (was he still in Canada?).  John, age 7 in 1767, should also have been on his own, as he was 30 years old.  Was he the one who died during the war, leaving a widow, Rebecca?

John Lindsey (Ancestry has him indexed as Landrey) on page 27 was probably the man on the "Earl of Hillsborough", who was married to Agnes (age 35 in 1766). John Lindsey on page 28 seems to have been the son of John and Agnes, b. ca. 1760. He might also have been John Lindsay, b. ca. 1770. Samuel was also probably the one on the ship.  A James Lindsay d. in 1791.  It seems that a number of the Lindsay's were not enumerated on this census.

A John Lindsay died in 1808.  Robert was the administrator.  Was this the same Robert?  Was John the one on the "Earl of Hillsborough" with a son named Robert?

A James Lindsay had died in 1816.  Was Margaret his widow?

Thomas Lindsay died in 1821. Joseph on pg. 113 should have 3 children, per bible info.  Robert Lindsay died in 1834.  Sarah Pratt, b. 1780-1790 per 1830 census (dau. of Robert?) and John Pratt, her son, were the administrators.  No legatees named.

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Marriages

Some of the  1774 dates seem questionable.  Source: Ancestry.com - Marriages, Ninety-Six and Abbeville District.  Most of these came from estate records, so there were more marriages than are shown below.

Another record listed the marriage of Rev. John S. Lindsey as getting married in 1846.
 

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Equity Records

http://rosewoodrecording.com/Genealogy/Equity10.05.html

The columns work as follows: Name of complainer. Name of complained against. Box number, pack number, year. Type of document. Abstract of contents.
 

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  Click here for more on Abbeville Lindsay's
 

Misc. Data                 

More about Captain Jesse Campbell:

Jesse Campbell received a grant for 200 acres on Long Cane Creek in 1771.  See the map, above, for the location of the tract.  Source: South Carolina Archives Online search engine, accessed on 8-4-2011.

Series: S111001
Volume: 0011
Page: 00093
Item: 002

Date: 11/13/1771

Description: CAMPBELL, JESSE, MEMORIAL FOR 200 ACRES ON LONG CANE CREEK, GRANVILLE COUNTY, SUMMARIZING A CHAIN OF TITLE TO A GRANT TO ZEBULON ALEXANDER OF APRIL 20, 1763.

Names indexed: ALEXANDER, HANNAH; ALEXANDER, ZEBULON; CAMPBELL, JESSE

Locations: GRANVILLE COUNTY; LONG CANE CREEK; SAVANNAH RIVER

Document type: MEMORIAL

 

Jesse Campbell was on the 1778/1779 Grand Jury list for the Long Cane area. Jesse's father-in-law, James Crawford, was also on the list.  Source: Hendrix, GLC. The Jury Lists of South Carolina, 1778 - 1779. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1980 (reprint). 76. Print.

Below is information about Jesse Campbell from a Rootsweb database (lindahess).  Jesse Campbell married Margaret "Margery" Crawford, a daughter of James Crawford.  Jesse Campbell was named as an executor of his father-in-law's Abbeville County will in 1780, but in 1783, it was reported that Jesse Campbell did not qualify as an executor, because he had run off with the British.

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=lindahess&id=I239

 This page was updated on
1-15-2017
Susan Grabek