Lee Family History
While the Lee family name holds a strong air of aristocracy in Virginia, the Lees of North Carolina are somewhat less well-known. Our family has been based in southern Johnston County, in the area around Mill Creek between Benson and Newton Grove since the middle of the eighteenth century, following a move from coastal Virginia.
I start the family tree from my father, Junius Bright Lee, Jr. and his siblings who are the sons and daughters for Junius Bright Lee, Sr. (often called “Dune”)
Junius Bright Lee (Sr.) b. 10/4/1884 d.10/12/1955
Married (9 Aug 1908)
Susan Bryan Hollowell b. 9/14/1886 d. 4/19/1950
Children
Philip Lee,
b. 26 Feb. 1910, d. 5 Apr. 1910
LOUIS REBECCA LEE, b. 10 Feb. 1911, d, 10 Apr 2009
LINA GARDNER LEE, b. 27 May 1912, d. 5 May 1913
EVERETT BAXTER LEE, b. 29 July 1913, d. 26 Sep 1985
EVERETT B. LEE married LOU ELOISE BAREFOOT 24 Dec. 1940 LOU ELOISE BAREFOOT b.17 Jan 1916, d. 21 Sep 2000
SUSAN BERNICE LEE, b. 24 Jan. 1915, d. 19 Dec 1999
MARGURETTE ELIZABETH LEE, b. 19 Feb. 1917, d. Sept. 1925
JUNIUS BRIGHT LEE (Jr.), b. 13 Feb. 1919, d. 30 Jul, 1989
JUNIUS B. LEE, JR. married CATHERINE POWELL 28 Dec. 1948 CATHERINE SIMMONS POWELL b. 14 Feb 1922, d. 27 May 1995
CYRUS GORDON LEE d. 23 Nov 1921, d. 7 Oct 2005
CYRUS G. LEE married ROMA MARGURETTE TOGLALINI ROMA MARGURETTE TOGLALINI b 9 Nov 1922, d. 11 Aug 2011
DOROTHY BRYAN LEE, b. 18 Mar. 1924, d. 8 Jan 2010
DOROTHY BRYAN LEE married FRANK NELSON 11 May 1946 FRANK DAVIS NELSON b.7
Oct 1919, LIVING
SARAH CATHERINE LEE, b. 11 Dec. 1931, LIVING
S. CATHERINE LEE married JAMES LEE BASS 4 Jun 1960 JAMES LEE BASS b. 12 Mar 1928, LIVING
JUNIUS B. LEE, JR. married Mrs. LUCY FRANCES GRIFFIN 23 Sept. 1951
No Children from this marriage
Philip Lee (son of Young
Jeremiah Lee, Jr. and Julia
Ann Lee) was born 26 Jan 1859 in Johnston County, and died 25 Dec 1922 in Johnston County. He married Sarah
Catherine Parker on 04 Dec 1879 in Johnson County, NC.
More About Philip Lee and Sarah Catherine Parker:
Marriage: 04 Dec 1879, Johnson County, NC.
Children of Philip Lee and Sarah Catherine Parker are:
Young Jeremiah Lee, Jr. (son of Joel
Lee and Elizabeth
Johnson) was born 24 Jul 1832 in Johnston County, and died 01 May 1863 in Civil War in Virginia. He married (1) Ann
Eldredge on 05 Jan 1854 in Johnson County, NC. He married (2) Julia
Ann Lee on 20 Aug 1857 in Johnson County, NC.
More About Young Jeremiah Lee, Jr. and Ann Eldredge:
Marriage: 05 Jan 1854, Johnson County, NC.
More About Young Jeremiah Lee, Jr. and Julia Ann Lee:
Marriage: 20 Aug 1857, Johnson County, NC.
Children of Young Jeremiah Lee, Jr. and Ann Eldredge are:
Children of Young Jeremiah Lee, Jr. and Julia Ann Lee are:
My Notes: Young Jeremiah Lee is the family member who fought for the Confederate Army during the War of Northern Aggression (aka the Civil War). The date of his death would correspond to the Battle of Chancellorsville in Spotsylvania County, VA. My research indicates that there was a soldier listed as Jeremiah A. Lee in the North Carolina 6th Infantry Regiment. This regiment recruited from Johnston County and did participate in the Battle of Chancellorsville, with four men killed there.
Joel Lee (son of Jesse
Lee and Elizabeth
Blackman) was born 21 Mar 1809 in Sampson County, NC, and died 22 Oct 1880 in Johnston County, NC. He married Elizabeth
Johnson on 15 May 1830 in Johnson County, NC.
More About Joel Lee and Elizabeth Johnson:
Marriage: 15 May 1830, Johnson County, NC.
Children of Joel Lee and Elizabeth Johnson are:
_______________________________________________________________________
Jesse Lee (son of David
(Long) Lee and Martha
Blackmon) was born 16 Mar 1767 in Johnston County, NC, and died 06 Nov 1831 in Sampson County, NC. He married (1) Elizabeth
Blackman on 1786 in Johnson County, NC, daughter of Joseph
Blackman and Elizabeth
Lee. He married (2) Susannah
Langston on 1815 in Johnson County, NC.
More About Jesse Lee and Elizabeth Blackman:
Marriage: 1786, Johnson County, NC.
More About Jesse Lee and Susannah Langston:
Marriage: 1815, Johnson County, NC.
Children of Jesse Lee and Elizabeth Blackman are:
Children of Jesse Lee and Susannah Langston are:
David (Long) Lee was born 17 Jan 1746 in Isle of Wight County Virginia, and died 27 Aug 1812. He married Martha
Blackmon on 1766 in Sampson County.
More About David (Long) Lee and Martha Blackmon:
Marriage: 1766, Sampson County.
Children of David (Long) Lee and Martha Blackmon are:
William Lee, Jr. born in about 1715-1716 in Isle of Wight County Virginia and died on 9 Sep.1796 in Sampson County, NC. He married Elizabeth Ann Westbrook, (b. About 1725, Virginia) in about 1745.
Children of William Lee, Jr and Elizabeth Ann Westbrook are:
Additional Information:
Source: 166David G
The compilation of Orlene R. Lang and Lazelle P. Long WILLIAM AND PETER LEE, document this family. This line came in and settled along Mill Creek, where John Lee, Esq. was already settled before them. "This booklet contains the records of two Lee families who settled in the same area - those of William Lee, the supposed father of six brothers, and of Peter Lee, the supposed nephew of William. (Family tradition says the six brothers and Peter were first cousins) Both William and Peter came from Brunswick County, VA, William in the early 1750's and Peter in the late 1770' s. It is believed that Peters' father was another Peter Lee who died about 1738. The elder Peter had a brother, William, and both were sons of Rebecca Burchett and William Lee. The elder William was a son of Hugh Lee and his wife, Ann. Hugh was the son of another Hugh Lee, the immigrant, who married Hannah, widow of Robert Huett."
In Oct 1748, William Lee, Jr of Isle of Wight County obtained from John Mosley of Brunswick County, for 50L 152 acres of land in Brunswick County. In November 1749, William I and wife Rebecca deeded to John Myrick, all of Southampton County for 70L 10S, 190 acres in Southampton County. The deed was acknowledged by William Lee, I, wife Rebecca and William Lee, II.
It is not clear how long William Lee, II and wife Ann Westbrook lived in Brunswick County, VA or when exactly they moved to North Carolina. A deed of FEb 9, 1754 from William Lee, Planter of Johnston County, NC to William Holloway indicates that they had moved prior to that date.
He apparently died intestate in 1794 as the Sampson County, NC Court Minutes record his sons Sampson Lee and Samuel Lee petitioning the court for administration of the estate of William Lee, deceased. Ann, his wife is already deceased or she would have been the person petitioning the court for administration instead of two of her sons.
!This source for William Lee son of William names the sons of William Lee and Ann Westbrook
REVOLUTIONARY WAR RECORDS
Duplin and Sampson Counties, N. C.,
By Virginia L. Bizzell & Oscar M. Bizzell
LEE, William, Private, N.C. Militia and 2nd N.C. Continental
Line Soldier was born 1764 to William Sr and Ann Westbrook
Lee. Soldier inherited land from his father in Sampson county.
He married Elizabeth who predeceased him. They left no heirs.
When he died in 1826 his land was sold by his brothers,
Westbrook, Noah, Sampson, Samuel and David.
This individual was found on GenCircles at: http://www.gencircles.com/users/mcrl/1/data/2430
My Notes: Per the information above, William Lee, Jr. moved the family from Virginia to Johnston County sometime between 1749 and 1754. His older children, including David were born in Virginia.
At appears that William Lee Jr.’s son William (born 1764) [side note: I assume he could be called William Lee, III although I’ve not seen him referred as such], the younger brother of David (Long) Lee within our line, was our family’s only documented soldier in the American Revolution. Per the information above, he died without heir and his property went to his brothers.
William Lee, Sr. was born on 23 Jun 1683 in York County, Virginia. He died in Oct 1761 in Brunswick County, Virginia. He married Rebecca Birchett in 1720 in Brunswick County, Virginia.
Children of William Lee, Sr and Rebecca Birchett are:
i William Lee Jr.
ii Elizabeth Lee was born in <Virginia>.
iii Ann Lee was born in <Virginia>.
iv Rebecca Lee was born in <Virginia>.
v Peter Lee Sr.
vi Amy Lee.
Hugh Lee III was born before 1671 in Northumberland County, Virginia. He died in 1739 in Prince George County, Virginia. He married Ann Tatum about 1690.
Ann Tatum was born about 1676 in Prince George County, Virginia. She died after 1714 in Prince George County, Virginia. She married Hugh Lee III about 1690.
They had the following children:
M i William Lee Sr.
M ii Samuel Lee
M iii John Lee
M iv Peter Lee
M v Henry Lee
M vi Mathew Lee
M vii Hugh Lee IV
M viii Thomas Lee
M ix Nathaniel Lee Sr.
M x Thomas Lee was born on 11 Nov 1721.
F xi Jane Lee.
F xii Anne Lee.
F xiii Susanna Lee was born on 10 Feb 1723.
Hugh Lee Jr. was born in 1650 in Northumberland & Charles County, now Prince George County, Virginia. He died on 13 Nov 1739 in Prince George County, Virginia. He married Ann Harrison about 1662 in Prince George County, Virginia.
Ann Harrison was born about 1640. She married Hugh Lee Jr. about 1662 in Prince George County, Virginia.
They had the following children:
M i Hugh Lee III
F ii Jane Lee.
F iii Ann Lee.
M iv James Lee
M v John Lee died in 1725.
---------------------------------------------
Hugh Lee Sr. was born about 1609 in Tilston, England. He died on 1 Apr 1662 in Northumberland County, Virginia. He married Hannah Huett.
Hannah Huett was born in 1616 in St. Mary's County, Maryland. She died in 1667 in Virginia. She married Hugh Lee Sr..
They had the following children:
M i Hugh Lee Jr.
M ii Samuel Lee died about 1759.
M iii Mathew Lee died about 1739.
M iv Henry Lee.
M v John Lee.
M vi Thomas Lee.
F vii Ann Lee.
Additional Details: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vapgeorg/HughLee1.html
My Notes: Hugh Lee I was the immigrant and progenitor of our line in the Americas. As the fifth son in his family, his legal right to inheritance was limited, providing him with justification to strike off to the new world. The link above is to some detail around documentation about Hugh and his descendants. It shows Hugh “patenting” multiple tracts of land in Virginia (receiving a grant of land in the colony from the crown for settling there).
However, you will also note within the document an attempt to link Hugh to the Lees of Shropshire. It seems that many modern researchers finding a link to the Hugh Lee line in Virginia have attempted to build a link to the more famous Lees of Stratford, Virginia (Robert E. Lee, Richard Henry Lee, etc.) who trace there ancestry through Shopshire, England. This is clearly incorrect based on the details below.
Henry Lee was born about 1583 in Lea, Wybunbury, Cheshire, England. He was the first son on Sir Richard Lee. He married Eleanor Calveley, b. Abt 1570, of, Lea cum Newbold, Chester St. Oswald's, Cheshire, England
Children:
1. Thomas Lee, b. Cal 1612, of, Lea, Wybunbury, Cheshire, England , d. 1642, of, Darnhall, Whitegate, Cheshire, England
2. Richard Lee, b. Abt 1600, of, Lea, Wybunbury, Cheshire, England , d. Yes, date unknown
3. Robert Lee, b. Abt 1600, of, Lea, Wybunbury, Cheshire, England , d. Yes, date unknown
4. Edward Lee, b. Abt 1600, of, Lea, Wybunbury, Cheshire, England , d. Yes, date unknown
5. Hugh Lee, b. Abt 1600, of, Lea, Wybunbury, Cheshire, England , d. Yes, date unknown
6. Randel Lee, b. Abt 1600, of, Lea, Wybunbury, Cheshire, England , d. Yes, date unknown
7. Charles Lee, b. Abt 1600, of, Lea, Wybunbury, Cheshire, England , d. Yes, date unknown
8. Henry Lee, b. Abt 1600, of, Lea, Wybunbury, Cheshire, England , d. Yes, date unknown
9. John Lee, b. Abt 1600, of, Lea, Wybunbury, Cheshire, England , d. Yes, date unknown
10. Roger Lee, b. Abt 1600, of, Lea, Wybunbury, Cheshire, England , d. Yes, date unknown
Notes:
BIRTH: Calculated> age 44 years in 1627 (father's death). (Ormerod, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, vol. 1 p. 630)
DISTINCTION: Esquire. (Ormerod, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, vol. 1 p. 630)
RESIDENCE: Preferred Spelling> Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
RESIDENCE: Lee Hall. (Ormerod, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, vol. 1 p. 630)
PROPERTY: He sold Lee Hall to Henry Delves. (Ormerod, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, vol. 1 p. 630)
[See Visitations in Cheshire, 1613 p141 for chart below]
VISITATION OF CHESHIRE, 1613. 141
Lee, of Lee.
(Harl. MS. 1535.)
[See Visit. Chesh. 1580, p. 134.]
Sr Richard Lee of Lee [in = Elizabeth da. to Henrey Copinger
the parish of Wybunbury] | of Allhallos in Kent [Buxhall,
Kt [died 1627]. | co. Suffolk].
|
__________________________ |_________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | |
[2.] Thomas [s.p.]. Elianor = Henry = [Mary, [1.] Suzanna. [3. Anne
— da. to | Lee of | dau. of — marr: to
[3. Isaac.] Hughe | Lee | Randle [2. Frances, Thomas
— Calve- | son & | Stanley died young.] Lawton
[4. Edward.] ley of | heire. | of Al- — of Gorsty
— Leay | | derley.] [4. Elizabeth, Hill.]
[5. Samuel s.p.] 2 wyffe. | | died young.]
— | | —
[6. George s.p.] | [s.p.] [5. Katherine.]
_______________________ |_______________________________________
| | | | | | | | |
[Thomas son [2. Richard.] [4. Edward.] [6. Randle.] [8. Henry.]
& heir.] — — — —
[3. Robert.] [5. Hugh.] [7. Charles.] [9. John.]
My Notes: This document clearly shows Henry Lee of Lee, son and hier of Sir Richard Lee of Lee from “Wybunbury”. and 9 of Henry’s 10 sons, including our ancestor Hugh.
Additional Lees of Lea
The Lee of Lee (or Lea) line is continuous from Sir Richard Lee back to at least the mid-Thirteenth century. Below is a list of the names with very approximate lifetime dates for the individuals.
Sir Richard Lee Knighted in 1613 1550-1627 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England http://histfam.familysearch.org/getperson.php?personID=I251951&tree=Welsh
Richard Lee 1530-1558 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
Robert Lee 1500-1548 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
John Lee 1470-1486 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
Richard de Lee 1450->1471 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
Robert de Lee 1421->1445 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
John de Lee 1400->1421 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
Thomas De Lee 1370->1395 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
John de Lee 1330->1349 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
Thomas de Lee 1300->1338 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
John de Lee 1270->1300 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
John de Lee 1230->1270 Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
That terminates my current research of direct ties of our family line to the Lees of England. However, the Lee, Lea, Leigh, de Lega, and de Lee families of England appear to continue back to the Normans accompanying William I on his conquest of England. On reference indicates:
William and his men of Normandy took England had held it as a fief of Normandy. He killed Harold the English King; introduced the French language into the court, gave the Englishmen’s land to the Norman men, and thus we get the story of "Robin Hood."
With William, now called "the Conqueror," came one HUGH DE LEGA AND GILBERT DE VENABLES, relatives, who fought so valiantly with William that they each were given an estate in Essex (Eastern England). The LEE name was spelled Lee, Lea, Leigh, de Lega and de Lee.
In 1183 – 762 years ago – LIONEL DE LEE went into Palestine with Richard the Lionhearted, king of England, with Louis XII, of France,and with Frederick Barbarossa I, of Germany, to take the tomb of Christ from Sladin, the Turk. (With Frederick Barbarossa there was a Heyl (Hoyle) from Wiesbaden—my father’s family)
IN "LEES of Virginia" by Edmund J. Lee (1895) there is the following reference under Leigh of West Hall, of Cheshire, England: "This most ancient family of the name in England traces its pedigree through Hamon de Venables, son of Gilbert de Venables, grandson of Gilbert de Venables of Normandy, who accompanied the Conqueror to England, and was a younger brother of Thibault, Count of Blois, descended from Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy."
Note: Below are links to various genealogy sites for the family members listed in sections above. These were used for compiling much of the information.
Junius Bright Lee, Sr. 3rd son 10/4/1884 - 10/12/1955 Born Johnston Co., NC http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/n/e/Rochelle-D-Snead/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1513.html
Philip Lee 2nd son 1/26/1859 - 12/25/1922 Born Johnston Co., NC http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/n/e/Rochelle-D-Snead/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0969.html
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/n/e/Rochelle-D-Snead/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1445.html
Young Jeremiah Lee, Jr. 2nd son 7/24/1832- 5/1/1863 Born Johnston Co., NC
http://02ec0a3.netsolhost.com/getperson.php?personID=I18047&tree=ncshawfamily
Joel Lee 8th son 3/21/1809 - 10/22/1880 Born Sampson Co., NC
http://02ec0a3.netsolhost.com/getperson.php?personID=I16021&tree=ncshawfamily
Jesse Lee 1st son 3/16/1767 - 11/6/1831 Born Sampson Co., NC
http://02ec0a3.netsolhost.com/getperson.php?personID=I18034&tree=ncshawfamily
David (Long) Lee 1st son 1/17/1746 - 8/27/1812 Born Johnston Co., NC
http://02ec0a3.netsolhost.com/getperson.php?personID=I16027&tree=ncshawfamily
William Lee, Jr. 2nd son 1715 - 1774 Born Prince George Co. VA
http://02ec0a3.netsolhost.com/getperson.php?personID=I8151&tree=ncshawfamily
William Lee, Sr, 6th son 6/23/1683- 1761 Born Brunswick, VA
http://02ec0a3.netsolhost.com/getperson.php?personID=I8151&tree=ncshawfamily
http://beejay1.tripod.com/pafg21.htm#630
Hugh Lee III 1st son 1671 - 1739 Born Northumberland Co., VA
Hugh Lee II 1st son 1640 - ? Born Northumberland Co., VA
Hugh Lee I (5th son of Henry) 1609 - 1662 Born Tilston, Cheshire, England http://histfam.familysearch.org/getperson.php?personID=I251933&tree=Welsh
Henry Lee (1st son) 1583-? Born Lea, Wynbunbury, Cheshire, England
http://histfam.familysearch.org/getperson.php?personID=I251925&tree=Welsh