John Cathcart, Sr.
A Big 4 brother

born circa 1764 in County Antrim, Ireland. 
Died after 1790... or maybe after 1837!

John is is most elusive of the "Big Four."  Most of what we know about John comes from a couple of the surviving relatives and especially from George Kysor's research.

We have several records that show that John had at least four children: John, Mary, Samuel and David.¹    We know that his son David was born at sea after leaving County Antrim, Ireland for the United States on August 17, 1790.²   Subtracting nine months from that give us "proof" that John was alive at the end of 1789.  I have found no completely solid evidence that John made it to the US, but given the age of his children for their voyage to America, it's certainly likely that he and his wife would have gone to America if he was still alive.

It may seem obvious, but if David was born at sea, then his mother had to be on her way to the US as well.  Of course it's also possible that she died during—or from complications shortly after—childbirth on that voyage, and never made it to America.  However, I have found no indication that John's wife died during the journey.  Furthermore, David's birth on the ocean is certainly part of the family lore—and is passed along by several family genealogical records.  One would assume that if his mother had died on the journey, that fact would also has been mentioned/recorded.

John's wife MAY have been a Mary.  This is based ONLY on an 1800 census listing for a Mary Cithcart in Fairfield District, SC.  I now have my doubts that this Mary was John's wife—and that she would have been listed as head of household and that census—because I believe there is convincing evidence that John lived well past his arrival in the United States from Ireland.

Recent evaluation of land sales and census records in Dallas County, Alabama, lead me to believe that John Cathcart, Sr. left South Carolina with his sons, Samuel and David for that destination.  There is much evidence that John and his family settled in this is part of Alabama, and that he lived there until at least 1837.  My reasoning:

• The above-mentioned land sales are all in the same area (St. Stephen's, Cahawba Beat) of Dallas County, Alabama—occurring in the summers of 1832 and 1837.
• If we accept that John, Sr.'s son, John disappeared/died in a swamp in South Carolina, he cannot be the John Cathcart mentioned in these real estate transactions.
• There are no other John Cathcarts known to have lived in Dallas County in that time period.
• The 1830 federal census for Dallas County, Alabama has a listing for David Cathcart.
  • With near 100% certainty, this is David, son of John—and since we know he was born at sea in 1790, he fits nicely into the one male who shows up in the 40-50 age group block(approximately 1779-1790 birth year).
  • There is ample documentation that David's first three children were born in Dallas County Alabama:
    • Elizabeth Jane, in March of 1834;
    • John Hemphill, in August of 1835; and
    • Margaret Juliana in December of 1836. 
  • Although we cannot know for certain, I believe it's reasonable to assume that the lone male in the 60-70 age group block (1759-1770) is David's father, John, who was born in 1764.  The fact that there was a John Cathcart making real estate transactions at the same time/place strengthens the argument.

John's page on my online GEDCOM

Children:

1. John Jr.  b. 1777-1790.  Disappeared in a SC swamp.
   1. Since this information has been passed down from family records/recollections, and since at least one source indicates that this John disappeared when he was a teenager, I think it's safe to assume that he did not survive to adulthood... nor did he have any children.
2. Mary.  b. 1778-1779,
   1. m. James S. Brice.  Died Nov 1, 1828 in Fairfield Co., SC.
   2. Many of James and Mary's descendants moved to Dallas County, Alabama.
3. Samuel. b c 1784. 
   1. m. Nancy McCreight. 
   2. shows up in census of 1830 in Fairfield, SC. 
   3. Then in 1840 (male 50-60) & 1850 (age 65) in Cahawba Beat, Dallas Co., AL.
   4. See the Alabama page for more information on Samuel and his descendants.
4. David.  b. Aug 17, 1790 four days at sea from County Antrim.  (David's Page)
   1. M1. Nancy Miller (1796-1831), c1823.
   2. M2 Mary Junkin c1832. 
   3. Moves from South Carolina to near Macon, Georgia (stays only one year) then moves to Dallas Co., Alabama.  In about 1837-1839 (reportedly due to his—and/or his church's—opposition to slavery), David leaves Alabama and moves to Monroe County, Indiana (near Bloomington). 
   4. Dies in Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana on Mary 15, 1862.

Misc photos of David's descendants. 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8

Footnotes

1. Nearly all of David's census enumerations show "at sea" or "Atlantic Ocean" for a place of birth.
2. Sources showing John's children:
   1. Genealogy info from David J Cathcart
   2. Autobiography of William Turner Cathcart (grandson of John Cathcart, son of David)