Achilles Durham & Mary Cates

 ACHILLES DURHAM married MARY CATES.  He was the son of ELIZABETH CATES and possibly WILLIAM DURHAM.

Some interesting reading on this family:

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/DURHAM/2001-06/0993659926

From: RockyIII@aol.com
Subject: Re: Durham family in Rutherford Co., NC
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 12:38:46 EDT

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~donnykrun/Richard_Durham_Research.htm

Here are the two original family accounts. This is the first Durham story.

Another old original document was written by Robert L. Durham who was a decendent to Achilles Durham. This clipping appeared in the Forrest City, North Carolina Courier Thursday, April 30, 1936. "The first Achilles Durham, who moved into Rutherford County about the year 1783, came from Virginia, bringing with him his mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Cates."

After years of searching for the illusive Elizabeth Cates let me share my findings. Throughout the world in the early 1700s there were only four places to find an Elizabeth Cates. In Norfolk, England, New Hampshire, Virginia with the Robert Cates family, and in Beaufort, North Carolina. If you believe the story that Elizabeth Cates was the mother of Achilles and Matthew Durham then you are looking for a person born between 1700-1715. Keep in mind also, that for practical purposes, Elizabeth Cates would have had been able to have children for a twenty year period. You then have to ask the question where were the other children? There were several women with name Elizabeth Cates, all born in that range between 1700-1715. The only problem, they all married someone other than a Durham and appear to have lived somewhere other than where we find Achilles and Matthew lived. A similar analysis was done with the names Margaret, Betty, and Rachel Cates. None of these names matched the Durham family story but were used with a high degree of frequency during this time. With all the information that has been gathered on the Robert Cates, Sr. family, there seems to be no child by that name either. Later generations give us several Elizabeth Cates, but none that could be the mother of Achilles or Matthew Durham.

"They came from the Haw River Settlement in Orange County, North Carolina where Achilles married Mrs. Mary Hardin, and their son, Charles Alexander Durham and presumably their oldest son, Richard Durham was born. To them was born a daughter, Elizabeth whether in Orange County or after they moved to what is now Cleveland County, but were at that time almost exactly near the line between Lincoln and Rutherford Counties. In this Lincoln--Rutherford home Elizabeth Cates Durham, mother of Achilles died and was buried in about a mile and one half of where Shelby was afterwards located."

Keep in mind that Elizabeth Cates died around 1783. This is important because it fits with our timeline for her birth and child bearing years. "After the death of his first wife (Mrs. Mary Hardin) who was the mother of his children, Achilles Durham married another widow, Mrs. Edith Hicks, on 21 March, 1808; after which they moved to South Carolina and settled in what is now Spartanburg County. Then Achilles died and was buried at Buck Creek Baptist Church which is eight miles north of Spartanburg."

A note on Achilles and the Buck Creek Baptist Church. Achilles died in about 1813 and there are land transactions showing that he donated land to the Church. Actual Church records and the formation of the Church took place in 1715. This has been confirmed by my visiting Buck Creek Baptist Church on several occasions.

Let's look at what can be gleaned from this story. A women named Elizabeth Cates existed. There are no birth records, and no account of who Matthew and Achilles' father was in this account. So what can we deduce? Elizabeth was not really the mother of Achilles and Matthew, or she was some other relationship to them. Keep that idea in the back of your mind.

Here is the second Durham story. The earliest known reference to the Durhams of Scotland can be found in a manuscript entitled, History of Nathaniel Evans of Cat Fish Creek and his Decedents, by James Daniel Evans in 1905. It appears that Cicero A. or C.A. Durham provided the original information. (He would be almost five generations separated from the first Achilles Durham.) Durham Excursus.*

Major Solon A. Durham was the oldest son of Charles Crawford and Eunice Jane (Evans) Durham of Shelby, N.C. Charles Crawford Durham was born 20th February, 1820, and died 1st August, 1897. He saw service through the Civil War for the South. He was the son of Charles Alexander Durham, born 5th June, 1773; died 13th March, 1853; married 31st January, 1793. Patience, daughter of Capt. Benjamin Davis, who was born 24th December, 1731; married Rebecca ___________, born 25th October, 1741. Capt. Davis was prominent in the forces of the Revolution. The father of Charles A. Durham was Achilles Durham, Esquire, of Haw River, North Carolina, and was born about 1720. He was brought as an infant by his father, William, from England. He married Mrs. Catharine Hardin. His father, William, was lineally descended from William, 9th Laird of Grange. ( Since I Was Born, written by a descendent of Achilles Durham, Robert L. Durham very clearly states that his ancestor came from Forfar, Dundee Scotland).

This story is more appealing to me than the first. It has more truth, and yet makes less sense. I'll explain this as we go along. Many researchers have pointed to a Thomas Durham as a potential father to the boys. And then there is the Thomas Durham who married Margaret Peggy Lindsey. Let me stop and review what we have on him. Thomas is thought to be born in Durham, England in 1695-96. The problem I have on him is that we have birth records dating back to the 1200s in England, and yet there is no specific date for his birth. This is the same problem I have with the 1720 date associated with the second story of Achilles Durham's birth. And if by some chance Thomas and Achilles, and Matthew were Scottish, then we should see them also with a real month, day, year date in the very good Scottish Records. Another point that makes Durham research difficult in Scotland are the many variations of the spelling Durham: Durham, Dirram, Dorham, Dunholme, Durame, Dureame, Dureham, Duren, Dirom, Dyrham, Durhame, and Durrame. I have encountered each during my research with the Scottish Records Office.

One conclusion is that the Durhams came from Ireland where records were lost. Another conclusion is that these individuals were born in wilderness areas of America where just no records existed. In Thomas case, I believe he was born in England around 1700-1705. With Achilles being born in 1720 and we know he died in 1813, well you do the math, 93 years. Possible, not likely. From 1740 to 1770 what was Achilles doing, and where were all the children he might have had during this time? In the years 1720-1722 there are no know records of William Durham on a ship manifest.

… It is my firm belief that Matthew and Achilles were also orphaned. They were raised by the Cates family in Virginia and later North Carolina. This is evidenced by the name "Richard" Durham taken from the Robert Cates', Sr. family. Later, we see that Achilles marries a Cates.

Elizabeth Pugh, wife of Robert Cates, Sr. helped to raise the boys. They did farm work, then learned surveying skills (Chain Carriers) as evidenced by land transactions uncovered by Dr. Banks Cates. In 1770 Achilles is still surveying and searching for iron ore on the Yadkin River. (Quaker Meeting House near) Elizabeth Pugh also outlived Robert Cates and probably died around 1783.

And it is from this Cates-Durham relationship born out of hardship and survival that we see how they call Elizabeth Cates their mother, which is a connection that no one could prove. Look at the tons of Cates notes provided by Dr. Banks Cates which show the Cates family migration from Virginia to Orange County, North Carolina. It is clear that Durham and Cates became interconnected through their Quaker faith. And if you follow the locations where you find the Durham and Cates families you will see the southern migration patterns of the Quakers. Researchers will note that the Cheek family who intermarry with the Durhams were also Quakers that migrated to Orange County, North Carolina. And the very first time we see Achilles Durham as an adult, he is surveying near the Yadkin River, home to many of the Quakers who migrated from Pennsylvania.

His name is spelled Akillis in some NC records (North Carolina Marriages 1717-1868, Hunting for Bears).

His name is spelled Akillis in some NC records (North Carolina Marriages 1717-1868, Hunting for Bears).

Shirley CARTER says he was born in VA, and came to the Haw River settlement of Orange Co., NC with his widowed mother, Elizabeth, while in his youth. About 1783, Achilles came to Rutherford Co., NC along with his mother, wife and children; they settled near the Lincoln/Rutherford Co., line where present-day Shelby is. His mother died there. His wife, Mary, died shortly after 1800.

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