How to Research the Scots-Irish of Cub Creek in Lunenburg County, VA.

When researching eighteenth-century Scots-Irish Presbyterians, it is important to know how and where to look. Unlike their Anglican counterparts they are not well documented, but all is not lost. While It is true that the majority of their marriages and baptisms are not recorded, you can still find Presbyterians as part of Scots-Irish settlements. For the purposes of this lesson, we will use the Scots-Irish community of Cub Creek as an example.

Before we dive into the mechanics of this method, one first needs to know about the history of this community. Established by Elder John Caldwell during the mid-1700's, it was built on the southern frontier. Arriving from Pennsylvania, he and his followers were seeking economic and political freedom. Given the privilege to worship according to their own doctrine, creed, and ceremonies, other religious dissenters weren't as fortunate. Repressed by the established Church of England, Quakers and Baptists were also considered nonconformists.

One of the privileges given to John Caldwell and his followers was the right to collect their own tithes. By examining the "Lists of Tithables" from Lunenburg County, Virginia we can see who was part of the 1748 Cub Creek tithable list. Below is a list of several of the dissenting Presbyterians who had found a home in this community:

"List of Tithables for 1748

List Taken by William Caldwell

William Caldwell

Griffin Rutherford

James Rutherford

David Logan

James Logan

David Emanuel

William Cunningham

Thomas Cunningham

John Cunningham

James Anderson

Alexander Joyce

David Caldwell

Thomas Vernon

Isaac Vernon

Thomas Dougherty

William Usery"

On the next segment, we will explore another technique to see if a pioneer was part of the Cub Creek settlement.