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C O U S I N  M O N R O E ' S
H I S T O R Y
of the
P I C K E N S   F A M I L Y




Compiled By
MONROE PICKENS
Revised and Published By
KATE PICKENS DAY






Electronically Re-typed
By John C Pickens
2002
 




Copyright, 1951
Kate Pickens Day
Easley, South Carolina
U. S. A.






Printed in the United States of America
By Hoitt Press, Greenville, South Carolina
 
Contents
 Forward  8
 Sketch of the Life of Monroe Pickens  8
 1936 - 1950  12
 Coat of Arms  15
 Chapter I - Pickens  18
 Chapter II - Who Came to America  22
 Chapter III - The Pickens Family and the Revolutionary War  31
 Chapter IV - Pioneer Andrew and His Descendants  37
 Chapter V - Pioneer Robert and His Descendants  80
 Chapter VI - Pioneer Israel and His Descendants  192
 Chapter VII - Pioneer William and Their Descendants  224
 Chapter VIII - Pioneer John and his Descendants  248
 Chapter IX - A Number of Family Records That Are Incomplete  263
 Chapter X - The Andrew Pickens Reunion Association  272


 
Index To Pictures

    
Facing page
 1. "Cousin Monroe"       Frontispiece          8
 2. Coat of Arms          15
 3. General Andrew Pickens          40
 4. Governor Francis W. Pickens          57
 5. Pickens Family Reunion, 1917          118
 6. James Tarpley and Matilda Patton Pickens          120
 7. The Eight Sons and daughters          121
 8. Lawrence B. Ray          133
 9. Francis T. Pickens          133
 10. Rev. and Mrs. Robert W. Pickens          143
 11. Reunion Association Presidents          151
 12. Martha Catherine Pickens Carter          155
 13. Margaret Susannah Pickens Ray          158
 14. Col. Robert Pickens          163
 15. Col. W. Smith Pickens           170
 16. Robert Welborn Pickens          171
 17. W. Holbert Pickens          173
 18. Rev. Robert Mason Pickens          183
 19. Andrew Pickens Reunion, 1925          272
 20. A Family Group                   278
 





D E D I C A T I O N
THE lives, noble deeds an simple virtues of these, our worthy ancestors, deserve more than a passing memory, and it is to them that this book is affectionately dedicated

ALSO, we include future generations who bear the name of Pickens, sharing their pardonable pride in their ancestry, yet trusting that they will be imbued with a sense of responsibility to so live and labor that a record of their lives will add to and not detract from the annals of the Pickens Family.
6 

FOREWORD


-----Go with me in your imagination, back through a little more than two centuries, to the Old World and look in upon a people made poor by many wars, clinging steadfastly to their religious convictions although severely persecuted on account of them.
-----These people were of many countries and of different faiths, but all had a common desire to live where they might worship God according to the dictates of their consciences. Hearing of the new world across the Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of these brave souls accepted its offer of freedom.
-----In Ireland at this time there were living families of Scotch-Irish descent by the name of Picken. These families were Presbyterians and had already moved from Scotland to Ireland. These were our ancestors who, filed with a desire for freedom and moved by the spirit of adventure, braved the rough seas, crossed the stormy Atlantic and landed on the shores of Pennsylvania. Here they took up the task of establishing themselves in a strange country, that with the exception of a few earlier settlers who had preceded them was inhabited by savage Indians and ferocious wild animals. These pioneers camped in the open country until they were able to build homes for themselves.
-----Before leaving their homeland, the hearts of these people must have been heavy as they bade farewell to their loved ones. In America they were launching into the unknown - savages threatened them with destruction. They had to face starvation until crops could be raised. Was this better than living in the lands where they had been persecuted?
-----These forefathers of ours were consistent and devout. They brought their church letters with them and took part in the organization of new churches. They brought their Bibles and used them as a guide book for their daily living. In the evenings they gathered around their camp fires, sang the Psalms of David, offered thanks to God for his mercies and prayers for their safe keeping, then lay down to sleep in the midst of the attendant dangers of that vast wilderness.
7 

-----Having long yearned for a Pickens family history, I have for many years been trying to pick up the broken traditions that have been handed down to us, and weave them together into a simple history, rich in quality and texture.
-----Many of whom I have requested information have responded willingly, and to them I am greatly indebted, however, in a few cases, it has been hard to trace relationships, and there is little doubt but that many errors will show in instances of this kind
-----In my own behalf, I wish to say that while this venture has had some measure of success, I have not accomplished what I desired. The task is hardly begun. I gladly turn over to those interested in the preservation of the family records what information I have collected with the hope that it will be used as may seem best, and that someone will take up the task and continue to gather together and preserve the records of the family and that these will ever be a source of inspiration to future generations.

-0-

-----With two pages of data this work was begun, and to those who have furnished the rest of the information I wish to express my sincere thanks.
-----Special acknowledgment and thanks must be give to Mr. R.W. Pickens of Easley, S.C. who rendered valuable help in laying the foundation for the work; to Mr. Rupert T. Pickens of High Point, N.C.; to Mr. John A. Pickens Chattanooga, Tenn.; To Mrs. Grace Smith Pettijohn, Indianapolis, Indiana; to Mrs. R.D. Sturdivant Berlin, Alabama; To Mr. Virgil P Phillips, Adamsville, Tennessee; to Mr. Elmer Pickens of Ohio; to Mr. EM. Pickens, College Park Maryland; to Miss Eugenia W. Lore, Concord, North Carolina; to Mrs. H.D. Pickens, Hattieburg, Mississippi; to Mrs. Ben Day, Easley, S.C.; to Rev. E. M. Sharpe of the Methodist church in North Mississippi; to Mr. James M. Pickens, Chevy Chase, Maryland and to many other for various lines furnished.
Monroe Pickens.---
 Transcribers Note:

      I guess that this is the best place to state this. The material is exactly transcribed as it was printed in the original edition published 50 years ago by that Kate Pickens Day. Who edited Cousin Monroe's Work then gathered up the money to get it published. Nothing has been changed. It was originally commissioned by the Pickens Family Association and Compiled by Monroe Pickens.
     This material is presented here by the transcriber for research purposes only. It is also presented here as documentation for the Pickens Family Database and for the Pickens Searchable Database. All rights belong to the author and the Pickens Family Association. No attempt to correct, change or add in any way to this the original material has been made by the transcriber.
     It must also be noted that there are areas of this material that are incorrect. In some cases some person are linked to the wrong families. In another ie: the Indian material states that a WILLIAM PICKENS by B.C. Clarke is incorrect. Fifty years is a life time for some folks and it is definately a different Time zone away in the way material is available, collected and compiled today. There is much more information available today, resources are greater, and of course there is the internet. The ability for communications between researchers has grown because of the use of the net. Resource once hidden in dusty cupboards or closets are now at your finger tips. The ability to organize family files, lines and notes has become much much easier. No longer are there shelves upon shelves of family group sheets and notes that are tucked in one place or the other. It has become all neatly organized.
     However, if it had not been for people like Cousin Monroe and Kate Pickens Day, this information would not be available right or wrong, correct or incorrect. They hunted down information, copied it, catalog it, and in the end presented us, their children with a legacy a lot of families don't have.
     Because of the ANDREW PICKENS Reunion Association, Cousin Monroe's material edited by Kate Pickens Day is still one of the prime sources for information on the family. It was the first material printed. It is one of the most quoted sources. And, even though it has been out of print for about 35 years is still one of the most sought after books by family researchers.
John C. Pickens