Thomas M. Wales ca 1837 Letter from Samuel Wales

North Carolina, Iredell County, August 15th 1837
Dear Nephew:

After my respects to you, I inform you that myself and family are in reasonable health, for which we ought ever to be thankful. I received a letter from you something like twelve months ago, stating that you had previously wrote to me, but that is the only letter that I have received from you. If I should live to see the 21st day of October next, I shall be 70 years old, but am tolerable stout of my age, though not able to do much labor. I have taken up school teaching and expect to follow that business. My youngest son follows the same occupation, he not being able to labor by getting his left arm broke about 4 years ago, has but little use of that arm, though he is a first rate scholar, being very perfect in all the rudiments of English and the Latin languages. He has taught school ever since he was 15 years old, except about 12 months that he went to school to study the Latin. He was 19 year old the 14th day of last March.

You request me to write largely to you, as you have but little knowledge of your posterity or fore-fathers, I will hereby give you the history of our ancestors. The information I got was from a certain old man named John Patterson. His grandfather, James Patterson, was half-brother to my grand- father, Thomas Wales. About the year 1690 George Wales came from Scotland to Ireland, a single man, a carpenter by trade. He there married a widow Patterson, she being sister to General Megummery who fell in the War of King William and King James, he being so worthy a man that his statue was erected, and stands in the City of Dublin to this day. When you was born your father requested me to name you, which I did in memory of the said Megummery, he being of our race or nearly connected to our ancestors. Noble acts and noble men should not be forgotten.

As I before stated George Wales married the widow Patterson, by whom he had two sons, Thomas and George. Thomas my grandfather married Margaret Erwin, in Ireland. Both my grandfathers, Thomas Wales and William Erwin, came from Ireland to America about the year 1736, settled in the state of Pennsylvania. Thomas Wales had two sons George and John, and several daughters. My father, George Wales, married Jane Findley, widow of Robert Findley, she being daughter of the aforesaid William Erwin. The whole of both families of Wales and Erwin moved to North Carolina in the year of 1767. My grandfather's brother, George Wales, never married. He was a printer by trade, had a printing office in the town of Belfast in Ireland, became very wealthy. He sent repeatedly for my father to come to him and he would make him heir of his possessions, but he never went.

I have given you a short history of our ancestors for about 150 years back. Your father and myself formerly talked of making and keeping a genealogy of this kind, but I never put pen to paper before respecting it. But you are yet young and I would think it advisable for you to do so. I have heard my parents, uncles and aunts say there never had been a disgraceful charged alleged to any of our generation, nor none of them killed by accident nor slain in battle, but yet were valiant soldiers, and true to their country. I was pleased from reading your letter that you had a desire to know something about our family and I have cheerfully informed you what I have, and gave no doubt but it is correct. So I must bid you farewell at present. Sam Wales

WALES GENEALOGY To Thos. M. Wales. George Wales, born 4 mo. 11 da. 1737 Jane Findley Wales " 9 " 1738 Their children: Mary Wales, " 1763 Samuel Wales " 8 " 28 da. 1767 m. Mary Sigler 1791 NC Hannah Wales " 1769 m. Wm. Sale. Nancy Wales " 1771 m. a Mr. Sigler Sarah Wales " 1773 Jane Wales " 1775 Isaac Wales " 9 " 30 da. 1778 m. Ruth Welch. John Wales spelled his name Weailes. He emigrated to Alabama or Georgia when a young man, from which time all trace was lost of him.

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