A HISTORY OF THE CENTENNIAL GROUP, comprising the Gregory, Johnson,Van ce, and Steen Families, 1937. Source document at the Daviess Co.Museum .
SOUVENIR EDITION OF THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
THIS BROCHURE is presented under the sponsorship of the CentennialAnni versary Committee appointed a year ago to arrange for a specialobserva nce of the coming to Daviess County, Indiana, of the Gregory,Steen, Va nce, and Johnson families from Union South Carolina, in theyear 1837, j ust one hundred years ago.....
Among the earliest of the Arthur name to join the American Colonieswas G eorge Arthur in the Isle of Wight County, Virginia, in 1637,just 300 y ears ago. No family records were kept, but as early as 1642there were J ames, Alice, and Chris Arthur in the same county, who mayhave been rel ated to him.
In all the colonies from New England to the Carolinas, and Georgia,the re were Arthurs widely distributed. In 1775 William Arthur was adelega te to the Colonial Congress from Orange County, S.C.; BarnabasArthur w as a justice of the peace in the same county. William Arthur,born in I reland, was in Charleston, S.C. in 1773. In the days of '76there were s erving in the Revolutionary War, John, and BarnabasArthur from Virgini a, William Arthur from Bedford County, Va., JamesArthur from Maryland, F rancis from Georgia, and others from variouscolonies. Military trainin g through long centuries enured them war'srigors.
Before 1773, Richard Arthur was living in Groton, Conn. John Arthurliv ed in Salem, Mass., and was thought to have been the earliest ofthe na me in New England. He married Priscilla Gardner, and after hisdeath sh e moved with his children to Nantucket, but their given namesare not k nown. There were Arthurs in Nantucket in the early 18thcentury. Cheste r Alan Arthur, once President was the son of AlanArthur, and grand-son o f Gavin Arthur of Antrim, Ireland.
Other distinguished members of the family may be mentioned here asTimo thy Shay Arthur, distinguished writer, and Joseph Charles Arthur,a not ed botanist, of New York. Also Julia Arthur of Canada, anactress with s tage name, Ida Lewis.
In practically every State in the United States, there are Arthurs tob e found. They are for the most part humble citizens content to carryon i n the making of America, as did their forebears across thewaters, in t he early history of the British Isles."
It has not been determined where the children were born, some sayIrela nd, others say VA. The one called "Virginia" may have been anickname f or either Joseph or James according to one researcher.
