Biographical and Historical Note

Hosea McNeill was born c. 1784. His father, John McNeill, died in 1791 and the boy emerged from under his guardian's care in 1807. His mother, Annes, later married James Cochran and died in 1820 or 21. Hosea married Isabella Graves (1787?-1861), daughter of the Rev. Barzillai Graves (1759-1827) and Ursula Wright. Barzillai Graves was the pastor of the Busharbor (or Arbor) Primitive Baptist Meeting House in Caswell county, North Carolina until he resigned in 1810. Hosea and Isabella lived on Stony Creek in Caswell, and raised eight children there. Hosea McNeill died Aug. 8, 1857, age 73. Julia, the youngest, was born in 1833 (d. 1910).

Julia married James Poteat (1807-1888), a widower, tavern owner in Yanceyville and large landowner. In 1856 their first son was born, William Louis (d. 1938). Their other children were Ida Belle (1858-1940) and Edwin McNeill (1861-1937). From his previous marriage, James' children were John M., Felix L., James P., Lindsay (d. 1864), Sarah E. and most likely a daughter "Bellie" whose married name was Lindsay. John, Felix and Lindsay all fought in the Civil War, Lindsay dying in battle. Other Poteats who figure in these papers are John Sr., father of James, Miles and William, apparently brothers or uncles.

Julia had a vast quantity of relatives. Her eldest sister was Ursula, who married James Norfleet and pioneered to western Tennessee with her little girl, also Julia, in 1828. Father Hosea came out to visit in 1833, leaving a travelogue of his trip. Ursula's other children were Hosea, Alexander Munroe, Newton, Thomas, James, Jasper and Edward. Later the family moved to Mississippi, where James Sr. died in 1841 or 42. Ursula later had one more child, apparently illegitimate, named John. Other Norfleet relatives mentioned in her letters are James' mother, Priscilla, his sister, Jackey L. and his brother Edward.

The rest of the McNeill siblings are not easy to place in order. Frances married Maj. James Kerr in 1835. The major died in 1848. She later married Dr. Frank Mebane. Mary married William Moore and two of her daughters were named Emma and Jinnie. Margaret married a man named Carter and lived in Halifax until she moved to western Tennessee with her sister, Emily. Emily, or Emma, married a man named Williams and moved to Tennessee in 1860, with her children, Hosea and Alice, in tow. In addition, there was a brother, and perhaps another sister, Melissa, "Lissie", who may have married a Reily and had a daughter, Jinnie.

Isabella McNeill's siblings, mentioned in these papers, were Mary, wife of Thomas W. Graves, Margaret, and Solomon. Frances Williams, wife of Nathan, was either Isabella's sister or Hosea's. Two brothers of Hosea received mention, George, a merchant in Fayetteville, and William.

Sources for more information on these families are, the genealogy file on Barzillai Graves, the Biblical Recorder for appropriate years, William Louis Poteat by Margaret Linder, and the William Louis Poteat Papers.

Collection Overview

Incoming correspondence, financial and legal records of Hosea McNeill (ca. 1784-1857) and his son-in-law James Poteat (1808-88). These records are concerned primarily with the Norfleet, Williams and Graves families and include the Civil War letters of Felix L. Poteat, and John M. Poteat, and a journal of a trip to Tennessee in 1833. There are miscellaneous records and family photographs of James, John, Miles, Linday, James Preston, William Louis, Mrs. Julia A., and Edwin McNeill Poteat.

Collection Inventory

• Biographical Information Box 1 Folder 1
• McNeill
  • Incoming Correspondence
    • Baynes, John, (January 1, 1849) Folder 2
    • Faucett, C. F., (Sept. 7, 1849) Folder 3
    • Graves, S. (Solomon), (May 26, 1846) Folder 4
    • Graves, Thomas W., (March 3, 1837) Folder 5
    • Kirkland, John T., (May 19, 1829) Folder 6
    • McNeill, George, (1826-1848) Folder 7
    • Norfleet, J. (Jackey) P., (Jan. 15, 1829) Folder 8 ((contains notes from Ursula G. and Priscilla Norfleet))
    • Norfleet, James S. and Ursulla G., (1829-1847) Folder 9
    • Unthank, J. H., (Feb. 28, 1851) Folder 10
    • Wilcot, J. G., (March 21, 1829) Folder 11
    • Williams, Emma L., (1860-1861) Folder 12
    • Williams, Frances and Nathan, (1820-1842) Folder 13
  • Writings
    • Journal of trip through Tenn., (April-May, 1833) Folder 14
  • Legal Records
    • Guardians Records Folder 15
      • Cantrill, Benjamin - children of, (1816-1828)
    • Estates Papers
      • Annes Cochran, (1817-1831) Folder 16
      • Maj. James Kerr, (1848, 1850) Folder 17
      • James Sawyer, (1820-1822) Folder 18
      • John Sawyer, (1817-1822) Folder 19
    • Deeds and Land Surveys, (1807-1836 and n.d.) Folder 20
    • Court Papers, Caswell and Orange Counties, (1817-1829; 1836; 1849; and n.d.) Folder 21
    • Patented leather blacking Folder 22
      • Certificate of right to use
    • Wills Folder 23
      • Eunice Rose, (March 16, 1816)
    • Warrants, Summonses, Judgments, etc., Caswell county, (1816-1819) Folder 24
  • Financial Records
    • Bills and Receipts, (1807; 1817-1861) Folder 25
    • Journal, (1843-1850) Folder 26
    • Promissory Notes, (1814-1818) Folder 27
    • Unidentified Financial Records, (1829; 1841; 1848; and n.d.) Folder 28
  • Miscellaneous
    • Letter of withdrawal from Arbor (Busharbor) Church, (October 7, 1842) Folder 29
    • Subscription list for Sycamore Grove Church (later Kerr's Chapel), (n.d.) Folder 30
    • Letter from Elias Dodson to Wm. Sands, ed. of the Religious Herald, (May 16, 1845) Folder 31
    • Election Return, (1850) Folder 32
    • Recipes, (n.d.) Folder 33
• Poteat Box 2
  • Incoming Correspondence
    • Dodson, Elias, (1870; 1873) Folder 34
    • Griffin, George W., (Nov. 19, 1866) Folder 35
    • LaPish, Daniel H., (Sept. 10, 1863) Folder 36
    • Lawson, Joseph J., (Oct. 7, 1867) Folder 37
    • Lindsay, "Bellie", (1864) Folder 38
    • Cousin "Mat" (plus envelope), (n.d.) Folder 39
    • Mays, J. F. B., (Nov. 19, 1866) Folder 40
    • Mebane, F. L., (Nov. 5, 1864) Folder 41
    • Morehead, James F., (Oct. 14, 1844) Folder 42
    • Moor, Mary E., (during Civil War) (n.d.) Folder 43
    • Morton, Lou, (during Civil War) (n.d.) Folder 44
    • Poole and Hunt, Founders and Machinists, (April 8, 1875) Folder 45
    • Poteat, Edwin McNeill, (1888; 1892) Folder 46
    • Poteat, Felix L., (1862-1865) Folder 47
    • Poteat, John M., (1860-1864) Folder 48
    • Sanderlin, G. W., (Dec. 16, 1867) Folder 49
    • Shelton, W. N., (Dec. 10, 1872) Folder 50
    • Shuck, L. H., (Oct. 12, 1863) Folder 51
    • Williams, S. E., (Sept. 8, 1883) Folder 52
  • Outgoing Correspondence
    • "Sis" Lissie and Jinnie, (n.d.) Folder 53
  • Writings
    • Poteat, William Louis, "Ministerial Education," delivered before Beula Baptist Assoc., (Aug. 1882) Folder 54
    • Poteat, William Louis (?), "Systematic Benevolence,"  (n.d.) Folder 55
    • Devotional booklet
    • Harrison, Calloway J., Order for brandy and political poem, (Nov. 22, 1844) Folder 56
  • Legal Records
    • Estates papers
      • Miles Poteat, (1842-1844; 1848) Folder 57
      • William Poteat, (1841-1844; and n.d.) Folder 58
    • Legal scraps, (1864; and n.d.) Folder 59
  • Financial Records
    • Bills and Receipts, (1841-1888; and n.d.) Folder 60
    • Taxable property and assessments, (ca. 1860-1865) Folder 61
    • Promissory note and receipts of John Poteat, Sr., (1841-1845) Folder 62
  • Printed Matter
    • "Petersburg letter sheet price current", Petersburg, Virginia, (March 3, 1866) Folder 63
    • Newspaper clippings of poetry, (n.d.)
  • Civil War Miscellaneous
    • Bill and Receipt, county K, 1st Regt. North Carolina Artillery, (July 10, 1862) Folder 64
    • Poteat, James, Oath of Amnesty, (Aug. 17, 1865) Folder 65
    • Poteat, James, Presidential Pardon for rebellion (Oversize), (February 1, 1866) Folder 66
  • Photographs
    • Poteat, James (1807-1888). Negative. Folder 67
    • Poteat, John Miles (1840-1867). Negative. Folder 68
    • Poteat, Lindsay (1838-1864); John Miles Poteat; and James Preston Poteat (1848-1907). Negative. Folder 69
    • Poteat, William Louis; Mrs. Julia A. Poteat; and Edwin McNeill Poteat. Folder 70

Summary Information

Repository

Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives

Creator

McNeill family

Creator

Poteat family

Title

McNeill-Poteat Family Papers

ID

MS74

Date [inclusive]

1820-1888

Extent

1.0 linear feet  two letter boxes

General Physical Description note

1  2

Administrative Information

Publication Information

Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives 2004

Access Restrictions

Collection is open. 

Copyright Notice

Copyright for materials resides with the creators of the items in question or their descendants, unless otherwise designated. Users of this collection are responsible for using the materials in conformance with U.S. copyright law. 

Preferred Citation

MS74, McNeill-Poteat Family Papers, 1820-1888, Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. 

Related Materials

William Louis Poteat Papers, MS91

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