Left to Right: George Fillmore Severs and Phebe Jane McAtee, William and Elizabeth McPherson, Cynthia Barnett
William Porter Severs and children, Phebe Jane McAtee.
Severs/Kinkade
The Severs/Kinkade (Kinkead/Kincaid/etc.) family line has been the most fun ancestor line for me to research. There is so much history recorded for this family, and so much of it is quite romantic, with Indian raids, rescues, kidnapping, love affairs, etc.
Only a very small part of those stories can be recorded here, but I will attach links at the bottom of this page to help you further your research.
The first story that needs to be told, is the story that explains the Severs/Kinkade name. And, as with all family stories, this one, I am sure, has evolved over the years so that I can only hope I am repeating it with at least the grain of the truth.
...The Reverend George Wilson Kincaid, who was born about 1782 in Pennsylvania, was a circuit rider. One of those old time preachers that traveled to outlying areas to carry the message of God. Rev. Kincaid had a wife and children in Kentucky. A young girl, Cynthia Barnett, was employed in the family home as a housekeeper. As things happened, Cynthia became pregnant with Rev. Kincaid's child. But rather than just cast Cynthia out, he arranged for her to marry a man by the name of Severs, with the understanding that he, George, would provide the child's financial support. The child was born, and named William Porter Severs. Unfortunately the relationship with Mr. Severs to William was not a very warm one and at an early age William was sent to live with his aunt, Ealsa Kincaid Miller, George's sister. It appears that George was open about his parenthood and responsibilities to William, and that it was an open and understood relationship in their town. William even went on to name one of his sons after his biological father....
Therefore, although our closest ancestors are known by the name of Severs, we actually descend from the Kincaid line. You will see many different spellings of Kincaid in our family. It changed over the years from what it was in Scotland to what you hear now. Exactly where and when these changes took place is a bit unclear. But you will see, Kinkade, Kinkead, Kincaid, etc. referred to.
This line of our family first came to America from the area we now call Northern Ireland, but the early immigrants to America from Northern Ireland did not consider themselves Irish and in fact were usually offended if referred to as Irish. Northern Ireland was originally made up of persons who were displaced out of Scotland for political reasons. When our ancestors first arrived in America they identified themselves as 'Irish' on census reports, etc., But when the large wave of Irish immigrants began arriving in America in the mid-to-late 1800's, the persons who had originated from Northern Ireland wanted to distance themselves from the newer immigrants who were predominately Irish Catholic. They began to call themselves 'Scotch-Irish'. In Europe they would be referred to as 'Ulster-Scots'.
The Kincaid line starts in America in the early 1700's with George Kinkead, who was born in Scotland in 1726. George immigrated to America and eventually settled in Virginia, marrying Elizabeth Dean who was born in New York around 1730. They had five children, four boys and one daughter. To paraphrase from the large document "Descendants of Elizabeth Dean":
In September of 1756, in the town of Jackson River, Virginia, there was a large Indian attack and many were killed, including George Kinkead. George's two oldest son's were not at home at the time, but George's wife, Elizabeth, and there three children were kidnapped by the Shawnee Indians. The two boys escaped, but Elizabeth and the daughter were kept by the Indians. The Indian Chief desired Elizabeth to be his wife, but Elizabeth was able to avoid this. But eventually she, in some way, offended the Chief, causing him to order her to be 'burned at the stake'. Unbeknownst to Elizabeth, she was sent out to the woods to gather wood, not realizing it was meant for her own fire. A Canadian trader, Paul Larsh, who was well known by the tribe, heard the talk about the plans for the evening. Paul went searching for the woman he had heard about, warning her of her intended fate. He persuaded Elizabeth to escape with him but they were unable to convince Elizabeth's daughter to leave with them. Paul and Elizabeth escaped and made their way to his boat, where they paddled down the little Miami and the Ohio Rivers and up the Mississippi River to the French Settlement of Kaskaskia. They fell in love and were married in 1759. When Elizabeth had been kidnapped, she had been able to keep with her a bible. This she read every day during her captivity and it gave her much comfort. The town of Kaskaskia was a Catholic community, and one day a priest came to visit Elizabeth and found her reading her bible. The priest was incensed that Elizabeth would be reading this bible, and therefore grabbed it and threw it into the fire. When Paul returned home and discovered what the priest had done, he grabbed the priest by the shirt-collar and saying 'I will do to you what you have done to my wife's bible', threw the priest into the fire. Realizing immediately what their fate would be for such an act, Elizabeth and Paul retrieved a mattress from their home and took it to the river where they placed the mattress on a raft and escaped. They made it safely down the river and eventually settled in Fayette Co. Pennsylvania. They had two children Charles and Hannah. Elizabeth was eventually reunited with her older sons Samuel and John.
It is then from Samuel where our line travels. Samuel married Elizabeth Wilson and they had six children, including George Wilson Kinkade, the father of William Porter Severs. Elizabeth Wilson was the daughter of George Wilson, who immigrated from Ulster, Northern Ireland, to America in the early 1700's. George was a military man and in close counsel with President George Washington.
William Porter Severs, married Elizabeth McPherson, and they had quite a large family. Their son George Fillmore Severs married Phebe Jane McAtee. They are my great-grandparents and I remember well, with what pride my grandmother Agnes Severs Isett always spoke of them. George became a much respected and beloved doctor in Iowa, and visited his many patients on horseback.
During the civil war, William Porter Severs, at the age of 46, and with a large group of like-minded men, all of whom had sons and/or grandsons fighting for the Union, petitioned Abraham Lincoln for the right to join the army. They were granted special permission and were called "The Grey Beards" and given the jobs of guarding prisons. You may press here to go to our Family Military Page.
Our first ancestor to America is through Elizabeth McPherson. Elizabeth's great-grandfather, Daniel McPherson, arrived in America by rather unfortunate means. From the book The Severs Clan
The Highlands of Scotland are frequently covered with dense mist, and it was on such a morning that Danny McPherson(b. 1682), age fourteen years old, was told by his father that it was his turn to tend the sheep. He was not too happy about this job, as the moorlands were lonely and the days were long. His home in the valley was built of stones from the hillsides and thatched with heather held down by stones. Danny dressed for the day and walked slowly down the valley where the sheep were grazing. The ewes looked up at his approach and the lambs bleated as if to welcome him. He looked northward toward the town of Inverness, but the fog was too dense for him to see Moray Firth or the Ness River. Macbeth's Castle, visible on a clear day, was hidden in the mist.
Danny was a typical Scotch boy with reddish-blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin with rosy cheeks, made more so by the crisp morning air. He had a weird, uneasy feeling as he heard a rustling in the shrubbery among the rocks. His job was to protect the sheep, and unusual sounds startled him. The sounds came nearer, and soon he heard low voices as two men approached out of the shadows of the rocks. His first thoughts were for the safety of his flock. He moved quietly among them, prepared to calm them if they became alarmed.
The men approached and spoke quietly, as if they too feared they might startle the flock. Danny asked what they wanted and why they were in the valley. They told him to quietly come with them; if he did, no harm would come to him. He contended that he did not wish to go, but when they persisted he asked to go to his home for permission from his father. It was then they constrained him and without further ado he was forced to follow his kidnappers.
He had heard stories of young men being kidnapped and forced to go to America where they were sold as indentured servants. It was 1696, and he had heard of the new land of America; he tried to show an interest in the ship and the passengers into who company he was so rudely thrust. After several weeks the ship arrived at New Castle, Delaware, where he was sold as an indentured servant. When his term of indenture was ended, he worked as a laborer until he earned money to buy a farm. On October 10, 1706, we find Daniel McPherson at Birmington in Pennsylvania. He purchased 300 acres of land in Kenneth Square, Chester County, Pennsylvania.
We can certainly be proud of the struggles our ancestors overcame, and be thankful for their fortitude and strength of character which eventually led to our own lives so rich with great blessings and good fortune.
For more information, or to offer corrections or your own stories, you may click on the links below.
You may contact me at: bonniekgorman@comcast.net.
My database can be viewed at www.rootsweb.com.