The very successful 1999
Addington Family Reunion was held on July 30 and 31 in
Franklin, North Carolina.
Veda Lindsey, Caroline Kimsey, June Ponder and Jane Edwards
served as reunion coordinators and did a wonderful job in making
arrangements. The reunion started on Friday night with a family
reception at Memorial Hall of the First United Methodist Church
in downtown Franklin on Harrison Avenue.
Our ancestor William Addington, a Revolutionary soldier, is
buried in the cemetery behind the First United Methodist Church.
Family members strolled out to view his grave and the plaque
planted there in 1986 to commemorate his service in the war.
Saturday’s formal activities were held at the Macon
County Community Center on Highway 441 South. Registration began
at 8:30 AM with the formal program beginning shortly after 9 AM.
A total of 51 family members and guests were in attendance.
Thanks to June Ponder for handling the registration and
membership renewals.
Jane Edwards introduced our primary speaker, Barbara McRae, who
is a very active member in the Macon County Historical Society.
Barbara presented a delightful talk on the early history of Macon
County and the pioneer lifestyle. Land and how to get hold of it
dominated much of the early pioneer focus. Barbara talked
extensively about one of our ancestors, Henry Addington, a son of
William Addington. Henry moved to Macon County in 1820 and
acquired land about 4 miles south of the town of Franklin where
he built his farm. Henry was quite successful and eventually
acquired over 1,000 acres in Macon County plus many more acres of
forests.
Barbara told the story of the Addington Mill. The Addington Mill
was a water powered grist mile built in 1861 by James Brownlow
Addington, a son of Henry Addington. The mill, which ground corn,
wheat, and rye, was operated by the Addington Family for 96
years. The mill was dismantled in the 1971 and reconstructed on
the Frontier Trail at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky,
Ohio, where it can be seen to this day. Below is a photo of the
mill as it stood on Skeenah Creek in 1961.
Barbara ended her talk with an invitation to visit the Macon
County Historical Society Museum in Franklin. The museum was
opened from 2-4 PM exclusively for our reunion. Thank you Barbara
for spending your time with us.
After a short break, David Addington presented his progress on
searching for the ancestors of our Henry Addington who first
appears in Bucks County, Pennsylvania records in 1735. Starting
from the assumption that the John Addington who appears in Bucks
County records from 1693 to 1722 is the father of Henry, the
International Genealogical Index (IGI) for the British Isles was
searched for references to any John Addington who was born by
1675 or earlier.
Four possibilities were uncovered:
John Addington Christening 28 Dec 1668 Fringford Oxford England
s/o Henry Addington
John Addington Christening 29 Mar 1668 Stepney Saint Dunstan
London England s/o John Addington and Mary
John Addington Christening 19 Nov 1671 Stepney Saint Dunstan
London England s/o Laurence Addington and Mary
John Addington Christening 10 Jun 1666 Maxey Northampton England
s/o John Addington
There is also the possibility that our John Addington is not in
the IGI due to lost records or the records not being transcribed.
The most interesting possibility is the John Addington from
Fringford in Oxfordshire because his father's name is Henry. This
John Addington is a great great uncle of the Henry Addington who
became Prime Minister of England in 1801-1804 and later was
honored as First Viscount Sidmouth. Future research may clarify
some of these possibilities.
After more socializing, a delicious lunch was served by City
Restaurant.
No formal afternoon activities were scheduled. Many family
members went to visit Macon County sites associated with the
Addington family.
The Macon County Historical Museum was
open special hours for our reunion with many members stopping by.
The museum contains four volumes of family records that went into
the 1989 book by Naomi Addington Patterson and Mary Jane Edwards.
Some family members visited the Mt.
Zion Cemetery, Cartoogechaye Churchyard, about 5 miles southwest
of Franklin on US 64 where several ancestors including Moses
Addington (1793-1858) and his wife are buried.
The old Addington homestead was
originally built in 1822 by Henry Addington. It has been updated
over the years and was recently opened as a bed and breakfast.
The house is beautiful inside and out. The owners, Jerry and Pat
Robinet, were most gracious to several groups of family members.
They gave freely of their knowledge and insight into the history
of the house and the Addington family. Inside the house, one can
see one of the original walls to the cabin built in 1822. The
Addington Mill was built directly across from this house on
Skeenah Creek.
You can get to the Addington Mill Bed and Breakfast by taking
highway 23/441 about 4 miles south of Franklin, then taking
Addington Bridge Road west about 1.5 miles. The address for the
Addington Mill Bed and Breakfast is 935 Addington Bridge Road,
Franklin, NC. Phone number is 828-369-5472
From the Addington Mill Bed and
Breakfast, the Addington Cemetery is about 400 yards northeast
along Addington Bridge Road and then about 200 yards south off a
dirt road. Buried there are Henry Addington, grandson of Henry
and Sarah Addington (1789-1878) and his wife Mary Weaver
(1795-1859), James Brownlow Addington (1831-1914) and several of
their descendants.