Bedsole - NCGenWeb

Keep in mind that, for years and years, almost all the Bedsoles, to our knowledge back then, were in the
Bladen County, NC area. Also, remember that I claim Abraham was the first Bedsole here, arriving at Bath
County, NC alone, on Sept. 11,1700 and arriving again with his family on May 1, 1701. With that in mind, I
set out to see if there was any way any type of physical connection somehow existed between Bath and
Bladen, Sampson, Duplin, Dobbs, and Johnston Counties. Well, it occurred like this, in the sequence listed;
1696 Bath County was an original county created from the expanse of land, which was NC. In 1712 Craven
County was created from Archdale Precinct of Bath County. In 1729 New Hanover County, was created from
a part of Craven County. In 1734. Bladen County was created from a part of New Hanover County. So, in
effect, Bladen could have actually been part of Bath County !!. So there is the connection. And that, helps a
lot to show that all the Bedsoles in Bladen County, were descendants of that Abraham, b.1673 in Germany.
Now, don't say I never told told you anything. Just one more piece of the puzzle, solved.
IN 1830 SOME BEDSOLES MOVED FROM NC TO ALABAMA, TENNESSEE AND GEORGIA.
Thomas Jr., son of Thomas Bedsole, Sr. and Rebecca Jones, moved from North Carolina to Montgomery
and Lowndes County, Ala. in 1830.. Apparently, these moves resulted from the death of Thomas Sr. about
1830, which broke up the NC family. Those moving included; Thomas Sr's son, Travis Bedsole and his whole
family from Beaverdam, NC to Haywood County, Tennessee. William Henry Bedsole,( III) ’s (Son of Thomas,
Sr.) son Amos moved his whole family from North Carolina to Warren County, Georgia, while Thomas
Bedsole, Jr., and wife Charlotte Ann (English) , with all their children, spouses and grandchildren, together
with the William Davis family, Thomas Wise family and the Thomas English family moved from Bladen
County, North Carolina initially to Crenshaw and Lowndes Counties in Alabama, with Thomas Jr. and wife.
Thomas Jr. and Charlotte and familyand \William Davis and wife, at some point, moving to Coffee County,
Ino, Alabama, east of Opp, Alabama, and at a later date, moving to Butler County, Ala., Where Thomas Jr.
died in 1865 or so. This move was lock, stock and barrel for all concerned and was made by mule-drawn
wagons. Possibly as many as one hundred people and ten to twelve wagons were involved. When they
arrived in Alabama, they apparently acquired government land there, in the form of “patents”. Henry, a son of
Thomas Jr. and Charlotte, appears to have wasted no time in acquiring such land and it appears that he and
his brother Sessoms, had made earlier, initial “Scouting” trips to Alabama and back to NC the year prior to
this larger movement of people. This was probably done to determine the type of land available, cost,
location, housing and locations of any towns and army forts, indian problems and best routes, before moving
the families and so many people at one time.
As seen below, Henry acquired many tracts of land in several counties in Alabama, Louisiana and Florida,
while the other Bedsoles initially settled primarily in Alabama, (unless otherwise noted below) on acquired
land as follows. These land acquisitions were probably NOT the only ones made and others were probably
purchased and acquired by deed, but these are the only ones available on the Alabama Land Patent internet
site at this time, shown along with their respective counties: If any others were purchased, swapped, or
traded, they would have been listed as Deeds, not Patents, and would not be listed below.
Name County Year
David Bedsole Baldwin (Mobile)......................................1895 Thomas Jr's son
Duncan Bedsole New Orleans, Louisiana...................... 1902
PAGE THIRTY FOUR
Edward Bedsole Walton ( Mossy Head), Florida.......... ..1859 270 Acres.
Edward Bedsole Coffee (Opp)...................... ..................1891
Edward O. Bedsole Clarke (Grove Hill)......... .................1891 Edward's son.