Among the many descendants of Cornelius Arthur Alfred McFalls, a constant topic of conversation, and occasional controversy, is which children belong to which wife and/or which baby mama. Below is a brief overview of what some of his descendants (including my mom, Linda McFalls Kilby, and I) believe based on historical records, DNA and a bit of logic.
First, the basics of old Arthur, my fifth great-grandfather: he was born in 1751 in Bedford, VA, and was one of the first white settlers of what was formerly Burke County in western North Carolina. Like many men on the colonial frontier, he began serving in a militia as a young man; in his case with Captain William Inglis on the New River in Virginia. During most of his years of service, which I estimate to be from roughly 1773 to 1782, he served as an “Indian spy.” He served in the American Revolutionary War (on both sides!), was married multiple times (and sometimes not) and has lots of descendants. He died in 1839 and is buried in the Grassy Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Spruce Pine, NC.
Wife #1
Mary Jane Pittman. B. Abt. 1750, D. 1798
Marriage Date: Unknown. Estimated: 1777
Children:
Alfred Arthur: B. 1779
Daniel: B. 1784
James Durham: B. 1787
Sources: 1790 US Federal Census, Letter from Mary Jane Pittman’s Father, James Pittman to Arthur, Arthur’s Revolutionary War Pension Application, Brice McFalls Diary, DNA Testing
Baby Mama #1
Teekena or Teakena. Birth Unknown, Death Estimated 1814. Assumed to be Cherokee.
Children:
Edward Ned: B. Abt. 1801
Sources: DNA Testing, Letter from Mary Jane Pittman’s Father, James Pittman to Arthur, referencing Teakena
Baby Mama #2
Unknown Crawford Woman
Children:
Moses, B. Abt. 1801
Source: DNA Testing
Wife #2
Emsey Hollifield. B. Unknown, D. 1860
Marriage Date: May 12, 1814
Children:
Sarah Sally: B. Abt. 1795
Jane McFalls: B. 1800
James Madison McFalls: B. 1801
Cecilia McFalls: B. 1809
Dorothy McFalls: B. 1813
Suzannah McFalls: B. 1815
Isaac McFalls: B. 1818
Abraham Hiram McFalls: B. 1825
Jacob McFalls: B. 1826
Sources: State of North Carolina Marriage Bond, US Federal Census Records, US Revolutionary War Pensioners Records, DNA testing
Many of Arthur’s descendants contributed to the effort of putting this information together, and it has taken many years. As with any genealogical research, it remains a work in progress. For the record, the researchers have communicated with descendants of all of Arthur’s children. If you are a descendant of Cornelius Alfred Arthur McFalls, we invite you to join our McFalls Ancestry Project Facebook group. Please answer the questions in order to be accepted into the private group.
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