Gentleman John Perkins
By WW Scott
INTRODUCTORY
These compilations do not assume the gfuise and dignity of history or biography, but are submitted as material that may be used by the exact historian after verification.
Born in 1733 and dying in 1804, John Perkins has been succeeded, during the 115 years following his death, by six generations of descendants, the progeny of five sons and two daughters, whose families in each generation have been prolific beyond the average. The principal "habitat" of the members of this family who have remained in North Carolina is comprised within the boundaries of the counties of Burke, Caldwell, Buncombe, Iredell, Catawba, Wilkes and McDowell, although they are to be found in nearly every county in the State. From time to time many of them have moved to other States, and they have been traced to every State in the Union except the New England States, and some of them may be there. It is probable that they could be found in considerable numbers as citizens of foreign countries, although Brazil is the only foreign country to which any of them has been traced as citizens. Thus scattered there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of them living in the United States and in other countries, and yet the date and place of birth of John Perkins was known to few, if any of these descendants before 1907, when it was first published. In one branch of the family the story was handed down, inaccurate as traditional statements are apt to be, that he was born in England, the son of a wealthy family, on intimate terms with the Earl of Granville, and that he was sent, as a youth, to North Carolina under the tutelage of a guardian who helped him to establish himself upon a valuable grant of lands made to him by the Earl of Granville.
Not until 1890 did this mist of ignorance begin to lift from the present writer, who in that year, chanced to run across Judge McCorkle's account (published in the Newton Enterprise in 1883) of the marriage of Col. Ephraim Perkins and Betsy Abernethy, and republished in the Lenoir Topic. It was delightful reading and was the inspiration for research for the collection of records, publications, family histories and traditions, kept up rom that day to this, that has resulted in the following compilations, which are submitted for what they ax-e worth. Judge McCorkle's contribution, aside from the interesting and charming story that it carries, is of historical alue and will add to the interest of these pages. It has therefore been incorporated in the account which follows, certain inaccuracies which it contains being pointed out...------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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