Joshua Clyburn

Joshua Clyburn was born around 1758. While we know of Joshua’s distant origins, his parentage remains largely speculative. However, several theories have been proposed. Historian Angela Clyburn hypothesizes that Joshua descended from a John Clyburn of Henrico and Brunswick Counties, Virginia, and later Bladen County, North Carolina.¹ This John Clyburn, born around 1712, married Jean Clarke, the daughter of his neighbor Robert Clarke, in Brunswick County around 1732. John served as a private in the militia during The French and Indian War in Colonial Granville County, North Carolina, and died on 7 March 1785 in Bladen County, North Carolina.

Angela posits that Joshua Clyburn was the son of John and Jean, primarily because they lived in the same vicinity and their birth and marriage dates align. John’s father, also named John, had a step-father named Joshua Stapp, who may have been Joshua’s namesake.² DNA evidence from a study conducted in collaboration with the National Society of the Claiborne Family Descendants confirms that Joshua’s descendants are genetically closely linked to Cliburns/Clyburns from Henrico County, lending further credibility to Angela’s theory.

It’s crucial to differentiate the John Clyburn mentioned above from a John Cliborn of Dale Parish, Chesterfield County, Virginia, also born around 1712 (often referred to as “John of Dale Parish”), who is believed to have over a million descendants.³ Various sources list John of Dale Parish as having seven children, none of whom were named Joshua.⁴ However, DNA evidence confirms that both John Clyburn and John of Dale Parish were closely related and shared a common ancestor.

In her later years, historian Harriette Threlkeld suggested that Joshua originated from Ireland, primarily because family tradition, particularly in the Arkansas branch, held the same belief.⁵ Harriette found a 1796 Petition of Naturalization from Ireland for a ‘Joshua Clibborn’ (the naturalization papers are on file with the Philadelphia Department of Records). For unclear reasons, she suspected they were the same person. However, since Joshua resided in North Carolina from 1778 to about 1799, it’s unlikely he would have been naturalized in Philadelphia in 1796. Even if Joshua descended from John Clyburn, it’s possible that his ancestors lived in Ireland for a period.

Assuming Joshua was at least twenty when he received his first land grant in North Carolina, he would have been born in 1758. As Joshua does not appear in the 1800 census, we believe he died shortly before then. If he was born in 1738 and died around 1799, he would have been sixty-one. His wife’s name was Sarah, but her parentage, birth time, and birthplace remain unknown. Evidence from a deed discussed later indicates she was still in Robeson County as late as 1835.

The American Revolution

Joshua Clyburn’s lifespan overlapped with the American Revolution. Although he reached military age during this tumultuous era, no records indicating his service in the conflict have surfaced. As delineated in the following section concerning Joshua’s siblings, a potential brother, Ephraim, might have espoused British loyalist convictions. If accurate, Joshua could have echoed these sentiments.

It’s estimated that loyalists constituted between fifteen and twenty percent of the colonists, while approximately forty to forty-five percent supported the patriots’ cause. The remainder typically evaded involvement.⁶ Loyalist sympathies surged predominantly in the middle colonies, like the Carolinas. Older residents and recent immigrants, particularly Scots, often aligned with the loyalist cause, although these affiliations spanned all demographic divides.⁷

For loyalists who chose to remain in the United States during and after the war, harsh repercussions frequently ensued, including death, imprisonment, asset confiscation, and even tarring and feathering. With revolutionaries wielding control over state governments in the South, suppression exerted considerable pressure.⁸ The destruction of loyalists’ homes and records was commonplace, prompting roughly 46,000 loyalists, including Ephraim and his family, to find asylum in Canada — 34,000 of these settled in Nova Scotia.

Despite this mass exodus, the majority of loyalists chose to stay in the States after the war. If Joshua had loyalist inclinations, it’s plausible he would have followed his brother’s path to Canada. Yet, upon the war’s conclusion, Joshua elected to remain, even expanding his land ownership.

In the absence of definitive evidence, Joshua’s potential involvement in the American Revolution remains speculative. Despite at least one sibling siding with the British before fleeing to Canada, Joshua stayed and thrived in the burgeoning nation. Thus, his true revolutionary sentiments continue to be shrouded in mystery.

1790 Census

Joshua was listed in the first census of the United States in 1790, in Robeson County, North Carolina under the following entry:

Joshua Clyburn

1 fee white male 16 years of age and upwards, including head of family ⁹

2 free white males under ¹⁰

4 free white females, including heads of families ¹¹

No slaves were listed. In North Carolina, as in Virginia, there were social distinctions. “Planter” on deeds meant one of the gentry, usually with large land holdings and slaves. “Laborer,” “Saddler,” or “Blacksmith” appearing on deeds meant the person was not one of the gentry.¹² Neither Joshua nor Ephraim was designated a planter in any deeds found. Joshua received 500 acres in three grants and bought 200 acres adjoining some of their land for their son Ephraim. Yet there were no slaves to work it, so he was probably a stock raiser as most of the “farmers” of Robeson County were. Famed North Carolina historians Lefler and Newsom wrote:

“The North Carolina farmer was a self-sufficient and versatile jack-of-all trades. He was a combination farmer, engineer, hunter and trapper, carpenter, mechanic, and businessman. The small farmer seldom owned more than two to three hundred acres of land. Most of them held no bond servants or slaves, though a few possessed a small number. Connor has described these small farmers as a ‘strong, fearless, independent race, simple in taste, crude in manners, provicial in outlook, democratic in social relations, tenacious of their personal liberties, and when interested in religion at all, earnest, narrow, and dogmatic.'” ¹³

The same authors note that the times were very hard. In 1780 inflation had depreciated money by 800%. Most farmers raised live stock and had to drive them to distant markets, fifty to two hundred miles away, making little profit. Paying taxes was a constant struggle as well, and land deeds indicate that Joshua was not immune from such hardship.¹⁴

Land Transactions

Land transactions offer a detailed record of a person’s activities throughout much of history, and the same applies to Joshua’s lifetime. His first land record dates back to 17 July 1778, when Archibald McClain detailed a 100-acre plot on “First Swamp,” including “Joshua Cliburn’s” improvements.¹⁵ Harriette Threlkeld discovered copies of land grants and surveys for Joshua in Bladen (later Robeson) County, revealing Joshua’s ownership of three land tracts totaling 500 acres.¹⁶ Using field descriptions and a map, Harriette pinpointed the general location near the town of Rowland, North Carolina, and close to the South Carolina border, nestled between the Shoesheel Swamp and the Ashpole Swamp.

An “Index to Real Estate Conveyances in Robeson County” led Harriette to the county’s deed book pages involving Clibourns, spelling inconsistencies notwithstanding. One deed revealed that James Rowland sold Joshua 200 acres near Ashpole Swamp for “twenty pounds specie,” still operating with English currency.¹⁷ Interestingly, the land deed was in the name of ‘Ephrain Cliborn.’ Beginning at a post oak on Joshua Clibourn’s corner, the deed conveys land “to Ephraim Cliborn, son of Joshua and Sarah Clibourn.”¹⁸ Dated 1794, Ephraim would have been just six years old, and the reason for Joshua purchasing land on his behalf at such a young age remains unclear.

The 1794 deed, signed by James Rowland and witnessed by William (X) Clibourn and Charles Ingram, doesn’t clarify William’s relationship, though he was likely a brother, as discussed later. James Rowland, a prominent landowner in the area, likely lent his or his family’s name to Rowland, North Carolina.¹⁹

Joshua’s absence from the 1800 census suggests he likely passed away just before this year. His death led to a struggle within the family to cover taxes. A deed dated 18 November 1802 indicates “Joshua Clibourn Heirs,” represented by the county sheriff, sold 339 acres of Joshua’s land for taxes to Matthew James.²⁰ This sale, advertised in at least three issues of the Raleigh Register, implies a wider economic hardship in the area.²¹ The land ultimately sold for only two pounds, sixteen shillings, and ten pence (approximately two and a half English pounds). Twenty-five acres of the plot were not sold, as taxes were paid on them; this land might have been the family’s homestead.

The final parcel of Joshua’s land was sold by Ephraim in 1811. “Ephraim Clibourn” of Knox County, Tennessee, sold the land deeded to him in 1794 to Matthew Jones for 50 pounds — the same individual who purchased Joshua’s land in 1802 to aid in tax payment.²² This transaction occurred two years after Ephraim’s 1809 marriage in Knox County, indicating that Ephraim had already relocated from North Carolina.

Joshua’s cause of death remains speculative. His departure from this world retains the same aura of mystery as his arrival.

Siblings

There is evidence to suggest that Joshua had at least two brothers, and possibly even three:

William: Since William, John, James and Thomas were popular names in the family, it is very difficult to discern which are connected. Nevertheless, William (X) Claybourn was a witness to a deed for Joshua, suggesting some sort of link as possibly a brother or son.²³ DNA evidence closely links the descendants of this William to the descendants of Joshua and his son Ephraim, further suggesting a link. A William Clyburn appears on the 1790 census of Robeson County, apparently in the same part of the county as Joshua.²⁴ This William is listed as having two males over sixteen, counting the head of the family, and two males under sixteen, along with what may be six females. Therefore, with a family that large, it seems more likely that this William would be a brother to Joshua. According to historian Angela Clyburn, once married to one of his descendants, he is believed to have been born in about 1747. Angela also believed that William and Martha had ten children together: William Clyburn Jr., Lewis Sr., Nancy, Charity, Mildred, Sarah, Martha, Stephen, James Sr., and Jesse. Like Joshua, William left a trail of land transactions. The first recorded transaction occurred in 1768 when he paid taxes on land in Bladen County, North Carolina.²⁵ On 10 January 1793, Alexander McDaniel of Georgetown District, South Carolina, sold to William Clibourn, Saddler, “66 acres beginning on the west side of Indian Swamp at a Post Oak on Edward Flowers line near the mouth of the swamp” for 50 pounds.²⁶ On 21 June 1793, Cornelius Wingate sold William Cliburn 100 acres lying on the south side of Drowning Creek (Lumber River) in the fork between Ashpole and Indian Swamp, “fully described in the Patent dated October, 25 1788.”²⁷ Another deed dated 15 July 1793 documents a transaction between William and Charles Ingram,²⁸ and another dated 6 January 1795 describes a sale by William to Noah Pitman.²⁹
Ephraim: An Ephraim Clyburn lived from about 1746 to 1823 and in the DNA studies previously discussed, his descendants are closely linked to those of William and Joshua. This Ephraim married a woman named Sophia and is believed to have been a British Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War. Historian Peggy O’Neal-Thurston, a descendant of Ephraim, has spent much of her life researching Epharim’s line. With Peggy’s help Angela Clyburn found a history of the King’s Carolina Rangers where this Ephraim is documented as having been recruited and enlisted with the British forces in the area of Cape Fear, North Carolina (not far from where the Clyburn family is known to have lived). Following the war many British loyalists fled to Canada and this Ephraim appears to have been one of them. He was granted 200 acres of land in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1784.³⁰ He and Sophia are believed to have had the following children: John, William, Ann Violet Jane, Mary, Esther Hattie, Sarah, Ephraim Simon, Joshua, and Joselina. All but John were born in Canada. A deed dated 26 September 1823 is the last known record for Ephraim in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. He likely died soon thereafter. Click here for a brief description of Ephraim by Angela Clyburn.
James: Peggy O’Neal-Thurston believed an additional brother, James, belongs in this clan.³¹ Her tireless research uncovered that a James Clyburn fought in the same ranks as Ephraim, was garrisoned in the same place of St. Augustine, Florida, and then made the long ship ride to Canada arriving on Christmas Day in 1784 in Country Harbour, Nova Scotia. Peggy indicated that his name is listed on the muster lists of Country Harbour, Nova Scotia for 1784 and 1785, and on one list he appeared with a wife and child/children. In 1784 he is listed but in 1785 at the final muster list he does not sign for his land. Nearly 900 people perished that first winter in Nova Scotia due to lack of food, weather, and poor supplies. James may have been among those who perished. All who died that winter were buried on Mt. Misery, across the harbour from Country Harbour. In her correspondence Peggy noted that Ephraim and Sophia were attributed with having an abnormally large number of children; it is possible that, following the death of James, they raised his remaining children.

Descendants

Although we are certain Ephraim is the son of Joshua and Sarah, other offspring are not so clear. Some research suggests that Joshua and Sarah had as many as five children. Here are sketches on what we know and/or suspect were their children:

James
Sarah (“Sally”) Claybourn Brown (click name for seperate biographical sketch) was born in about 1785 and died in 1853 at the age of 73.³²
Rhoda and Elias Atkerson’s tombstones at Blackjack Cemetery near Franklin, Kentucky
Rhoda (or “Roda”) Clyburn was born on 8 March 1785 in Bladen, North Carolina.³³ On 23 November 1801 she married Rev. Elias Atkerson, a Methodist minister who was born on 15 December 1781 in Bedford, Virginia. Their wedding occurred in Amelia, Virginia, but eventually the couple moved to Simpson County, Kentucky. Rhoda died on 15 July 1854 and is buried at Blackjack Cemetery near Franklin, Kentucky. Elias followed in death on 5 September 1855 and is buried near Rhoda.³⁴ Rhoda and Elias had at least eight children together, including five sons. Four of those sons fought in the Civil War (two for the Union and two for the Confederacy). None of the four returned after the Civil War to Tennessee or Kentucky. The fifth son, George (born in 1818), moved to live with his father in Simpson County, Kentucky.
Mary “Polly” Clyburn is alleged to have been born in 1787 in Robeson County, North Carolina, and died on 16 May 1876 in Franklin, Virginia.
Ephraim Claybourn (click name for seperate biographical sketch) was born on 7 December 1788 in North Carolina and died on 11 May 1850.

Footnotes

1
Angela Clyburn, Cliburne: The Story of an American Pioneer Family (Clyburn, 2006).
2
Joshua Stapp’s will, which was made on 23 December 1689 and proved on 1 April 1695, indicates that Joshua Stapp’s son-in-law (at that time “son-in-law” had the meaning that we now call stepson), John Clyburn, was born in about 1677.
3
Lolita Hannah Bissell, Cliborn-Claiborne Records (Nashville: Bissell, 1986). See also The Descendants of James Monroe Sills, James Cliburn & Allied Pitman Family by Isom L. Stephens (1972), wherein the author estimates that John of Dale Parish has upward of a million descendants living in the United States in 1972.
4
Sue Cliborn Forbes, “John Cliburn of Old Henrico Co.,” The Claiborne Society Newsletter.
5
See the entry for John B. Claiborne.
6
Robert M. Calhoon, A Companion to the American Revolution (Blackwell Publishers, 2000), 235.
7
Robert Middlekauff, The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 (Oxford University Press, 1985), 550.
8
Calhoon, A Companion to the American Revolution, 235.
9
This is a reference to Joshua himself.
10
One of these males was Ephraim, who was born in 1788.
11
One was his wife Sarah and another was their daughter Sarah (Sally).
12
Verner M. Claybourn and Harriette Pinnell Threlkeld, The Claybourn Family (A-1 Business Service, 1959).
13
Hugh T. Lefler and Albert Ray Newsome, North Carolina: The History of a Southern State (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1954).
14
See the section concerning land transactions, where certain transactions indicate land had to be sold to pay taxes.
15
A.B. Pruitt, “Abstracts of Land Entries, Bladen County, North Carolina.”
16
Claybourn, The Claybourn Family, citing the Department of Archives and History of North Carolina in Raleigh.
17
Robeson County, North Carolina Deeds, Book E, 25 February 1794, 17.
18
Ibid.
19
James Rowland received a grant of 2100 acres at ten pounds per acre east of Ashpole Swamp in 1790. See Robeson County, North Carolina Deeds, Book A-C, 1786-90. This land adjoined 200 acres he already had and was next to Joshua’s.
20
Robeson County, North Carolina Deeds, Book N, 18 November 1802, 3.
21
Here is the text of two such notices, the first from Vol. 2 of The Raleigh Register, 25 August 1801, 97: “Notice of a sheriff’s sale at the Courthouse in Lumberton for a long list of property to be sold for non-payment of taxes on Wednesday, August 10, 1801. For taxes due for the year 1800, they not being sent in for that year: Among them: 150 acres near Ashpole Swamp, the property of the heirs of Joshua Clibourn.” Another notice from The Raleigh Register, 20 July 1802: “Notice of a sheriff’s sale on Saturday 21 day of August next at the Courthouse in Lumberton, the following tracts of lands so much as will pay the taxes and charges for the year 1801. Among them: 27 acres on the south side of Ashpole Swamp near or adjoining Thomas Townsend’s land, supposed to be the property of heirs of Joshua Clibourn; 100 acres near or adjoining the above, the property of the above heirs.”
22
Robeson County, North Carolina Deeds, Book P, 23 January 1811, 338.
23
Robeson County, North Carolina Deeds, Book E, 25 February 1794, 17.
24
1790 United States Census, Robeson County, North Carolina, accessed through Ancestry.com.
25
Angela Clyburn, Vol. 24 of Clyburn Family News, 8 October 2006.
26
Robeson County, North Carolina Deeds, Book C, 10 January 1793, 295. [Deed witnessed by Joshua Barefield and Jesse Jernigan.]
27
Robeson County, North Carolina Deeds, Book C, 21 June 1793, 297. [Deed witnessed by John Rowland and George Smith.]
28
Robeson County, North Carolina Deeds, Book D, 15 July 1793, 82. [It read “William Clibourn of Robeson” sold to Charles Ingram, for 120 pounds, 100 acres on the form of Ashpole and Indian Swamp (part of what was granted to Joshua Lamb by Patent, 1758) and 33 acres of a tract adjoining the land granted to Alexander McDaniel on the end that lies next to Ashpole divided by a branch and “Agreed as containing 33 acres more or less.” It was signed William (X) Claibourn (note this spelling is different even within the same document). Witnesses were Frances L. Hayes, Ebinezer Ellis and Moab Stevens.]
29
Robeson County, North Carolina Deeds, Book D, 6 January 1795, 139. William Clibourn sold to Noah Pitman, for 100 pounds, a piece of land and plantation of unkown acreage on the west side of Indian Swamp and east of another point (writing indecipherable). The witnesses were Theopholis Griffin and Hardy Pitman. It was signed William (X) Clybourn.
30
A land record is recorded on 4 June 1784 for EPHRAIM CLYBURN and Family for 200 acres at Country Harbor. They landed in Stormont with the North Carolina and South Carolina Regiments, reportedly on Christmas Day. Many of them died that first winter. They are buried at Mount Misery Cemetery.
31
All research concerning James (the alleged brother of Joshua, Ephraim, and William) reported here is the product of Peggy O’Neal-Thurston.
32
1850 United States Census, District 10, Jefferson County, Illinois, accessed through Ancestry.com.
33
Kentucky Birth, Marriage and Death Records – Microfilm (1852-1910), Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky, Microfilm rolls #994027-994058.
34
Some information on Elias and Rhoda is derived from their headstones, as well as contributions by their descendants.

Ancestry

Ancient Origins

(1758 - 1799)

Child

Ephraim Claybourn

(1788 - 1850)

Child

Sarah “Sally” Claybourn

(1795 - 1853)