Ralston Ancestry

Kenneth writes:

Here is a brief summary of what I know about the Eagleville Ralston background.

     After the English civil war, Cromwell confiscated land from Irish lords, (mostly in Northern Ireland) and gave it to English lords who had supported him in the rebellion. These English lords offered to rent this land at cheap rates to their tenant farmers.

     The Irish were notoriously bad farmers and much of the land had to be cleared, drained etc. before it would be productive. Naturally, most of those who were willing to relocate and undergo the hard work needed to farm the land in Northern Ireland were quite poor. These tenant farmers included some people with the name Rollestone.

     After a hundred years or so, (the land was now productive), the English landlords raised the rents to the point that their tenants had trouble making a living, so they began to leave.

     Some of them came with the Scots-Irish to this country. By now, the name had become Raulston or Ralston... maybe because there was a number of Ralston’s from Scotland in Northern Ireland at this time.

     Prior to the American War of Independence, a David Ralston, (ca. 1741-1831) settled in Pennsylvania. He had left two children in Ireland. He married and started another family. At some point he came to White's Creek in Davidson County Tennessee. He was paying taxes in Davidson County in 1784. He had a number of children including Alexander who was a cabinetmaker and had a mill on the Harpeth River in Williamson County, (later known as the Pettis Place).

     Alexander wrote to his half-brother (Robert) in Ireland and tried to get him to come to Tennessee.

     Robert's son, Andrew, (1793-1863) decided to immigrate. Andrew and wife (Loveagh Wauchop 1790-1848) sent their money ahead to a bank (in New York??) And left Ireland around 1814. The ship was in a violent storm and was blown back within sight of the Irish coast...They spent the money they had with them to buy food on the ship. When they arrived, they discovered that the bank had gone broke so they had no money to continue their journey to Tennessee.  

     Andrew lived in Pennsylvania for some time. His sons Robert and David were born there. They eventually came to Middle Tennessee... by boat, down the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers. Andrew rented a farm at Windrow until he bought land on Hwy 99 near Eagleville.  

     Alexander's wife died and he moved to West Tennessee (near Martin where he ran a store).

     Andrew's son, Robert (1821-1857) married Minerva Manire (1825-1888) and lived at what we called the Pinkerton Place near his father. Robert was killed while logging with oxen.

     His son, William (1847-1926) married Seth Nannie Hendrix (1852-1893) and farmed near Eagleville.

     Their son, Wayhat (1878-1966) married Mamie Turner (1898-1929) and farmed on Swamp Road near Eagleville.     These were John L. Ralston's parents.