Above: The Massingberd-Mundy family monument in South Ormsby Church.
Below: the Massingberd Hyrne family tree
An incidental Genealogical List:
The following names are mentioned in the Hyrne letters:
If any of these are of interest, get in touch giving the name, and I will send the extract.
1705, Edward Byrche, Governor of New Providence.
1706, William Moore (landowner).
1706, Captain George Smith (landowner).
1710, Mr Holland, Chief Justice of Carolina.
1725, Mr Hammerton of Horncastle (a young man).
1725, Mr George Atchinson (landowner).
1740 Col. Palmer, an account of his death.
1744 Mrs Fushee and her 12 year old son.
1744 Mr George Abell (died possibly 1740) and his brother in Birmingham, Capt Thomas Abell.
1744 Jonah Collins (landowner)
1744 Stephen Beauchamp of George Town.
1744 Captain Frankland, his wife and son Henry.
1744 Mr Rhetts, and Sally Rhetts (‘that was’).
1744 Agricola, alias Charles Pinkney, Esq.
1745 William (Billy) Bellinger, aged 12 years old (youngest brother of Henry Hyrne’s first wife).
Of the many slaves the Hyrnes owned (as many as 25 on Tugudoo in 1725) sadly few are named in the letters. The only two mentioned by name are:
1740 A ‘Negro girl called Mary’, probably a teenager at the time.
1740 A ‘Negro woman named Maria’.
© Pauline M Loven, B.A., 2010
May be reproduced for academic purposes. Please acknowledge source. If you have any information relevant to this, please leave a message below:
Hi,
I am a descendant of this family thru Henry Hyrne. I am interested in the Mrs Webb, who is a neighbor. I also have Webb’s at this same time in my family tree. Any help would be appreciatted. Thanks.
Terry Etheridge-Wilson
Terry, my name is Gloria Johnston Ward. My grandfather was Dudley Etheridge. My mother is Gladys Etheridge Johnston, Dudley Etheridge’s daughter. I am very interested in the Etheridge family tree. You can e-mail me at gloriadec1@aol.com. Thank you. I am also on facebook.
Hi Gloria, I would be interested in finding more out about your side of the family. I am also on FB. Look for Terry Wilson. Look forward to hearing from you.
Mrs Webb is mentioned in a letter from Burrell Hyrne written on December 21st 1742 from his plantation Tugudoo. This is part of an account of the illnesses of six year old Nancy and two year old Neddy, two of Burrell’s brother Henry’s (Harry) children, at their plantation of Ashepoo. Mrs Webb, a neighbour at Ashepoo, was at Nancy’s sickbed.
December 21st 1742
Of Nancy Burrell writes:
‘I used to think she was a cross girl, I don’t know if she was or not, but on most accounts she answered far beyond expectation. She was well made and of good complexion, and had the most handsome hand and arm I think I ever see, & very cleanly & handy in everything she did, she was a lively and sensible child, & came on soe well with her book that I am certain in three years time she would have read better than Harry at that time… in short she was admired by all that knew her, and my brother was very fond of her’.
Burrell then goes on to describe the events:
‘The most affecting scene that I was ever at was when she was near expiring, & I hope I shall never see another , about half an hour before, for she continued sensible, she desired to be moved to a bed she used to sleep in, which was warmed and she put in it , soon after my brother at the head of the bed close by her, my sister on the other side towards the foot, myself at the foot, Mrs Webb a neighbour at the head, the same side as my sister, and a young white woman who lived in the house at the same side with my brother. Fata says she my hands are dead, dead with heat, they burn, on which my brother seeing that she was near her end began to fondle and make much of her,& my sister fell into tears, don’t cry Mama says she, goe away Mamma’s don’t cry, on which my sister went downstairs, Fata says she my foots are dead, on which second warning, he began to shed tears and fondle her as before, goe away Fata says she, at which he left the room, soon after Mrs Webb told me she believed she would not die till about three in the morning, I went away, as soon as I was gone she [Nancy] says to that young woman (who had her hands upon her legs to keep them warm)take away your great heavy hands and to Mrs Webb my sides hurt more, lift my head upon the pillow, and turned herself about on both her hands, Mrs Webb put the pillows in her lap &took her in her hands and laid her head upon the pillow after which she gave only two small groans and expired.’
‘On the 26th of October between seven and eight she died, being six years and two days old, to the irreparable loss of her parents’.
This poignant scene brought tears to my eyes when I read it in the archive office. Sadly, little Neddy lived less than three weeks more and died on his second birthday.
Do you know anything more about Mrs Webb who so tenderly cared for Nancy? Also, from which of Henry’s surviving children do you decend?
I descend from Col. Henry Hyrne who married Susannah Bellinger. I descend from their son Henry Hyrne Jr. who married Mary Ann Girardeau. I was interested in the Mrs Webb, because Henry Jr’s son Henry Hyrne married Ann Pinkney Webb who’s father was Dr William Webb who was married to Deborah Jones. Do you have any information on any of these people?
The above extract is a letter from Burrell about his brother Henry, sister (sister-in-law) Susannah and the death of their daughter Nancy.
Many of the letters are from Henry himself and include much about their lives and families. I must find the time to do an update on them.
PS As I have another 32 years of letter writting to cover there is much more to convey – all of the letters are transcribed, but by hand. I need to type up and publish edited highlights. I shall try to set aside some time…
Good luck to you. I look forword to reading them in the future.
I am descended from Mary Hyrne Smith, daughter of second Landgrave Thomas Smith and Mary Hyrne. She was born in 1717 and married James Screven, born 1706, who was the son of Samuel Screven and grandson of the Rev. William Screven. William Screven was born in Somerseshire, England. He later left England because of his Anabaptist views. He married Bridget Cutt(s) in Kittery, Maine, 3 July, 1674. They and some followers sailed to Charleston, South Carolina, where The Rev. Screven was one of the founders of the Southern Baptist Church. Much of this information is found on the gravestone inscription located at May River Plantations near Bluffton, SC, in DAR records, and in a book by Leah Townsend, South Carolina Baptists, published by Genealogical Pub. Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1974. May River Plantations is now known as Palmetto Bluff, and the tomb is in a fenced area near the swimming pool.