James McCarrell (b. 1728, d.
1813) came to Knox County TN in about 1798, where he purchased
150acres of land
along the Tennessee River (near where today the University of Tennessee lies)
and built a log cabin. He had traveled a long ways from his native Northern
Ireland and settling in the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania as a young man.
After the loss of his first wife in mid-life, he remarried to Margaret
McKibbens (b. 1758, d. 1819) whom was a daughter of one of his friends and
neighbors in Lurgan township. Together, they moved first to Fincastle-Virginia
where 11 childern were born to this couple. The family finally moved to
Knoxville-Tennessee, where descendants of James McCarrell have preserved his
cabin and bible, and whom have taken care of the family cemetery where James
and Margaret are laid to rest near the banks of the Tennessee River.  |
| McCarrell Cabin at bottom |
In Knoxville, the family would
finally make a permanent home. This information is but a short compilation of
the history of this family, and how it branched out across the entire Nation in
subsequent generations. The information is compiled from many sources from
original to internet ones. Please be aware to double check any information that
you are interested in, as this small effort is meant to serve as a guide only.
What I know about the legacy of
the McCarrell family comes through a sequence of Margarets that have blessed
the family with richness and kindness. From my great grandmother Margaret Viola
Graham-Blake (granddaughter of Margaret Ann McCarrell-Graham) whom was
diagnosed with incurable cancer in 1909 and given but a few months to live, she
had many young children and asked that everyone pray that she could live only
but to see her young 2 year old son graduate from high school. Her cancer went
dormant and she left this life 2 weeks after her youngest son graduated from
College in 1932. Her son, my uncle Edgar Blake, went on to establish Missouri
Baptist Children’s home, in honor of his mother. He stayed there the rest of
his life as its director, until his passing in 1995. I know from learning about
this McCarrell family that there have been many other Margarets whom have
passed great things on to the family members, one only has to see how many of
the grandchildren and great grandchildren of James McCarrell are named Margaret
McCarrell to appreciate this.
I am grateful to Margaret Ann McCarrell whom still lives at
McCarrell Drive in Knoxville and her brother the late Ray “Jack” McCarrell,
whom have so carefully preserved the family bible and information. The bible
turned out to be the only information linking our Margaret McCarrell and
William Graham back to the family – all other sources were lost. I am equally
grateful to my cousin Jaclyn Morgan whom has worked with me through the many
years to reconstruct our McCarrell-Graham family history. Let us all remember a
simpler time in American History, when our Nation was forming and the family
clans were the back bone of our Country. To James McCarrell and Margaret
McKibbens, and the legacy they created, we must be grateful. Let us all know
that we can always go home again to the Banks of the Tennessee River to
remember those simpler times.
Cousin Dwight
Newport,
Rhode Island
March 25,
2014
