THE BIGHAM FAMILIES OF STEELE CREEK

There are numerous documents and references from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina to prove that there were at least five different families of Bighams in Mecklenburg County prior to the Revolutionary War. At least two families migrated directly from Ireland to Mecklenburg County via South Carolina ports. While the early historians of Mecklenburg - Alexander, Thompkins, and Stickley rarely mention the Bigham families, tombstones carved by and attributed to several different Bighams leave lasting evidence of their contribution and commerce from Pennsylvania to South Carolina.

The earliest settlements of Mecklenburg County centered around seven Presbyterian churches. Steele Creek Presbyterian was among the earliest and is generally believed to have been organized about 1760. Steele Creek Presbyterian Church and its cemetery served as a focal point for all the settlers of western Mecklenburg County. Most of the early settlers obtained land grants described by their locations along rivers, streams, and creeks. Steele Creek flows in a southerly direction west of Steele Creek Church and was probably named for Robert Steele who operated in the area as an indian trader as early as 1751. The Steele Creek section of Mecklenburg County was generally bordered on the west by the Catawba River, on the east by the present Nations Ford Road, on the south by the Catawba Indian Nation, and the north by the road leading to Beattie's Ford. The earliest Bighams are recorded on land documents about the time Steele Creek Church was organized.

SAMUEL BIGHAM  is one of the earliest Bigham names found in Mecklenburg County records and one of the most confusing to research. The Mecklenburg deeds show four deeds for Samuel Bigham and wife, Mary, between 1762 and 1765. A listing of the Sprott Family Cemetery by Mrs. Robert McDowell for the DAR indicates that a Mary Bingham died in 1772 at age 55. The same list shows a Samuel Bingham, Jr. who died in 1774 at age 33 whom I believe was the son of Samuel and Mary. While there is no documentation on the parent - son relationship, it is my belief that the DAR records of the Sprott cemetery probably establish the relationship.

WILLIAM BIGHAM (SR.) is clearly the ancestor of the group who moved from Mecklenburg County to Linclon County NC and later to TN. The son William Jr. was the one who married Sara Braly (of the Rowan Co. Bralys) and stated in his Rev. War pension application that he was born in PA ca 1756 and moved with his father to Mecklenburg Co ca 1761 - 1762. There are tombstones in Lancaster County PA dating to the 1730's and records in York Co. PA show a William and Samuel Bigham on road petitions in 1752 and 1754. I believe these are the ones who migrated to Mecklenburg. This family had marriages (daughter Margaret Bigham) that involved the Sloan family and this is probably why Sloan was a helper or apprentice in this family.

ROBERT BIGHAM and his children migrated directly from Ireland in 1768. The South Carolina Council Journal documents the arrival of this family. There were land grants in present SC adjoining Sharon ARP church Sharon, SC and purchases later in Mecklenburg by the sons. This is the family that is represented in most of the early Steele Creek Presbyterian Church tombstones and those at Sharon ARP in SC. Part of this family is also the ancestry of the Chester Co. SC Bighams. The James Bigham buried at Prosperity Presbyterian Church in northern Mecklenburg is also part of this family.

JAMES BIGHAM also immigrated from Ireland via South Carolina and later settled in Mecklenburg. His son, James Jr. migrated to KY in 1793 after marrying Sarah Freeman.

ANDREW BIGHAM is among the earliest Bigham graves in Steele Creek. Less is known of this family than others due to the lack of land records showing ownership. The Revolutionary War pension records of Andrew, Jr. indicate that the family arrived in North Carolina ca 1766. Andrew Sr.'s will is among the earliest of the Bigham wills in Mecklenburg and his tombstone is the oldest Bigham burial in Steele Creek cemetery. The family seems to disappear in Mecklenburg records after the death of Andrew Sr. and parts of the family settled in Tennessee and Alabama.

SAMUEL BIGHAM (1779 - 1847) Samuel Bigham is not known to be among the descendants of the five pre-Revolutionary War Bigham families. His parentage has not been determined by any of the researchers studying the Bigham families. His family record is included because many of the present Mecklenburg County Bigham descendants trace their lineage to Samuel and Nancy McKnight Bigham.

Other families associated with the Bigham families include:  Berryhill, Braly, Brownfield, Carruth, Henry Hunter , McKnight , Oates, Porter, Sadler, Schroder, and Whiteside. Others will be added to this webpage as time permits.