Note: Some of the individuals mentioned below have separate biographical articles on this Web site.

Andrew Galbraith son of James Galbraith was born in the North of Ireland and came to America in 1699 with his father James Galbraith, at about the age of seven. We have no record of his death but it occurred after 1747 as we have an account of his activities until that time, when he moved from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to Cumberland County. In all likelihood he did not accompany his son Arthur down the Shenandoah Valley to Virginia, but died in Pennsylvania, as he was 55 at the time the move was made into Cumberland County.1

He married Mary Kyle, daughter of James Kyle (1665-1740), the exact date and place are unkown.2 Arthur Galbraith married Mary Sharp, daughter of John Sharp, of Fincastle County, Virginia, in the St. James Episcopal Church in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylviania on the 15th of January 1768.3 Arthur was 40 years old at the time of his marriage to Mary Sharp and this would suggest that this was his second marriage, however no proof of a prior marriage has come to light.

The exact date of the departure of Arthur and Mary for their trip down the King’s Hiway into the Shenadoah Valley, remains a mystery. However from references in Oliver Taylor’s HISTORIC SULLIVAN, it would seem likely that Arthur and Mary departed very shortly after their marriage, probably about 1770. Arthur, without moving, lived successively in Augusta, Botetourt and Washington Counties of Virginia. From the reords of these counties we know that Arthur lived in Washington County until at least 1778. We also know from the records of New Providence Presbyterian Church that Arthur and Mary were members before 1781.4 We then must assume that they had moved to Tennessee between those two dates.

Even tho Arthur did not marry Mary Sharp until age 40, he and Mary were the parents of 12 children. John who married MARTHA LARKINS, Margaret, the bride of JOHN YOUNG, Elizabeth’s husband was WILLIAM ARMSTRONG, Mary married BENJAMIN LOONEY. Andrew, married twice, first, ELIZABETH LAUGHLIN, and second, SARAH ANDERSON. Sarah, married ROBERT YOUNG. Arthur Sharp, never married. Julia was the bride of AQUILLA DAVIS, while Tabitha married SAMUEL HENDERSON. Joseph took as his helpmate, MARTHA SHANKS, Lucinda married ASA CARRINGTON, while Aeneas, the youngest married first POLLY COLDWELL and second, CATHERINE WYNN. Of all the male children only Andrew and Joseph remained in Hawkins County. John the oldest son moved to Lewis County, Missouri, about 1827. Joseph died when quite young, he was married in 1810 and died before the birth of his son, Joseph Bertram Galbraith, in 1811. Aeneas, the youngest child moved to Indiana, and raised a large family there. Andrew Galbraith, born 10 April 1776, in Washington County, Virginia5 came to Hawkins County, with his father Arthur when he was about 3 years old and spent the remaining 81 years of his life there. He died on 22 November 1860 and is buried in Quaryville cemetery.

Andrew was even more prolific than his father Arthur, as he and his two wives were the parents of 14 children, Louisa, John Sharp, Alexander, John M., Anna, Elizabeth, Joseph, William, Anderson, Audley, Isaac, Andrew, Amanda, and Sarah.

Andrew was prosperous, and religious as shown by his will. He was also a well liked and respected citizen of Hawkins County, and served well as the second registrar of Hawkins County from 1803 to 1808. He was also one of the commissioners apointed by the legislature to oversee the building of a turnpike from Knoxville, thru Rutledge, Rogersville, and Kingsport to the Virginia State line6. In his will, dated 17 November 1857,7 Andrew disposes of property that he states should not be sold “for a less sum than fifty thousand dollars”, which attests to his prosperity. He also directed the divison of his library which included Clark’s Commentary on the New Testament, a History of the Methodist Church, Watson’s Institutes, Bensons Commentary, a copy of Benson’s sermons, a copy of Bascom Sermon’s, a copy of the Life of Bascom, and his family Bible. These were in addition to other books that he did not name. The Galbraith name had faded from the annals of Hawkins County by 1900.

1 I. Daniel Rupp, HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, Gilbert Hills, (Lancaster, PA 1844)
2 NSDAR National Number 479880 (Supporting papers by Prentice Price)
3 Marriage Register St. James Episcopal Church, Lancaster, PA.
4 Ruth Amis Crowe, NEW PROVIDENCE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
5 Letter of William Galbraith (son of Andrew) to his son Joseph Pharoah Galbraith, dated 23 November 1891.
6 Acts of Tennessee, Chapter CLXXIV, page 243.
7 Hawkins County, Tennessee Will Book 1, pages 231-234

This info was contributed by W.W. Watkins .