The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-01-18
THE FA|SOH FAMILY
And the Kenan Family Hon
ored by Dup|in County
tISTORY OF FAMILIES
OR. HUFHAM FALLS INTO III
SPIRIT OF .YE OLDEN TIME"
A GOLDEN WEDDING IN oAMPS0k
Which Carried Or. Huffman, feI. Colin Saw
and Other Venera6les Back to tie
Spirit of the Gid South.

SPtik VI hiIShd =
To the Editor: On the 9th of this
present month, near the dividing line
of DupIin and Sampson counties, there
was a gathering which is worthy OF a
place in the annals of time. 1t was to
commemorate the 50th anniversary of
the marriage of William A. FaisOn and
wife, Harriet Williams.
THE PLACE.
The place is historic. 1t is just a mile
north Of what, in my boyhood, was
known as "Duplin old court house."
This latter was the seat Of justice for
the whole region, now known as Duplin
and Sampson counties until Sampson
was set off as a separate county. In
childhood some of the old buildings were
still standing, four miles west Of War
saw on the Ieft-hand side of the road
which leads from Wilmington to Raj
eigh. Not far away there used to stand
a chapel, built by funds from the pub
lie treasury in the days of the State
Church. The building of such a church
mons the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians of
Duplin in the expectation that they WOuld
worship in it or submit patiently to be
taxed for its support, is a striking illus
tration of the wisdom, or rather of the
un-wisdom of the colonial authorities of
lie lllIIe. vi COuISt. d1lSl IL blISl s6d
son, of experiment it had to be sold by act
of the Legislature, with the glebe which
lay around it.
THE KEENAN, BROTHERS.
Mr.. Faison-s plantation was settled by
two of the Kenan brothers, Daniel and
General Thomas Kenan, about the year
1876. They We're OF the colony of splen-
did ~Scotch-Irish people who We're
1,o,,Ub+ -, ~ NTaC,I10.h -, tho VOC,
already named. The farms of the two
brothers were divided by Turkey creek.
Daniels land was on the south side of
the creek and lie set up one of the
first manufacturing enterprises in that
part Of the State; a fulling mill, of
which the foundations and the dam still
,emain. The home of Gen. Thomas
henan, ancestor of Col. Thomas S.
Nenan. the present courteous and eff
:ient clerk of the Supreme court, was
N the north side of the creek and there
he was buried many years ago. The
memorial stone having disappeared it
was replaced by Col. kenan last year.
No other family has been so honored
by the people of Duplin county as these
henans have been. They we're good
soldiers in the Revolution and in the late
war. Some Of them have filed the of
flee of sheriff. others have been mem
beTs Of the State Legislature, others
have been members Of the Federal
House of representatives and one of
them. father of Col. kenan, was a mem
Der of the Confederate Congress. Some
of them have also added high stations in
Alabama and Florida. The county seat
is named for them. Kenansyille. The
family record IS without a stain: made
luminous also by eminent service to the
county and the State.
On the lands of ten. Kenan. near the
present site Of Mr.. Faison's residence,
the first Masonic lodge in the counties
of Duplin and Sampson was built. 1t
was still standing within the memory
of persons now nving. Near the same
place the citizens who We're patrolling the
country during the excitement created
by the insurrection of Nat. Turner. in
Virginia, about 1882, had their redez-
vous.
Many years ago the lands OF the Kenan
brothers were purchased by the late
William Faison. of Sampson county, and
by him bequeathed to his son, the pres
ent owner.
THE FAISONS.
The Faisons were French Protestants
who remOveu to Germany just before
the massacre of st. Bartholomew. One
of the family, Hemryk EaisOn, settled
in York county, -. n 1866, dying in
1903 and leaving two sons. James, the
younger Of them, removed to Northamp-
ton county, where he died about 100,
leaving four sons. One of them, Dixon
by name, remained at Northampton.
James, Elias and Henry removed to
Sampson county. where in 1918, the
frst-named bought land of Henry E..
McCuloch. The youngest son, Henry
bought IaEd. 1000 acres, near the present
town of Faison. 1t is still III the posses
sion Of his descendants. From him the
Duplin branch of the family have
sprung. James and Elias were officers
in the American army during the Revo-
luton and from them the family in
Sampson county have descended. For a
hundred years and more it has been one
of the most prominent and influential
families in the county. They were often
chosen members of the State Legisla-
ture. Thomas d. Faison was in the
Constitutional convention of 1885, and
was the youngest member of the body.
FOr tWenty-one years he was clerk of
the county court and he died in 1866
while serving as Senator from his native
county. The family was well represen-
ted in the armies of the Southern Con-
fedracy. Franklin J. Faison, lieutenant
colonel Goth n. c.. Infantry. was killed
at the head of his regiment in the battle
of Cold Harbor; Wesley and James
Cromartle FalsOn We're also killed in
battle. Others of the name performed
meritorious service. But the family was
chiefly distinguished for their success as
planters. William Faison. who died
about 1851 or '5S, left an estate of sew
eral hundred thousand dollars. He mar
ried a daughter of Matthew Mosely,
who came into the State from Virginia.
just before the Revolution. She was a
sister of Hon. William D. Mosely, sew
eral times member of the State Legisla-
sure, once Speaker of the Senate and
afterwards Governor Of Florida.
William A. Faison was the son of this
couple, William FaisOn and Susar
Nosely. He was a graduate of the State