We now know DNA studies match kin who lived in Northern England who went by the name Chomley, Cholmley, or Chamley. Our kin might have lived in Ireland or Scotland before England but no DNA matches in those areas yet. Whatever the cultural or historical issues of the day, our ancestors definitely wanted to leave the British Isles and go to America.
Given a timeline of records PERHAPS our ancestors left because of cultural events leading up to the Battle of Culloden. The first verified record is in Bertie County is 1744, then 1757 on a tax list. First of the DNA 1st cousins or brothers was Isaac Chamblee, Hertford Co NC on a tax list in 1779, obviously of legal age. The oral history that 6 came from Ireland or Scotland (or England) would then fit the years surrounding the Battle of Culloden. One can wonder.
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Scottish Immigration to America increased as Scots gained access to America as Indentured Servants Scottish Immigration to America in the 1700's was undertaken by angry Scots following defeat at the hands of the English at the 1746 Battle of Culloden... In 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie, the the Stuart heir, attempted to claim the British throne but was defeated in 1746 at the Battle of Culloden. The defeat at the Battle of Culloden prompted large scale emigration from Scotland to America and the history of Scottish Immigration to America began in earnest, although Scots had first emigrated during the Colonial era of American history. More on this at Scottish Immigration to America.
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Boat and immigration lists and other early American records including indentured servants have not yielded results. We have have done a surname survey of these immigration records, but there is no pattern or conclusion. We looked at the Chambliss, Chumbly, etc. lines for a few years but after DNA studies we now rule that out. No paper trail from Chambless/Chambliss/Cumbly substantiates anything in our ancestry anyway.
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Where did we first find them on record in America? Bertie County, North Carolina--which was later split into Hertford County in December 1759. We think some of the early records ended up in Hertford County, which unfortunately suffered two fires and most early holdings were lost.
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What is more important is where our ancestors migrated in America. Our ancestors needed and desired many acres of land to support their families. As land was advertised or given as military warrants, our ancestors began to migrate.
We now know DNA studies match kin who lived in Northern England who went by the name Chomley, Cholmley, or Chamley. Our kin might have lived in Ireland or Scotland before England but no DNA matches in those areas yet. Whatever the cultural or historical issues of the day, our ancestors definitely wanted to leave the British Isles and go to America.
Given a timeline of records PERHAPS our ancestors left because of cultural events leading up to the Battle of Culloden. The first verified record is in Bertie County is 1744, then 1757 on a tax list. First of the DNA 1st cousins or brothers was Isaac Chamblee, Hertford Co NC on a tax list in 1779, obviously of legal age. The oral history that 6 came from Ireland or Scotland (or England) would then fit the years surrounding the Battle of Culloden. One can wonder.
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Scottish Immigration to America increased as Scots gained access to America as Indentured Servants Scottish Immigration to America in the 1700's was undertaken by angry Scots following defeat at the hands of the English at the 1746 Battle of Culloden... In 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie, the the Stuart heir, attempted to claim the British throne but was defeated in 1746 at the Battle of Culloden. The defeat at the Battle of Culloden prompted large scale emigration from Scotland to America and the history of Scottish Immigration to America began in earnest, although Scots had first emigrated during the Colonial era of American history. More on this at Scottish Immigration to America.
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Boat and immigration lists and other early American records including indentured servants have not yielded results. We have have done a surname survey of these immigration records, but there is no pattern or conclusion. We looked at the Chambliss, Chumbly, etc. lines for a few years but after DNA studies we now rule that out. No paper trail from Chambless/Chambliss/Cumbly substantiates anything in our ancestry anyway.
​
Where did we first find them on record in America? Bertie County, North Carolina--which was later split into Hertford County in December 1759. We think some of the early records ended up in Hertford County, which unfortunately suffered two fires and most early holdings were lost.
​
What is more important is where our ancestors migrated in America. Our ancestors needed and desired many acres of land to support their families. As land was advertised or given as military warrants, our ancestors began to migrate.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN GENEALOGY
If you have slave ancestry we want to help. You might want to find out if you are DNA cousins with us, please go to the Chamblee DNA menu where it will give you a link to the Chamblee DNA project at FamilyTree DNA and join in!
NOTE: THE SUB-CATEGORIES UNDER SLAVE HISTORY ARE A WORK IN PROGRESS, EMAIL IF THE SLAVEHOLDER YOU ARE SEARCHING IS MISSING.
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(NOT EXACTLY TRUE)
It is not true that ALL slaves took the name of the last plantation owner who owned them even though some TV family history shows may insinuate such. Some former slaves took the surname of their former owner and others and carried a surname from the previous owner or chose their own surname. Others changed their surnames after the end of the Civil War and 1870 census enumeration. We have seen estate papers written before the end of the Civil War where the SURNAME of the slave was listed as well as the GIVEN name which is unusual, and, the surnames living at that residence were NOT all the same.
Probate papers of John Chamblee, son of Robert Chamblee, Wake County, North Carolina. "Fourteen Negroes (namely), Sam, Croel, Ishmel, Embs, Alfred, Wiley, Nelson, Larence, Jim, Violet, Cherry, Royette, Cherrye, Jane. (Wake County, NC, Record Book 26, 1845-1850)
Where are the names found in records? When a slave owner died hopefully there was an probate process. If he didn't leave a will (died intestate) there was still an estate process which sometimes created a bigger paper trail as relatives each wanted their monetary share. Often in the intestate papers you will find the slaves mentioned frequently and sometimes with interesting details without even mentioning the names of the slave owner's immediate family. If a slave was valued at $1000 (values are in the financials of the estates), then that slave would cost about $30,000 today per inflation calculators. You can see why records were created over division of property after a slave owner died and why your ancestors might be in the records.
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As you know, due to the miserable system of slavery, all slaves were considered property. They were in bondage as were non-African indentured servants and others in early America. It is thought 1/2 to 2/3 migrating to America were indentured servants in the colonies. According to the Law Library of Congress, slaves and indentured servants (white) were considered property too, and they and descendants could be sold and inherited. Learn more.
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Using the Genealogical Proof Standard for African American Research.
FIND YOUR FAMILY
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So, how do you find your Chamblee/Chamlee (all spellings) family?
FIRST OF ALL, PLEASE start this journey by going backwards in time ONE STEP AT A TIME BEGINNING WITH YOURSELF, i.e., ONE GENERATION AT A TIME. Do NOT skip, do NOT make your guesses fact to the public. Keep a list of possibilities, but collect records and facts proving your family facts each step (generation) of the way.
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You must use software to adequately track your family details and maintain those records close at hand. If you try to only use an online family tree you have no real place to make a date timeline, list your hypotheticals and other notes. You can manipulate software faster than you can slow online trees.
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It is imperative you put each fact in a timeline running list so you will see a picture forming as you insert dates where you find them in records such as, newspapers, census enumerations (state and federal), vote registrations, estate files, etc. This timeline will educate you as to where your family was at a certain time or certain geographic location.
Family trees today are riddled with guesses, assumptions and errors and most likely copied from a tree or gedcom file without research standard. From a general overview of all websites with family trees, 99% of them are wrong on the Chamblee/Chamlee, etc., surname. Whatever someone else claims, it's your responsibility to reprove information from books, family trees, Find A Grave and any other place not citing specific records. A record citation example is something like, Mississippi Will Book 1, page 324. Be on the alert for those who cite other family trees, etc. or a gedcome instead of a record, because they are not citing a federal, state, or county record which will impact the truth of your family tree.
Using the correct processes you will be surprised what you find and what you correct. You will KNOW your ancestors yourself and will be able to spot false genealogy. Additionally, if you rely solely on oral history and other people's work you will never know the truth for yourself and never fully understand your lineage enough to stand by the relationships.
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SLAVE RECORDS ON THIS SITE
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Use the drop down menu under Slave Records to find the state where you think your ancestors lived and check to see if slave records from the estate process of Chamlee, Chamblee, Shamblees etc. have been added yet. If not, please contact us and we will hunt with you in the estate records where possible.
There are plenty of great websites that advise and aid African-Americans on finding their kin. However, we feel we could speed up that process with our knowledge of all the Chamblee/Chamlee plantation owners and their migration patterns.
It is VERY important you have a correct paper trail for your yDNA or autosomal results. You cannot make a connection is a family tree you share with someone else has a faulty Chamblee/Chamlee trail. Contact us, and then be patient as we cull the records.
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UNDERSTAND WHAT PROBATE IS BEFORE YOU LOOK FOR YOUR ANCESTORS
Knowing a little bit about probate, what happened in the records after sometime died, will help you know where to look for your kin. What is probate? What does it do?
The probate process transfers the legal responsibility for payment of taxes, care and custody of dependent family members, liquidation of debts, and transfer of property title to heirs from the deceased to an executor/executrix (where there is a will), to an administrator/administratix (if the person dies intestate-without a will), or to a guardian/conservator if there are heirs under the age of twenty-one years or in cases where a person has become incompetent through disease or disability. (Ref: from Court Records, by Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, FUGA, Loretto Dennis Szucs, FUGA, and Arlene H. Eakle, Ph.D. in The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy as quoted at Ancestry.com).
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General Probate Process : Where slaves were mentioned (there were other places, but these are the standard places)
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Person writes a will, clerk copies it for his books; slaves often mentioned
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When a person dies court is petitioned to probate the estate
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Courts generally require administrator of the estate be bonded (there are exceptions)
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Inventory of the property and appraisal--what was in their household, what things were worth (slaves were mentioned)
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Estate sale, included list of who purchased what (slaves could be mentioned in itemized list or on notes after sale)
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Guardianship for children, children under legal age had a guardian to oversee records, the children often inherited slaves and would rent them out; occasionally clothing needs for slaves were mentioned in guardian accounts
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Distribution of property, who gets what
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A general accounting throughout the process with papers filed (again, slaves and relatives could be mentioned)