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.
​
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.
​
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.
Sadly, 99% of all public Chamblee/Chamlee trees and websites have serious errors. Do NOT believe them. If they give a parent for Isaac, George, Robert, John or Jacob Chamlee--you know you are seeing false information not based on any county, federal, state or bible record. Many family trees take the wrong path as close as their great grandparent level.
Genealogy requires the researcher to go backwards one step at a time (one generation) beginning with yourself, pulling all city, county, state and federal records. You can keep oral history at the back of your mind, and include bible records, but even those can be proven to be contradictory. As you go put the events in a timeline so you can see the migration patterns and know who is your family and who is not. When you skip a step (jump generations) you miss valuable clues and details.
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Quick Note about Weighing Evidence:
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Is the information you are viewing online or in someone's family book documented using city, county, state, federal or other such records? If what you are reading is oral history only, does it say so?
When you are examining primary evidence, be shrewd in your assessment. For example, a death certificate's primary evidence is the death date, cause of death as given by the attending M.D., and hopefully the death place. It is not primary evidence for the parents and their places of birth as indicated or even the birth date. When the informant reports information on a death certificate, the information comes largely from their memories and knowledge which can be misleading. Often the cemetery is listed but the person is not buried there.
The informant may not be related by blood and will totally guess, or an informant is under pressure to remember dates and specifics at an emotional time. Knowing the relationship of the informant helps in weighing the information they give. A spouse is more likely to know information about the deceased but not about the spouse's parents. An institution may have records filed when someone was admitted. Often neighbors or grandchildren are the informants who are very removed from knowing correct information.
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The M.D. filling out the death certificate is certifying the cause of death and the date but that is all.
The birth certificate provides the birth date and name, and the marriage records the marriage note.
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Note: Be careful you are looking at the actual date of the marriage, and not the date of the marriage license. When marriage date not known, license date is acceptable estimate, but please understand if there is confusion about the marriage perhaps the marriage never actually took place.
For those who lived before laws mandated vital records, there are tricks to ascertaining and finding these dates, but you will have to be willing to dig deep and to travel. You may need to purchase transcriptions of land records (for instance) in the county where you are searching. You need to find all records to form a complete picture. People often skip tax and land records but these are where the nuggets and understanding often resides.
You can learn more about how to assess records at websites such as the National Genealogical Society. FamilySearch is one of the best places to find education and assessment tools.
Lineage:
Isaac Chamblee ca 1754-1799 to 1800/Lucretia Jones of Hertford & Wake Counties, NC, Isaac left a will
.Zadock Chamblee Abt 1772-1822/1829/Lucy Sloan, migrated to Anderson Co SC from Wake Co NC
..Elisha Chamblee July 11 1811-June 16, 1890/Millicent Long migrated to Flowery Branch GA
...Thomas C. Chamblee July 11, 1849 b. GA to Sept 27 1892/marr Margaret Horton
....Winnfred Irene Chamblee Dec 14, 1876 to 1960/Charles Frances Ethridge July 9, 1874-1949
PHOTOGRAPHS
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Can we ever be sure the ancestral photographs we see on the internet are actually the people as identified? Did your ancestor die before photography was invented? Oh yes, many Chamblee/Chamlee, etc. photos are in this category. It took awhile for mainstream photography for country folk like ours to become the norm. The history of photography will help you make determinations.
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Check the clothes in the photo. Look up clothing history, check the collar, the lapel, the hat, dress, color, shoes, hairstyle, etc. You can estimate by using internet sources on dating a photo. You can take the photo to a university costume department chair. Remember, people didn't necessarily have the money to follow the fashion, they might have been a bit outdated just like us.
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Check the provenance of the photo, where did it this photo come from? Was it just copied over and over again on family trees, etc., or can you locate who actually owns the original which is important, because you can then recheck the identification with them.
HOW ABOUT ORAL HISTORIES?
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Even your old Aunt Sally's opinion can't be trusted unless she had documentation. It's important you collect everything your family history has found, and then weigh it all against evidence.
Have you ever believed something your grandmother has said and later found a different account in a historical newspaper or records? Our memories fade and have edit buttons. You'll need to put those oral histories aside while you research.
Oral history says Robert Chamblee of Wake County had red hair, therefore he must have been Irish. We gain no conclusion about the red hair or the Irish lineage until more records surface. Sadly DNA does not reveal hair color.
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FORMING HYPOTHETICALS
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Do we form hypotheticals in genealogy? Yes we do, be careful voicing your hypotheticals less then become fact. In the early 1990s, two records were found forming an interesting hypothetical about "Esther/Hester" (the wife of Robert Chamblee of Wake Co NC). Her maiden name was never proven as "Warren" but the "maybe" became fact. You will see it on 99.999% of all family trees. There is actually no record stating Esther/Hester Chamblee's surname is Warren.
CEMETERY WEBSITES: Caveat Emptor
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Do you know what tombstones actually looked like for the time periods? What kind of stone was common in what decade? What did they look like in 1830, 1880, 1910? etc.
Study tombstones so you will know when a contemporary stone has been placed by descendants, then be suspicious of the engraved information. Perhaps they have not looked deeply in the records but relied on oral history or guessed. Birth and death dates on a stone can be wrong, check the death certificate if possible which is the primary source for a death date and cause of death.
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Zachariah Horton B. Chamblee, M.D. 1879-1943, Jefferson County, AL
FIND A GRAVE & OTHER PROJECTS: Do you know guesswork when you read it?
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Notice how many people are adding information when people can't actually locate a grave. Because someone has not surveyed a cemetery and found their ancestor, they start a Find A Grave entry, add their own birth and death dates and genealogy in a little narrative and before you know it you have a "source" people use to document their genealogy.
Unless they source citing documents and you verify their sources by looking up the reference--don't you believe it just yet. Besides, just considering ONE source by themselves is not going to get you know the complete truth. You have to collect as many sources as you can and lay out all the evidence and take a hard strong look at it.
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Many Chamblee/Chamlee (et al) stones are loving memorials added by contemporary people who may not have known the real facts from primary source records and often copy information from family trees who copy and paste from others, etc.
Pattie Mae Richardson, marr. Joseph C. Chamblee, son of William Hiram Chamblee. Joseph was gggrandson of Robert Chamblee. More interesting history about this "bed and breakfast"
Stone above from findagrave, uploaded by Northern Pike.