Introduction:
The
Will
of
Margaret
McLeod
has
caused
a
great
deal
of
confusion
among
the
McLeod
Researchers
of
Kershaw
and
Sumter
Districts
in
South
Carolina
(present
day
Lee
County).
She
can
be
found
in
numerous
family
files
throughout
the
internet
as
the
daughter
or
sister
(or
in
law)
of
women
and
men
of
like
first
name(
i.e.
Elizabeth's,
Nancy's,
Norman's,
Daniel's).
There
is
no
doubt
that
Margaret
was
the
daughter
of
an
Angus
MacLeod;
the
land
found
in
her
estate
file
is
the
same
land
sold
to
a
Margaret
McLeod
and
a
Catherine
McLeod
in
1827
by
their
father,
Angus.
Her
will,
the
estate
and
the
deeds
of
that
sale
are
conclusive.
The
identities
of
her
sisters
who
are
named
in
her
will
sometimes
are
a
matter
of
confusion.
Margaret
named
four
sisters,
three
brother
in
laws,
and
a
brother
-
Betsy,
the
wife
of
Norman
McLeod,
Nancy,
the
wife
of
Roderick
Bethune,
Polly,
the
wife
of
John
McKay,
and
Daniel,
her
brother
whom
she
named
as
a
co-executor
with
Roderick
Bethune.
One
source
of
the
confusion
is
the
work
of
Von
Hacke,
a
genealogist
who
organized
the
records
of
Sumter
County
onto
index
cards
in
the
1960's.
He
named
a
certain
Daniel
McLeod
as
the
son
of
the
same
Angus
who
was
the
father
of
Margaret
using
only
the
will
of
Margaret
as
his
source.
Margaret's
will
contained
no
identifying
statements
regarding
her
brother
making
it
obvious
that
Von
Hacke
made
a
guess
at
the
identity
of
her
brother.
Census,
land
and
estate
records
show
that
there
were
two
Daniel
McLeods
in
the
area
at
the
time
of
Margaret's
will
and
deeds
allow
us
to
trace
the
properties
in
Margaret's
estate
through
1902.
Her
brother
was
not,
as
Von
Hacke
stated,
Daniel
McLeod
who
was
married
to
Jane
Christmas,
but
Daniel
who
was
married
to
Catherine
McLean....
The
property
sold
to
Margaret
in
1827
lay
next
to
the
McLeod
Mill
Pond
property
of
her
father
Angus
McLeod;
Angus
sold
this
property
to
Daniel,
h/o
Catherine
McLean
in
1831
-
the
Bethunes,
who
had
inherited
some
of
Margaret's
property
owned
the
land
next
to
McLeod's
Mill
Pond.
The
Mill
Pond
property
remains
in
the
family
today
owned
by
a
descendant
of
Daniel
and
Catherine's
through
their
only
son,
John
Robert
McLeod.
To
help
provide
proof
of
the
correct
identity
of
Margaret's
sisters
and
brother,
I
have
created
a
Timeline
which
allows
researchers
to
read
the
documents
of
this
family
in
a
chronological
order
making
the
relationships
clear.
For
further
reading,
see
the
pages
listed
below:
Von
Hacke
Records
/
South
Carolina
Timeline
/
Angus
and
Nancy
McCutchen
MacLeod
Margaret
McLeod,
believed
to
be
the
eldest
of
Angus
and
Nancy's
daughters,
appears
to
have
been
born
around
1783
/
before
1790,
but
whether
she
was
born
in
Scotland
prior
to
her
parents
and
eldest
brother,
Alexander,
leaving
Scotland
for
North
Carolina
is
unknown
-
Margaret
died
before
the
Every
Name
Censusus
could
tell
us
her
place
of
birth
and
a
more
exact
age.
Census
research
done
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke
using
Ancestry.com
Census
Images
On
Line
The
family
spent
approximately
20
years
in
Richmond
County
North
Carolina
prior
to
migrating
into
the
Kershaw
and
Sumter
Counties
of
South
Carolina
(1790
-
1820).
Margaret
is
found
unmarried
in
her
parents
home
in
the
1820
Census.
In
1827,
Angus
McLeod
"for
love
and
affection"
sold
to
Margaret
and
her
sister
Catherine,
also
unmarried,
all
his
plantation
tools,
250
acres
"more
or
less"
on
the
Beaverdam
Branch
of
the
Scape
Or.
The
cost
of
the
land
for
the
girls
was
$10.00.
On
the
same
date,
he
also
sold
to
them
for
one
dollar
his
slaves.
The
deed
was
witnessed
by
her
brother
in
law
Roderick
Bethune,
Archibald
Fraser
and
Angus
McCaskil
(her
brother
Alexander,
h/o
Sarah
McIntosh
was
deceased
in
March
of
1824
and
the
whereabouts
after
1824
of
her
brother
Norman
are
unknown)l. September
08,
1827
Sumter
County
Deeds
GG,
255
and
256
accessed
and
copied
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke
and
David
Jay
Wilke,
June
2004
Sumter
County
Courthouse,
South
Carolina
The
deed
itself
shows
that
this
250
acres
was
not
the
tract
of
land
on
which
Angus
lived
at
the
time;
it
lay
on
the
North
East
side
of
the
McLeod
Mill
Pond
in
the
Egypt
Community
in
Lee
County.
September
08,
1827
Sumter
County
Deeds
GG,
255
and
256
accessed
and
copied
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke
and
David
Jay
Wilke,
June
2004
Sumter
County
Courthouse,
South
Carolina
In
1828,
Margaret
was
taken
ill
and
on
June
14th
she
made
her
Will,
leaving
her
portion
of
the
land
her
father
sold
her
and
Catherine
to
their
sister
Nancy
McLeod
Bethune.
Her
husband,
Roderick
Bethune
sold
the
property
to
John
Boykin
in
1839.
A
descendant
of
John
Boykin,
sold
the
property
in
1902
to
Mary
Huggins.
The
plat
for
the
sale
stated
that
this
property
was
bounded
by
The
Estate
of
John
Robert
McLeod
(Margaret's
nephew
who
later
inherited
the
Mill
Pond
from
his
father,
Margaret's
brother
Daniel)
and
the
New
Hope
Presbyterian
Church.
The
Church's
cemetery
is
aka
McLeods
Cemetery
-
Lee
County
South
Carolina,
Past
and
Present,
Volume
II
copyright
2002
Lee
County
Chamber
of
Commerce;
produced
by
the
Fine
Books
Publishing
Company
of
St.
Augustine,
Florida.
Page
124,
colume
2,
paragraphs
1,
2
and
5,
purchased
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke
June
2003
from
the
Lee
County
Chamber
of
Commerce.
Lee
County
Deeds
Book
SSS:278;
Lee
County
Deeds
Book
SSS:278
accessed
at
the
Sumter
County
Courthouse,
June
2005
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke
and
David
Jay
Wilke.
WILL
OF
MARGARET
McLEOD
State
of
South
Carolina
In
the
name
of
God,
Amen.
I,
Margaret
McLeod,
of
the
District
of
Sumter,
and
State
of
South
Carolina,
being
of
sound
mind,
make
this
my
last
will
and
testament.
I
will
and
bequeath
unto
my
sister,
Catharine,
for
and
during
the
term
of
her
natural
life,
and
no
longer,
all
my
Slaves,
which
I
now
own,
or
may
own
or
possess
at
the
time
of
my
death
and
from
and
immediately
after
the
death
of
my
said
sister,
Catharine,
I
will
and
bequeath
the
said
Slaves
unto
my
three
sisters,
Nancy,
the
wife
of
Roderick
Bethune,
Polly,
the
wife
of
John
McCoy,
and
Betsey,
the
wife
of
Norman
McLeod,
share
and
share
alike
to
them
their
heirs
and
assigns
forever.
I
will,
bequeath
and
devise
unto
my
sister,
Nancy
Bethune,
wife
of
Roderick
Bethune,
all
the
rest
and
residue
of
my
estate,
both
real
and
personal,
unto
her,
her
heirs
and
assigns
forever
Subject
however
to
the
payment
of
my
debts.
I
nominate,
constitute
and
appoint
my
brother,
Daniel
McLeod
and
my
brother-in-law,
Roderick
Bethune
Executors
of
this
my
last
will
and
testament.
In
testament
whereof,
I
have
hereunto
set
my
hand
and
seal
this
14th
of
June
AD
Eighteen
hundred
and
twenty
eight
and
52nd
year
of
American
Independence.
Signed
and
Sealed
by
Margaret
McLeod
as
her
last
will
and
testament
in
the
presence
of
us
who
have
subscribed
as
witnesses
at
her
request
and
in
her
presence
Margaret
X
McLeod
[Seal]
Daniel
McCaskill,
Junior,
Angus
McCaskill
Daniel
McCaskill
Recorded
in
Will
Book
D-1,
Page
187
Recorded
Jan
5th
1829
William
Potts,
Ordy.
SD
Bundle
68
Pkge
4
Margaret's
will
was
probated
on
January
5th
1829
and
named
her
four
sisters,
Catherine
McLeod,
Betsy
wife
of
Norman
McLeod,
Nancy
wife
of
Roderick
Bethune,
and
Polly
wife
of
John
McCoy
(later
records
show
his
name
as
John
McKay
a
common
mispelling
of
the
name
due
to
the
heavy
Scottish
accent
most
of
this
generation
spoke
with).
She
named
her
brother
Daniel
McLeod
and
her
brother
in
law
Roderick
Bethune
as
co-executors.
It
was
witnessed
by
Daniel
McCaskill,
Sr.;
Daniel
McCaskill
Jr.,
and
Angus
McCaskill,
who
had
also
witnessed
the
sale
of
the
land
to
Margaret
from
her
father.
Will
of
Margaret
McLeod,
daughter
of
Angus
and
his
unnamed
spouse,
recorded
in
Will
Book
D-1
page
187,
dtd
June
14th
1828,
recorded
on
January
5th
1829
accessed
at
the
Sumter
County
Courthouse,
June
2005
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke
and
David
Jay
Wilke
.
The
March
12th
1829
Warrant
of
Appraisement
shows
the
appraisers
of
her
estate
to
have
been
Archibald
Fraser;
William
Arrants;
Angus
McCaskill;
Daniel
McCaskill
Jr.;
Daniel
McCaskill
Sr.
The
gentleman
were
to
present
their
findings
to
the
Probate
Court
on
June
1st
of
the
same
year.
Estate
of
Margaret
McLeod, recorded
on
January
5th
1829
accessed
at
the
Sumter
County
Courthouse,
June
2005
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke
and
David
Jay
Wilke
.
On
that
date,
three
of
the
appraisers
appeared
before
the
court
to
make
the
following
report
of
Margaret's
estate:
524
acres
of
land
valued
at
$262,
4
negros
valued
at
$425;
32
head
of
cattle
valued
at
$176;
one
lot
of
hogs
valued
at
$39;
one
riding
chair
and
buggy
valued
at
$12.50;
Cart
valued
at
$7.50;
1
gray
mare
valued
at
$4.00;
Plantation
Tools
valued
at
$2;
Household
Furniture
valued
at
$47;
Kitchen
Furniture
and
tools
valued
at
$4.37;
1
lot
sheep
valued
at
$9.00.
Estate
of
Margaret
McLeod, recorded
on
January
5th
1829
accessed
at
the
Sumter
County
Courthouse,
June
2005
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke
and
David
Jay
Wilke
.
According
to
Margaret's
Will,
her
sister
Catherine
inherited
the
four
slaves
and
her
sister
Nancy
McLeod
Bethune
inherited
the
remainder
of
the
estate.
This
disbursement
leaves
some
questions
regarding
the
situation
that
Catherine
McLeod
was
in
at
that
time.
Although
Angus
sold
"for
love
and
affection"
all
his
plantation
and
tools
and
a
part
of
the
land
shown
in
Margaret's
estate
to
both
girls,
Margaret
is
taking
her
share
and
giving
it
not
to
Catherine
but
to
Nancy.
Will
Book
D-1
page
187,
dtd
June
14th
1828/
Estate
of
Margaret
McLeod, recorded
on
January
5th
1829
accessed
at
the
Sumter
County
Courthouse,
June
2005
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke
and
David
Jay
Wilke
.
It
could
be
assumed
that
Margaret
and
Catherine
lived
together
on
the
land
of
their
father
and
shared
ownership
of
it
until
Margaret's
death.
In
1829,
her
brother
Daniel
was
administering
the
estate
of
their
deceased
brother,
Alexander
McLeod,
the
husband
of
Sarah
McIntosh,
for
Alex's
widow
and
five
minor
children,
so
it
can
also
be
assumed
that
Roderick
Bethune,
who
was
the
co-executor
of
Margaret's
estate
took
on
the
full
responsibility
of
the
executorship.
Therefore,
it
stands
to
reason
I
suppose
that
Margaret
would
leave
her
portion
of
the
property
to
his
wife,
in
effect,
assuring
the
future
care
of
her
sister
Catherine. Estate File
of
Alexander
McLeod,
#1775,
Kershaw
County,
Camden
Courthouse,
accessed
and
copied
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke
and
David
Jay
Wilke
June
2003
Nothing
is
known
to
date
of
Catherine's
eventual
fate;
did
she
marry
or
die
early?
By
1830,
their
father,
Angus
and
their
mother,
Nancy
are
found
living
with
Roderick
and
Nancy
McLeod
Bethune,
but
exactly
where
they
were
living
is
uncertain
at
this
time.
Had
Roderick
and
Nancy
moved
onto
the
McLeod
Mill
Pond
property
with
Nancy's
parents
or
were
they
living
elsewhere
on
their
own
property?
The
fact
that
Roderick
is
shown
as
head
of
household
instead
of
Angus
indicates
that
Angus
and
Nancy
left
the
Mill
Pond
property
and
moved
in
with
their
daughter's
family.
In
1831,
the
McLeod
Mill
Pond
property
was
sold
by
Angus
and
Nancy
to
their
son
Daniel;
the
property
remains
in
his
family
today
(2006).
In
1839,
the
portion
of
Angus
McLeod's
estate
that
had
been
sold
to
his
unmarried
daughter,
Margaret,
and
left
by
her
to
her
sister
Nancy
McLeod
Bethune,
had
passed
out
of
the
hands
of
the
family
and
into
the
hands
of
the
Boykins.
Nothing
is
known
of
the
lands
received
by
Catherine
from
her
father. Lee
County
South
Carolina,
Past
and
Present,
Volume
II
copyright
2002
Lee
County
Chamber
of
Commerce;
produced
by
the
Fine
Books
Publishing
Company
of
St.
Augustine,
Florida.
Page
124,
colume
2,
paragraphs
1,
2
and
5,
purchased
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke
June
2003
from
the
Lee
County
Chamber
of
Commerce/Records
of
Daniel
McLeod/
Records
of
Angus
McLeod,
accessed
and
copied
by
Lori
McLeod
Wilke,
David
Jay
Wilke
during
the
years
2003
-2005
at
the
Sumter
County
Courthouse,
South
Carolina
-
Note:
Von
Hacke
wrote
in
his
paragraph
on
Catherine
McLeod
that
she
witnessed
an
1835
land
purchase
of
her
brother,
Daniel
McLeod
(from
John
and
Nancy
McLean)
however,
it
is
more
likely
that
the
Catherine
who
was
witness
to
that
deal
was
Daniel's
wife,
Catherine
McLean
McLeod.
The
burial
place
of
Margaret
McLeod
is
unknown;
it
is
possible
that
she
lies
in
an
unmarked
grave
on
the
property
owned
by
her
father
Angus,
then
by
her
sister
Nancy
and
which
was
sold
to
New
Hope
Presbyterian
Church
at
some
point
-
McLeod
Family
Cemetery
aka
New
Hope
Presbyterian
Church
Cemetery.