There wasn’t any extended family nearby, it was wild backcountry wilderness, the frontier of the 1750’s. His uncle came up from the coast and testified at the Court of Pleas and Quarters in Salisbury, then county seat. But, he was bound out by the court to Benjamin Merrill, a prosperous man who could see that he was educated by the standard of the day and would learn a trade, blacksmithing.
My grandfather was also a blacksmith by trade, until the onset of the automobile....A renowned French chef took him under his wing and trained him to be a chef. He went on to open several restaurants.
Thanks for putting up with my questions. I find family history to be so amazing. If you have any daughters or grandchildren about the Gr 4-8 level, I think they might enjoy the story I am Regina. It is the true story of a girl whose father and brother were murdered by Indians, and she and her sister kidnapped by them. The mother’s search for her daughters makes for the kind of story that stays with you long after the book has been read.