After about 10 years of searching family files, state records, Quaker records and every place that I could think of, I have finally found a Myers or Miers named Ralph who was alive before 1787 to after 1800 in North Carolina. I have no proof of any relationship to our family but there are several matching points.

A bit of digression here, I will start with the Myers Family History written by Herman Myers in 1968 in which he states that Ralph’s father was named Elijah. The problem here is that there were no references of any kind that could be checked. Well, try as I may, I could find no Elijah, Elias or Elisha Myers with a son named Ralph in North Or South Carolina, or for that matter, Pennsylvania. No Ralphs of the correct age anywhere in sight.

To be frank, I had given up on ever finding a solid link but a couple of months ago while researching the last two postings on Prudence Taylor I thought I would give it another try. Lo and behold, I click on a site and up pops a Ralph. Now I admit that his father’s name is not Elijah, (not even close) but there are two family names involved, Nathan and Ralph. I also admit that the last name is Miers but after looking at deeds, abstracts and other original documents over the years, this means very little and besides that, this family is listed as Myers on the 1800 and 1810 census for Bertie County, North Carolina. Okay, now that you are excited (yes, humor), this is what I found and remember that I am easily excitable.

Miers, Nathan, April 7, 1800; May Term 1800. Wife Elizabeth, daughters Patty Asbell, Mary Jernagan and Winney Jernigan, sons Samuel, Nathan, David and William, sons Miles and Ralph, daughter Elizabeth Hoggard, Wm. Watford and Wm. Morris Exrs. Test, James Barradail, Sarah Barradail.
The North Carolina historical and genealogical register. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co. Hathaway, J. R. B., Vol. II, No. 1, Jan, 1901, p. 528. ^

For those of you who don’t know what the hell you are looking at (and probably could not care less), the above is a transcribed abstract of a will filed in Bertie County, North Carolina in the May 1800 court term. Then this was also on the same web site:

Outlaw, Ralph, Jan'y 23, 1787; Nov. Term 1790. Eldest son David, sons Edward and George, my wife's former husband (not named) daughter Elizabeth Mires, Mary Ray, Priscilla Watford, grand-son Wright Frazier, grand-daughter Mary Watford, daughter Charity Alexander, grand-daughters Elizabeth and Mary Alexander, grand-son Ralph Outlaw (son of David), grand-son Jno. Ray, granddaughter Charity Frazier, grand-daughter Anna Outlaw (daughter of Edward), grand-son Ralph Miers (wife Mary, sons David and George and brother George Outlaw, Exrs). Test, David Standley, Hardy Lewis, Andrew South.
The North Carolina historical and genealogical register. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co. Hathaway, J. R. B. , Vol. II, No. 1, Jan., 1901, p. 349. ^

Okay, you got it this time….another will abstract from Bertie County, this time Ralph‘s grandfather. The important date being that the will was written on January 23, 1787 naming Ralph. Herman states that Ralph was born on March 6, 1785 (again, no references) and the date the will was written does not rule out this being our Ralph.

Herman states, “The Myers family are German Hugenots (Huguenots) stock, coming through France to North America and settling in North Carolina in 1768-9.” (Technically this is incorrect since the word Huguenot means French Protestant. The term does, however, include those French families that fled to other countries to escape Catholic persecution, including those who escaped to what is today known as Germany. An interesting aside here: On a list of names of Huguenot families that settled in Ireland both the name of Mire and Myer appears.) But here we hit another snag, this Miers family appears in North Carolina records in the 1720’s.

ABSTRACT OF CONVEYANCES.
(Original in Court House at Edenton, N. C.)
Nathan Miers and wife Marv to John Welch. 100 acres on North side of Poplar Run March 7," 1726-7. Test, John Parker, Paul Palmer.
The North Carolina historical and genealogical register. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co. Hathaway, J. R. B. , Vol. II, No. 1, Jan., 1901, p. 447. ^ Edenton, North Carolina is in Chowan County, a neighbor of Bertie County. This Nathan Miers appears to have been the father (or grandfather) of the Nathan Miers that was the father of Ralph.

** Bertie County Deed Book L - 1763-72
P. 90- 11 Jan 1767-Charles Hardie to Nathan Miers Sr. Wit: Robert Hardy & John Low.

** Bertie County Deed Book M 1772-85 Pt. 1
P. 139- 21 Nov 1773- Nathan Miers to James Sowell Wit: John Clifton & James Ward.
P. 215- 9 Nov 1772- Nathan Miers Sr. to James Sowell Wit: King Freeman & Nathan Miers Jr.
If you have the power to retain facts, you will remember that according to the will of Nathan Miers, he also had a son Nathan (III). However, the Nathan Jr. listed in the above deed would have had to have “of age” in 1772 and this could not have been the son of Nathan and Elizabeth Outlaw Miers.

ABSTRACT OF BERTIE COUNTY
MARRIAGE DONDS.
1764
Miers, Nathan and Elizabeth Outlaw, Sept. 15. Titus Edwards.
The North Carolina historical and genealogical register. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co. Hathaway, J. R. B. , Vol. II, No. 1, Jan., 1901, p. 314 ^ (Yes, it does say DONDS.) The above record along with the will abstracts above prove that Ralph Miers, son of Nathan, is indeed the grandson of Ralph Outlaw.

At this point, I have only been able to find the two references to Ralph Miers in North Carolina that I have listed above. There does not appear to be a will filed in Bertie County for his mother, Elizabeth Outlaw Miers, neither a record of a marriage for Ralph nor any record of property purchased by Ralph in North Carolina. Yes, this is a very thin evidence that Ralph Miers is our Ralph, but so far, it is the only link that I can find.

** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by
Jvosper489@cs.com Jim Vosper
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Transcribed from LDS Microfilm - Bertie Deeds