November 25, 1975

Source: From Rubottom Family Loose Files, "Correspondence Concerning the Rubottom Family of Chatham County, NC," Kathryn B. Rees Collection, Wren Memorial Library, Siler City, NC

Note: All street addresses have been omitted for privacy reasons.

Mrs. R. M. Mathews
Pittsboro, North Carolina

Dear Mrs. Mathews,

I was happy to receive your letter of november 17 in regard to research in your area on the Rubottom family.

I would like to have you assist me in obtaining information on the family in Chatham and Moore counties.

I have obtained some information on the family from the archives in Raleigh, North Carolina. I have also obtained information from the court house in Pittsboro.

We have an excellent Genealogical library here in Houston. Most of the information on Chatham County is on microfilm here. All the census records up to 1880 are here.

There are only two Rubottoms listed in the census of 1790. They are Thomas and Simon. As far as I can find there are no wills recorded for any Rubottom in Chatham or Moore counties. Simon Rubottom was the son of Thomas Rubottom. There are good records of Simon Rubottom and his family, of fifteen children, in the Quaker Records.

Samuel Dowd of Chatham County, married Hannah Rubottom a daughter of Thomas Rubottom. They were the parents of nine children. I have a copy of Samuel Dowd's will which named his children. It may be possible that some of the Dowds decendants now living in Chatham County have some of the history of the family.

Thomas Rubottom married Phebe Dixon, daughter of George Dixon. They were the parents of nine children. I only know the names of three. Simon born in Chatham County in 1769, Ezekiel born in Chatham Co. in 1770, and Hannah born in Chatham County.

Ezekiel Rubottom was my great grandfather. He lived in Chatham and Moore Counties. He married Eleanor Bettis, daughter of Elija Bettis of Moore County. In 180_(?--blurred) several families from Moore and Chatham Counties moved from North Carolina to Tennessee and on to the Territory of Missouri. The families were, Bettis, Elija, Mathews, and William Allston. They settled in Wayne county, Missouri in 1806.

The history of Chatham County by Hadley, Horton, and Strowd is here in the Houston library. The name of Thomas Rubottom is given in the roll of the Chatham Militia in 1772. I have a copy of the roll from the archives in Raleigh.

I am very much interested in the collection of writings by Harvey Newlin at the Library in Greensboro College. I believe the writings will contain information on the Napton Meeting of Quakers also the names of all the children of Thomas Rubottom and Phebe Dixon Rubottom. Also information on the Napton Cemetery. Would you please give me your charges for checking this source of information.

The old Napton Cemetery is located not far from Siler City, North Carolina. The Napton Meeting was set off from the Cane Creek Meeting in 1780. The Dixons, Rubottoms, and Dowds were the pillars of the Meeting. I believe you will find information on this in the Harvey Newlin papers.

Thank You For Writing,

Thomas W. Rubottom
Houston, TX