The first McEntire in my family line is my great-great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth. She was born 23 February 1841 in Murray County, Georgia, where she lived most of her life. She married James Young Hemphill on 10 September 1867, also in Murray County. Elizabeth was J. Y.’s second wife; he first married her sister, Rhoda McEntire, who died giving birth to twins on 22 July 1864. Elizabeth and J. Y. had six children together. She died 6 July 1921 and is buried at the Hemphill-McEntire Cemetery in Murray County.
2nd Generation
Mary Elizabeth McEntire’s parents were Joseph Alexander McEntire and Elizabeth Alexander. Joseph was born 1 December 1803 in Burke County, North Carolina. He married Elizabeth Alexander on 19 January 1832. They moved to Murray County around 1837. Joseph died 27 November 1879 and is buried at the Hemphill-McEntire Cemetery.
Children from this marriage were:
- Martha A. ” Mattie” McEntire, born July 1833 in North Carolina and died 1916. Mattie never married.
- James Alexander McEntire, born about 1834 in Burke County, North Carolina. He first married Georgia Gertrude Carter about 1861. James and Georgia had six children. After Georgia died, James married his first cousin, Rosannah McEntire. James died in 1917.
- Rhoda Jane McEntire, born 2 June 1839 in Georgia and died 22 July 1864. Rhoda is the sister mentioned above who married J. Y. Hemphill. They had three children.
- Mary Elizabeth McEntire (see above).
- Rachel McEntire, born 1843 and died 1845.
3rd Generation
Joseph Alexander McEntire’s parents were Thomas Young Hemphill McEntire and Martha Hemphill. Thomas was born January 1772 in County Tyrone, Ireland. He immigrated to this country before 1790 and settled on land along the Catawba River near Old Fort, in what was then Burke County, North Carolina. Thomas and Martha were married in 1794. He died 23 April 1813 in Old Fort.
Children from this marriage were:
- Mary Howard McEntire, born 14 June 1795 in Burke County, North Carolina and died 20 October 1880 in Greenlee, McDowell, North Carolina. She married David Washington Greenlee on 4 December 1815 in Burke County, North Carolina. They had four children.
- Jennie McEntire, born 6 January 1797 in Burke County, North Carolina and died in 1873 in Crooked Creek, McDowell, North Carolina. She married Thomas Lytle in 1820 in Burke County, North Carolina. They had 10 children. (Jennie and Thomas Lytle are ancestors of mine through a different line.)
- Rosannah McEntire, born 14 September 1798 in Burke County, North Carolina and died 26 December 1870 in Cherokee County, Alabama. She married Chisolm Daniel on 15 September 1818 in Burke County. They had six children.
- Martha Hemphill McEntire, born 14 March 1800 in Burke County, North Carolina and died 10 July 1841 in Murray County, Georgia.
- Thomas Young McEntire, born 16 December 1801 in Burke County, North Carolina.
- Joseph Alexander McEntire (see 2nd generation above).
- Nancy Clarcy McEntire, born 20 November 1805 in Burke County, North Carolina.
- John Cunningham McEntire, born 17 August 1807 in Burke County, North Carolina and died 15 October 1860 in Murray County, Georgia.
- James Lette McEntire, born 28 August 1809 in Burke County, North Carolina and died 17 August 1870 in Murray County, Georgia. He married his first cousin, Mary Ann Hemphill, in 1837 in Georgia. They had 13 children.
- William McKey McEntire, born 16 January 1812 in Burke County, North Carolina and died in 1876, probably in Murray County, Georgia. He married Emily Green.
- Rebecca McEntire, born 13 December 1813 in Burke County, North Carolina and died 22 August 1864, also in Burke County. She married her first cousin Thomas Hemphill and had 11 children.
McEntire Surname Fun Facts
McEntire is a variant spelling of McIntyre, which is of Scottish origin and means “son of the craftsman” or “son of the carpenter.” There were only 84 households who used the spelling “McEntire” in the United States in 1840; 5% were in North Carolina and 2% were in Georgia. By 1880, there were 724 McEntires in the U. S., with the highest concentration (25%) found in North Carolina and 8% in Georgia. In 1920, the McEntire surname frequency had decreased to 384, with 13% in Georgia and 9% in North Carolina.
More about the McEntire Family
- A complete list of deceased McEntire and McIntyre family members in my database.
- Posts about McEntire ancestors and relatives in this blog.
- McEntire documents, photos, and headstones.
If you have any additional information (or corrections) on the McEntire family, comments are most appreciated!
This post is part of an ongoing series focusing on specific surnames. To see all posts in the series, click here.
