EARLY CABE FAMILIES IN THE U.S.

In 1998, a group of Cabe family researchers began to form in order to share information concerning the Cabe family. This document represents their collective understanding of the Cabe family history. The information is based on Census Records, Marriage Records, Birth Records, Land Records, Wills and Probates, and the records of family members. If you are a descendant of this family, hopefully you will find your roots here. If you have CABE data to add to our knowledge, or if you find information that you feel is in error, please send mail to our family mailing list . Hopefully we can work together to learn about our family’s proud heritage.

It seems very likely that all of our CABE families are Scotch-Irish. They were from Scotland originally; then lived for a period of time in Ireland. They were predominantly Presbyterian in religion. Many of the Scotch-Irish entered this country at Philadelphia PA or New Castle, DE. In the first half of the 18^th Century (1700s), thousands of Scots from northern Ireland engaged in a wholesale emigration to America.

Assuming that this scenario fits our CABE families, then we, too, entered the country on the northeast coast and gradually migrated southward into Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. There were also some CABE families who migrated westward out of Pennsylvania, into Ohio and Indiana.

The paragraphs below provide a summary of the Cabe families from those early years. Links are provided that allow the reader to progressively dig deeper into a family of interest. Links are also provided at the state level to the census information prior to 1850 for Cabe families from in the selected state.

Virginia Cabes

The earliest record of a CABE in America, is John CABE who was transported to America in 1704. In Nugent’s Cavaliers and Pioneers:Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, Vol. 3, Pg.90, "John Moore, 95 acs. Up. Par. Of Nansemond Co; on W. side of Bennett’s Cr;adj. John King; 20 Oct 1704 p 637. Trans of 2 pers: John Nicholson, John Cabe." There was a John CABE living in Nansemond Co., VA in 1783 in the Sumners & Dardens District.

Pennsylvania Cabes

Another early CABE lived in Bucks Co., PA. Thomas CABE (b. abt. 1720) was an immigrant according to the History of Bucks County, pub. 1905. His birthplace is unknown. Thomas and his wife Sarah Bidwell both died in Bucks Co., PA. Their son, Thomas CABE (b. abt. 1742 in Bucks Co., PA) married Rebecca Van Horn. Many of their descendants left PA, migrated through Ohio and settled in Indiana.

North Carolina Cabes

The first record of Barnaby CABE and his wife Betsey Perkins, was in Orange Co., NC. In 1758 his name is mentioned in the minutes of the Orange Co. Court of Common Pleas. Their children were: John, William, Rachel, Mary, Catherine and Elizabeth. John CABE was born abt. 1752. Some of William CABE’s descendants left Orange Co., NC, migrated through Alabama and settled in southwestern Arkansas.

Jonathan (John) CABE was first recorded in the 1790 census of Lincoln Co., NC. His will was recorded in 1810 in Old Buncombe Co., NC. . No record of his wife has been found. His children were: Samuel, Stephen, Katherine, John, Jane, Zachariah, and Mary. John Cabe’s descendants have been well documented in The Genealogy of 1500 Descendants of Amos, Samuel, Stephen and Zachariah Cabe/McCabe. The book was published in 1983 by Elsie Cabe Wheatcroft and Margie Cabe Keener.

Amos Cabe was mentioned in the will of John CABE (Will of 1810) to share equally with John’s beloved children. (Amos Cabe’s relationship to John CABE is unknown.) Amos CABE married Esther Sharp. His family lived in the Savannah Section of Macon Co.(presently Jackson County).

Lucius Halien CABE (b. 1831/1837, Cherokee Co. NC). He states in his Civil War Pension application that he was born and raised in western NC. His father’s name is Jim (James?) CABE. However, he states that he was raised by a stepfather. Lucius Halien CABE was married 3 times – (1) Susan Deavers, (2) Rosetta Louvena Beaty, and (3) Louisiana Conner Kelly.

David Lafayette CABE (b. 26 Oct 1826 NC). He married Louise Miller (b. 1837 NC). Their children were all born in Grayson Co., TX. David L. CABE served in Bourland’s Regiment, Texas Cavalry, CSA during the Civil War.

Tennessee Cabes

Henry CABE (b. 1825). He married Manicia Aery. They lived in Henry Co., TN.

John CABE (b. 1750 NC) was listed as 100 yrs. old on the 1850 Henry Co., TN census. This John Cabe has not been identified.

John CABE married Margaret Cooper on Feb. 22, 1798 in Blount Co., TN. This John Cabe has not been positively identified.

John CABE (b. 1799 NC), Thomas Jefferson CABE (b. 1798 NC), John S. CABE (b. 1819 TN), William CABE (b. 1822 TN), Nancy D. CABE Fallin (b. 1826 TN), Millie Anne CABE Burrow (b. 1825 TN). These 6 CABE families migrated from Tennessee to Washington Co. Arkansas in the 1840s.

John James CABE (b. 13 Feb 1859, possibly in Tennessee). He was raised by the Steppe/Stappe family of Monroe Co., TN. He married Lee Anna (Annie) Stappe. They migrated to Benton Co., AR, then near Eugene, Oregon, settling finally in Elma, Washington.

McCabe Information

The early Cabe families used the surnames McCabe and Cabe interchangably. We believe that most of the families who chose to change to the Cabe surname are related, but it is sometimes unclear which of the McCabe families later chose the Cabe surname. We include mention of the following McCabes because there is good reason to believe that they are ancestors of families who later began to use the Cabe surname.

Hugh MCCABE Sr. and his wife Sarah were in Amherst Co., VA in 1792. At that time, they already had 9 children. Hugh McCABE, Jr. was born in 1757. He moved to Maury Co., TN and died there. Hugh McCABE, Jr. had no children, but his according to his will, his estate was left to his nephews (his brother John McCABE’s children).

The progenitor of the CABES in Worchester Co., MA was John McCABE who was born 1728 and died 1797 in Sussex Co., DE. He was married to Mary Hudson.