Dromgoole, Edward, 1751-1835

Edward Dromgoole was an Irish immigrant who settled in Maryland, ca. 1770; became a Methodist minister, ca. 1772; and, after 1777, was a minister, merchant, and planter in Brunswick County, Va. Also represented are his sons Edward Dromgoole, Jr. (1788-1840), Methodist minister, physician, and planter of Brunswick County and Northampton County, N.C., and George Coke Dromgoole (1797-1847), lawyer, Virginia legislator, militia general, and Democratic U.S. representative.

From the description of Edward Dromgoole papers, 1766-1871 (bulk 1800-1848). WorldCat record id: 31693209

The Dromgoole family of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, included:

Edward Dromgoole, Sr. (1751-1835), a linen weaver of Sligo, Ireland, who migrated to America in 1770. He converted from Catholicism to Methodism in 1772, becoming a minister soon thereafter, and rode the Brunswick County, Va., and other circuits until 1786. In 1777 he married Rebecca Walton and settled his family on Canaan, his plantation in Brunswick County. He and Rebecca had five children who lived to maturity, including: Thomas (1779-1817?); Rebecca (1783 1847); Polly (d. 1833); Edward (1788 1840); and George Coke (1797-1847).

Edward Dromgoole, Jr. (1788-1840), a Methodist preacher, physician, and planter in Brunswick County, Va., and Northampton County, N.C. He also, for a time, ran his father's store, Sligo, at Canaan plantation. He married Sarah C. Pelham around 1812 and they had eight children, three of whom lived to maturity, including Peter, who disappeared after migrating west in 1833; Isabella; and Edward III.

George Coke Dromgoole (1797-1847), who attended the University of North Carolina and The College of William and Mary, 1816 1820, before commencing a legal and political career. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates, 1823-1826; was a member and Speaker, of the Virginia State Senate, 1826-1835; and was a Democratic Representative in the U.S. Congress, 1835-1841 and 1843-1847. In addition he was the Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, 1830-1832 (although this is not represented in the papers), and a brigadier general in the Virginia militia, 1835-1838. Dromgoole never married. Later in life he became a planter, was executor of the estates of Edward Dromgoole, Jr., and Sr., and managed family business affairs.

From the guide to the Edward Dromgoole Papers, 1775-1840, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)