A GRAVE genealogical error has been made.The chief purpose in writing this is to present evidence to show, first, that Nathaniel Irwin of York County, South Carolina, was a brother of William Erwin (1735-1814), not his father, as so many writers in previous years have claimed, and, secondly, that earlier family historians unintentionally omitted the name of Matthew's second son, James from the list of children.

To begin with, a local historian examining all the Erwin/Irwin estate in papers in the York County (S.C.) Courthouse, discovered that three critical documents had been misfiled many years ago and had, consequently, been lost sight of. These items relate to the appointment of guardians for the minor children of Nathaniel Irwin, deceased.

In Guardian File #66-3216, we find that Jonathan Sutton is being appointed guardian of William Irwin, son 1. of Nathaniel.

In File #65-3016 we have Arthur Irwin being made guardian of James Irwin, also a son of Nathaniel.

In file #66-3217 Jacob Julian is being appointed guardian of Nathaniel Irwin, Jr. When one examines the dates of these actions-- 1796, 1803, and 1797, respectively--one knows at once that it would be highly unlikely for a man born in 1713, to have minor children with guardians eighty-five or ninety years after his birth!

The writers feel confident that they are correct in asserting that Nathaniel was born probably in 1743, not 1713, and that Nathaniel was a younger brother of William Erwin, whom previous researchers recognize as the oldest child of the progenitor, Matthew Irwin. And, too, no man would name two living children "William," as would be the case if one insists that Nathaniel Irwin was the father of William Erwin (1735-1814).

From York County (S.C.) Minutes of the County Court, Book A, April Court 1790, page 267, we learn that Nathaniel Irwin was appointed overseer of the road from Sturgis's ferry to the North Carolina line. Does common sense not teach us that a man seventy-seven years of age would not be out in the weather working with a road crew to repair the primitive roads of the eighteenth century?

It cannot be argued reasonably that Nathaniel was born in 1713, a date which persists even today In published works on the subject. The writers affirm their belief that the year of Nathaniel's birth was closer to 1743 than to 1713.

Secondly, another interested student of Irwin genealogy discovered among the William Erwin papers in the South Carolinians Library, in Columbia, S.C., an original letter of 1799 from Alexander Irwin of Camden, to his uncle (so designated in the letter), William Erwin of York County, S.C. Since Alexander of Camden was the acknowledged son of James Irwin, who died in Anson County. N. C. in 1761, and since Alexander addressed William Erwin as "uncle", it is clear that the name of James must be added to the list of Matthew's children.

The writers offer the reader these two major revisions in the Irwin/Erwin genealogy and invite other researchers to examine the evidence for themselves. Finally, the inscription on the tombstone of Nathaniel Irwin at Bethesda Presbyterian Church must be re-examined in light of these findings. Nathaniel's marker at death (1794) would have probably been erected at the earlier location of Bethesda Church cemetery, which was located one and one half miles east of the site to which the church was removed in 1820.

Children of Matthew Irwin
I. William Erwin, 1735-May 20, 1814
II. James Erwin, ca. 1737-
III. Arthur Erwin, 1737-1821
IV. Hugh Erwin, ca. 1741 -
V. Nathaniel Irwin, ca. 1743-1794
VI. John Erwin, ca, 1745-
VII. Susannah ("Susan") Erwin, ca. 1747
VIII. Alexander Erwin, 1750-June 20, 1830.

JOWEST