Named Individuals
Surnames
Years
Locations
Henry Hussey - 1757 Land Grant
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The Descendants of Henry Hussey
This web site contains the current state of research into the history of a branch of the Hussey family. The history begins with Henry Hussey, the earliest known Hussey ancestor. Henry's origins are not known but in the mid 1700's he carved out a successful life in colony of North Carolina.
Our goal is to identify and document important information about his many descendants. To the extent possible, we aim to capture not just when they lived but also how they lived. We are attempting to add anecdotes and contextual information to help visualize and appreciate their lives. Therefore we are adding as many photographs, images of documents and family stories as possible.
A Timeline Perspective
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1720
Henry Hussey is born.
Where and to whom is unknown.
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1757
Land Grant
The earliest known family document. Granting 600 acres in the Providence of North Carolina, an English colony.
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1774
Thomas Hussey
Henry's death makes his only son the family patriarch. Thomas continued to make Naval Stores, operate a cordwainer business and raise livestock.
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1810
Thomas C. & Joshua Hussey
After their fathers death, they move to Pitt County and the town of Greenville. They continue in the cordwainer business as well as the making of Naval Stores.
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1846
Tarboro, NC
Thomas C. Hussey settled in Tarboro. He had already fathered 8 children and would father 4 more by two future wives. He was a successful entrepreneur in the traditional family businesses.
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1849
John B. Hussey
John migrated to rural Georgia and established a branch of the family near the town of Statesboro. His brothers and sisters all remained in Tarboro. Many family members still live in Tarboro.
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1861
The Civil War
Five of Thomas C. Hussey's sons served in the Confederate Army. William M. Hussey was killed at the Battle of Williamsburg and John B. Hussey became a POW at the Battle of Fort McCallister.
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1867
The Carriage Business
Marcellus and Thaddeus Hussey founded a carriage manufacturing company. The business has been successful for decades.
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1883
William T. Hussey
Left rural Statesboro for the big city of Savannah. Many of his descendants still live here.
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1920
The Enterprise Carriage Co.
The company switches from horse-drawn to horseless and starts selling automobiles. Later they change to selling auto parts.
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1940
World War II
Hussey family members serve in all branches of the military and in all theaters.
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1958
Roy I. Hussey
Roy is a founding partner in the Savannah engineering firm of Hussey Gay Bell.
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Now
The Hussey Family
The family started by Henry Hussey has produced entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers, builders, military, lawyers and educators with a long list of achievements.
Explore The Family Archive
Photographs
Photographs are a historically recent invention that didn't become generally available until the 1840's. Most of our older photos are from the early 1900's.
PhotographsGenealogy
Here is the index of the Hussey and allied families that will lead you to the hundreds of individual histories. Explore the dates, relationships and evidence of individual lives.
Genealogy
Featured Hussey Family Members
~1720 - 1774
Henry Hussey
Henry was a pioneer colonist and entrepreneur. He was successful in a time and rugged place where survival, much less, success was hard fought.
1804 - 1868
Thomas C. Hussey
Thomas is a central figure who greatly expanded the family tree. He was a progressive man for his time and changed the family dynamic.
1825 - 1889
John Bartow Hussey
John B. was an adventurer who establish a family outpost in rural Georgia. He was a successful entrepreneur who adapted with the times.
1885 - 1956
Thomas Ignatius Hussey
Thomas wanted the good life and had the drive to go get it in the big apple.
Backstories and Background
The Hussey surname has ancient origins. Although a connection has not been made as to Henry Hussey's origin, the family name is littered with royalty and knights.
Surname
In Tarboro, NC the family business was building carriages of many types. As automobiles replaced horses, the business moved to selling automobiles and then auto parts.
Carriages
Bulloch county was lightly populated and conditions were primitive when John B. Hussey took up residence in 1849. Learn just how primitive.
Bulloch
Interactive Maps
Where They Are Buried
As you would expect , most are buried near where they lived. The most remote is buried on Guam.
Go to map
Roy's WWII Missions
Roy trained as a navigator and was assigned to a B-17 squadron in England during WWII.
Go to map
1770 Map of Hyde County North Carolina
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Of necessity, most of the Hussey family were at least part-time farmers. Even if money was available, sources of food might not be available or be too expensive. Alternatively and more than likely, farming was just the best way to put food on the table.
FarmingWorld War II placed talented people in military occupations that didn't exactly match their talents. For H. Weinstein, wrangling barrage balloons was apparently a more immediate military need than drawing cartoons
CartoonEvery family has it's share of trouble and disappointment. The Hussey family is no exception. Unimaginable tragedies happen every day but, it doesn't make it less painful when it's personal.
TroublesThis is a story of how a soldier who fought in North Africa and Italy, not the pacific, came to have a samurai sword. More interestingly, it's about an amazing trip through time the blade has made.
SwordHenry Hussey is an enigma and the subject of a 26 year search. More details of his life have survived than would normally be expected after a couple of centuries. All except his origin.
HenryTravel to Britain was not so open just after the end of World War I. Pip-pip, cheerio but let's keep and eye open.
ID Book
Daily life has changed dramatically since the time of our ancestors. These facts and hints provide a glimpse of the changes.
Daily Life
The demand for Naval Stores drove the North Carolina economy for decades. It was the principal occupation for the first three generations of Hussey's and continued to play an important role into the 20th century.
NavalUntil the railroad came to Tarboro, riverboats were a common sight on the Tar river. They moved goods to market and people to distant locations.
River Boat