McCallister's McAlisters (and some other good families)

The Stroup Family

When one thinks of the Stroup family tree in Lincoln County North Carolina, especially as they relate to the Dellinger family tree, its as if you were caught in a forest primeval. The undergrowth here is so thick, is hard to tell up from down, much less one branch from another. My own Stroup/Dellinger lines are no exception. My hat is off to Ethelbelle Stroup who spent her entire life trying to untangle this kudzu-like mess, and even then, left some more to be done.

My own Stroup line appears to originate with one Matthias Stroope, born in the Rhineland or Holland about 1660. He made several trips to the new world colonies and he settled variously in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the Frederick Maryland area, and in the Baltimore area, where he worked with iron. One of his sons, Jacob, born 1724 in Maryland appears to have made the trek to the North Carolina colony. The Stroups settled in North Carolina since there was a profusion of iron ore with which to ply their trade. This Jacob is the first of MANY Jacob Stroups, which adds to the ancestral confusion. Jacob probably had three wives and some children, one of whom was Adam Stroup. Adam Stroup had at least 10 children including another Jacob Stroup and a son named Michael. Some of the genealogies vary and do not list Michael. Nevertheless, this Michael did exist and was listed on the 1810, 1820, and 1830 Censuses for Lincoln County NC. Further, he married Jean Goodson, daughter of William Goodson and Mary Patton, in Lincoln County. The marriage bond is dated 29 March 1800.

Mary Magdaline Stroup was born to Michael and Jean about 1802 in Lincoln County. Within a number of Stroup genealogies, Mary Magdaline Stroup is incorrectly identified as the daughter of Jacob Stroup, brother of Michael. This Jacob Stroup married three times and did indeed have a daughter named Mary by his first wife, Betsy Dellinger. However, this Mary was born a number of years prior to our Mary Magdaline. That Mary Stroup (Jacob’s) went on to marry a John White and settled in York County South Carolina.

Our Mary Magdaline Stroup married Moses Nathaniel Dellinger on 4 September 1820 in Lincoln County. They became the parents of Jane Dellinger the next year. Mary unfortunately died 9 days after the birth of Jane. Jane was raised by Moses Dellinger’s mother Katey. On 20 August 1843, Jane Dellinger married James McAlister in Lincoln County North Carolina. Their bondsman for the wedding was guess who? Another Jacob Stroup!

The strange structure at the top of this page is what is left of the furnace and iron foundry, built by one Jacob Stroup and Moses N. Dellinger before 1842 in Cass County Georgia. This structure is all that is left of the town of Etowah and the forge. The area was burned in the spring campaign of 1864 on the march to Atlanta under the direction of General Sherman.