WELCOME


~ The pieces are all sewn together, stitched with love.........and a quilt tells a story and the story is our past ~

The Arrowood family immigrated from England to Maryland in the 1700's. They went south, eventually settling in the mountains of North Carolina. Later , some went further south, into the Piedmont of North Carolina, in search of work and a better way of life.



I am in search of my family.

I search for those that came before me, and lived their lives as best they could. I am in search of their stories, how they lived, and how they loved.


I shared this love of seeking the past with my Dad, sharing each new finding with him, the thrill in his heart intermingling with mine. I continue this search in his honor, and hope to know these people of ours when I join up with them all in heaven.

~ Steve Lewis Arrowood 1932-2008 ~


Come with me, back to a simpler time and place. A place far removed from the hectic pace of today. To a time when life was hard, but the rewards were great. When your quality of life was determined by your own sweat, your own toil, and your own ingenuity.


Would you like a glass of sweet tea? Let's sit out on the porch where we will catch the sweetly scented breeze of summertime. Maybe Grandma will fry up some of her wonderful chicken... Time slows here.

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"We shape our lives not by what we carry with us, but what we leave behind."

~You live as long as you are remembered.~


"Our most treasured family heirlooms are our sweet family memories. " Author: Unknown


"But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you from the wisdom of former generations."

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Saturday, February 13, 2010

Oldest Home in Gaston ~ Hoyle House



Click on the pictures for larger ones, to see the details!


Gaston County’s oldest home — the Hoyle Historic Homestead circa late 1700s — is located right on the Dallas Stanley Highway.

I have passed right on by this house many, many, times over my lifetime. Never realizing the significance of it, regarding our family history..simply amazing!

They had an open house back in September but I did not remember in time to go, but I am marking my calendar for next year.

Peter Hoyle, (father of Michael Hoyle) was part of the 18th Century settling of the North Carolina Piedmont by German and Scot-Irish immigrants traveling the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road south through the Shenandoah Valley then into the Carolinas.

Michael Hoyle married Catherina Margaretha Dellinger, sister to our John Philip Dellinger. Catherina Margaretha Dellinger was my 5th Great Grand Aunt.
She is the one that is buried not three miles from here, in the center of a plowed field of soy beans.

See the January post entitled “Catherina Margaretha Dellinger Hoyle”.

This was homesite was also the site of "Hoylsville”, the first Federal Post Office in present day Gaston County.

In 1738 Pieter Heyl, a miller from Adenbach, Germany, his wife, Catharine, and their children arrived in America on September 11, 1738 on the Robert and Alice, originally settling in northeast Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

The Heyl family, later Anglicized to 'Hoyle', then lived for some time in Frederick, Maryland, but by 1753 had moved to what is now Gaston County, North Carolina, then part of Anson County, North Carolina. Peter Hoyle died prior to January 20, 1761.

The exact date of construction of the house is not known, but various sources date it anywhere from 1750 to 1758. After Peter's and his eldest son Jacob's deaths, which occurred within a year of each other, the land was inherited by Jacob's minor son Martin, who then transferred his interest to his uncle John.



In 1794 the property went to Peter Hoyle's other grandson, Andrew, who became a farmer and entrepreneur. "Rich Andrew", as he was known, may have acquired the property with the house already standing and then improved the dwelling, or he may have built the house and later upgraded it with new finishes in the early years of the 19th century.



Apparently plans are under way to restore the old homeplace. There is a fencing around it now, protecting the old house. I am glad it will be preserved and not simply torn down in the name of 'progress'. We are losing so much of our history as it is.

House is on the right hand side of the road, going toward Stanley, NC. If you reach the Riverside Fish Camp you have passed it!

Check out the website: Hoyle Homestead

6 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for your site. I've really enjoyed it. "Pioneer Peter" Hoyle was my 7th great grandfather. I've just started genealogy and have found so many interesting things about him. Love the pictures of the house! Thank you, Camela

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    1. So glad you have joined us, Camela! Thank you for your kind words. Nice to meet another "cousin".

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    2. Rhonda Golden Williams July 4, 2012
      I am Camela's mother. My mother is Jessie Etta Hoyle Golden, daughter of Ines Hoyle, son of Oscar David Hoyle and so on. This is so exciting learning about out heritage.
      Thank you for your hard work in putting this together.

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  2. Mrs Williams and Family!
    Thank you for your kind words. This search has been such a blessing for me. I do it in honor of the request by my Dad. A wonderful man. I am glad that my search has helped you in some small way. We are who we come from. Glad to know you, Cousin!
    Check back with me as I am always adding what I find.
    Warm wishes, Martha Jane ~

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  3. Peiter Heyl is my 6th great-grandfather. I descend thru his daug. Anna Elisabeth who married my 5th great-grandfather George Hovis, Sr. I've visted your blog several times and have always enjoyed your articles and photos. :)

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  4. Thanks for "sitting a spell" with me, Bonita. This has been and continues to be, a labor of love for me. I am still seeking and finding!
    Thanks for dropping a note, I appreciate the kindness. Come back often, I will be adding again soon. Warm wishes, Martha Jane

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