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Introduction
This work is a continuing project. There is much to be determined about our Mullins’ heritage. There are two main families that I have been tracking with the help of many fellow researchers. These are the Mullins families that we located in North Carolina, and where they moved to South Carolina and Georgia, then elsewhere. Most of what we know about Bud Mullins, at least at this time, comes from his own documents. First of all his Revolutionary War Application gives us insight into his early years, and his Last Will and Testament tells us about his children. After many years of research, the data points to Bud Mullins being the last son of Thomas and Anne Mullins from Virginia. This was not accepted lightly. In following Bud in his travels from NC>GA>SC>GA there is a constant that cannot be ignored. His oldest brother Thomas II, is with him. All of his other brothers, with the exception of John, move to Georgia. Both before and after Thomas II dies in SC, Bud is found with his children, the children of Thomas II. This is a fact that cannot be ignored. Another fact that cannot escape one's interest is that a couple of Bud's children have the same name as his siblings: Thomas and Clement. In addition Bud's older brother, John, has a son named Bud. Please refer to the section on Bud Mullins for further information. Research into Thomas Mullins' genealogy has been and continues to be a very interesting, rewarding, confusing and frustrating endeavor. Part of the confusion and frustration comes from the fact that Thomas's descendants wanted to give their children similar names. There are several Clements, Jeremiahs, Buds, Nathaniels, Johns, Greens, Burgess and others. It is obvious that the majority cannot read or write which gives further problems with the correct spelling of their names. Much information has been accumulated and documented by various individuals and organizations, and subsequently published. When trying to put together a puzzle where all of the pieces are not always available, it forces the writer to guess or assume or deduct and come to conclusions that most likely are accurate but not always. This is certainly the case with the marriages and descendants of Thomas Mullins (1714-1785). What we must consider about Thomas is that there were many, many Thomas Mullins in NC, SC, and GA during this time.
Other Research The very prestigious organization The Huguenot Society Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia, which traces their arrival in America to 1562 in Georgia, publishes a pamphlet called The Huguenot. Their motto "Their nobility our heritage" confirms that they are dedicated to discovering and documenting their members' lineages. Such was the case in Publication No. 27 (1975-1977) there the Rev. Emmett Moore Waits published his work on the Mullen (Des Moulins - Du Moulin) families. In the very extensively researched document, des Moulins, by the 3rd generation has changed their name to Mullen and then in the 4th generation Thomas Mullen is born in 1720 in Perquimans County, NC. While this part may be true they go on to state that he married Anne MALLONE of Surry County, Virginia. This is not the case. Thomas Mullins married Anne MALONE, both names spelled very clearly in the documentation of the time. To add to the confusion, the book by John B. Boddie Albermarle Parish Register: Births and Deaths lists the name of Thomas and Anne as MULLENS in the body, and MULLINS in the index. How one researcher in publishing his "documented" genealogy will affect future descendants, and be in error, is a problem. Rev. Waits' family in Perquimans County (actually at that time is was called a Precinct) all spelled their names MULLEN. Waits asks us to believe that his family, known as Mullen in North Carolina, sent one of their clan to Virginia, changed his name to Mullins, married, and moved back and changed their name back to Mullen. Absurd. Waits' Mullen family then moved on to Kentucky and Indiana where Rev. Waits' family was the 11th generation of Mullen's recorded in his document. I cannot agree that this is the same Thomas that moved to North Carolina and continued having children, who might have immigrated from England as further research supports. In fact when one looks further at the Thomas Mullen that moved to Kentucky in 1783, one discovers that he was a Reverend as well as a Captain in the Revolutionary War, stationed in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. What a shame that future researchers will take Rev. Waits at his word. Another historian and chronologist was Dr. George Mullins of Logan, West Virginia. We are most grateful for his accumulation of documentation accomplished over many years. He also researched the Moulin/Mullen/Molines connection as being our ancestors. After "spending a lot of time finding no connection" with the des Moulins family, he continues to write: "So Thomas the blacksmith of Cedar Creek was our ancestor, but the search for reasonable proof took ten years from 1967 to 1977, but it was a labor of love and great fun to anyone who enjoys history". This proof came in the form of the original immigrant document signed by Thomas Mullins. The following documentation does not prove or disprove that Thomas came from England and is the progenitor of this particular branch of Mullins. Regarding that document a number of researchers have misread the handwriting on that document and interpreted his destination as "South Carolina Chris Majothis plantation" when in fact the document states "South Carolina (his Majesties plantation in America). I wonder how many genealogists have gone to the South Carolina research data looking for a Chris Majothis? Dr. Mullins only listed four sons of Thomas: John, Clement, Nathaniel and Jeremiah. In his documentation (the typing errors are his) he states "His (Wiliam Baker, d. 1777) will mentions both Clement and John Mullins. Now the descendants of Clem say he had a brother named Jeremiah Mullins. Since the will of John bore the mark of Nathaniel Mullins as witness, we can assume that Thoma's sons were John, Clem, Nathnl, and Jeremiah. There may have been others of course." Research now indicates that there was certainly others -- Malone, and possibly Bud. In addition, our immigrant's first son was Thomas, Jr. James A. Burgess published a book Burgess, Mullins, Browning, Brown and Allied Families in 1978. Jim lives here in the "valley of the sun" and has been very helpful in showing me his documentation, as well as copies of Dr. George Mullins original papers. Jim also has a web site which continues to add new information about the Mullins family and its descendants. Both Jim Burgess and Dr. George Mullins are descendants of a Nathaniel Mullins, but unfortunately, in my opinion, he is not the son of Thomas Mullins of Franklin County, North Carolina. There was another Nathaniel Mullins in Rowan County, North Carolina, and I believe him to be ancestor of Dr. George Mullins, and Jim Burgess. In this document I have made assumptions that eventually may prove either right or wrong. One of these areas where I "step out on a limb" is in the marriage of Thomas Mullins to Anne Malone. I have stated here that I believe all of the children are Ann's. This may or may not be the case. Perhaps someone will eventually prove this to be in error, and I will be around to correct my mistake. I have included Malone and Bud as sons of Thomas and Ann (Malone) Mullins, and there is abundant evidence that confirms this. Please refer to the section on Thomas Mullins for further information. Good reading and I hope this document continues to be a "works in progress". William (Murray) Pearson, February, 2002
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