In County Antrim in (Northern) Ireland, societal and religious upheaval prompted many of the Irish to emigrate to the colonies. These are my Irish immigrant ancestors, all of whom arrived between 1740 and 1773, before the beginning of the American Revolution. Two of them, Alexander Dickey and Henry Johnson, fought in the war as patriots and are listed with the DAR.
Much further research is needed on all of these individuals due to the prevalence of conflicting information! I would welcome learning about any additional sources, either supporting or refuting what I know.
Robert William Withrow, 1722- 1800 (8 generations back)
Robert Withrow was born in Ulster, Ireland, the son of Janet and John. Ulster includes several counties, one of which is County Antrim. Robert arrived in the colonies before his March 13, 1746, marriage to Elizabeth Evans in Wilmington, Delaware. Robert and Samuel Withrow are mentioned in History of Summers County, West Virginia, as being among the first settlers on Lick Creek, Green Sulphur District, Greenbrier County (later Summers County), Virginia, but Robert had been a miller in 1788 in Augusta County. Robert and Elizabeth had seven children in 29 years. Robert Withrow appears on the 1794-1796 Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists for Greenbrier County. Sons Samuel and William Withrow also appear on the list. Robert died in 1800 in Virginia.
Sources for Robert Withrow
Fridley, David. www.fridley.net Miller, James H. History of Summers County, W.Va. Virginia Property Tax List for Greenbrier Co. 1796. West Virginia Marriages, Greenbrier County, WV. Withrow, Robert and Janet. Withrow Family Bible. (Repository-Archives of North Carolina.)
Ann Wiseman (8 generations back)
Ann Wiseman was born in 1751. She lived in Cullybacky, County Antrim, northern Ireland, where she attended the Cunningham Memorial Presbyterian Church. In 1757, at the age of six, she emigrated with her family to Charleston, South Carolina, aboard the sailing ship Nancy. Ann married Alexander Dickey (see below) in 1783, Fairfield County, South Carolina. She and Alexander were the parents of at least five children.
Sources for Ann Wiseman
Dickey, Grover. John and Alexander Dickey, Immigrants, 1772.
Henry Johnson (8 generations back)
Henry Johnson was born in 1738, of Scotch-Irish parentage. He arrived in Pennsylvania from County Antrim, Ireland, before 1763. In March of 1763 he married English immigrant Rachel Holman in Lancaster County, where they were both residents. From Pennsylvania, they went to North Carolina. He enlisted May 29, 1777, in the 10th North Carolina Rgt. and also served in Capt. Ingles Company, 2nd North Carolina Battalion. 
After the war, they settled near Salisbury, North Carolina, but moved to Robertson County, Tennessee, about 1796. Henry and Rachel had four daughters and six sons, one of whom was General Thomas Johnson, father of Postmaster General Cave Johnson (shown at right), who had previously served as a U.S. Congressman from Tennessee. Henry Johnson is listed as a patriot with the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution).
Sources for Henry Johnson
Daughters of the American Revolution Patriot Index Durrett, Jean, et. al. Robertson County, Tennessee, Cemetery Records. East Tennessee Historical Society. First Families of Tennessee: A Register of Early Settlers and Their Present-Day Descendants. Hatcher, Patricia. Abstracts of Graves of Revolution- ary Patriots, Vol. 2. Pioneer Heritage Press, Dallas, 1988. Poole, Gregory. Robertson County, Tennessee 1802-1930 Obituaries and Death Records. Land Yacht Press,1999. Titus, William P. Picturesque Clarksville, Past and Present. Nabu Press, 2014. (reprint of book published before 1923)
Samuel McKeown (9 generations back)
Samuel McKeown and his wife (name unknown) were also from County Antrim in Ireland. They arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1767, on the ship Earl of Donegal. On Little River, Fairfield County, South Carolina, Samuel built and ran a grist mill or corn mill, which was burned by Tories during the war. An alternate account says that the Tories were attempting to rob the mill (see source below). There were at least six children, of whom sons Samuel (Long Sam), Moses, Robert, and John Jackson and daughter Mary were born in South Carolina. It is believed son Hugh was born in Ireland. The McKeowns are difficult to research because several McKeown families, all related, lived in the same area, and it was not uncommon for cousins to marry.
Sources for Samuel McKeown
Findagrave.com. Lombardi, Oreste. Will the Real Hugh McKeown Stand Up? Unpublished manuscript. Lukachukai, Arizona. McKeown, Hugh James. "Letter to Miss Ione Newton of Pine Bluff, Arkansas." 1920. Sender and Receiver not identified. Posted at Ancestry.com by Jeanne Plummer.
Alexander Dickey (8 generations back)
Alexander Dickey arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, from Larne, County Antrim, Ireland, in 1772. The ship had sailed on August 25 and arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, on Oct. 18, 1772. However, the passengers were quarantined on board ship at Sullivan’s Island due to the discovery of smallpox on board. By Jan. 6, 1773, warrants for surveys of land were issued to the passengers of this and another four ships that had arrived from Ireland. Alexander was granted 100 acres in Laurens, Newberry County. Alexander served in the American Revolution and married Ann Wiseman in Fairfield County in 1783. He settled there permanently before 1791. In 1805 he had to petition the South Carolina House of Representatives and Senate in an effort to collect for his service in the South Carolina Militia of Newberry County under Colonel Philomon Waters. The petition was approved. He is listed in the DAR Patriot Index.
Sources for Alexander Dickey
Daughters of the American Revolution Patriot Index. Dickey, Gerald Wayne. Dickey Encyclopedia. Dickey, Grover. John and Alexander Dickey, Immigrants, 1772.
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