Ellerslie

In her book "Hometown Heritage, Vol One", Lucille Miller Johnson writes that  "Ellerslie is located on Elliot's Bridge Road several miles off North Carolina Highway 401, about ten miles north of Fayetteville, It is believed to be the oldest plantation home in Cumberland County lived in continuously by members of the same family. A definite date of construction has not been established, but it is believed to be around 1790".

Ellerslie was the home of Dr. William H. Maffett, and is recorded so in the journals of many historic figures, including his nephew, Col John Newland Maffett, Jr., a famed Seaman. Below is a link to John Newland Maffet's Find-a-grave site. 

Find-a-grave Cmd. John Newland Maffett


Other sources have it linked to the Elliott family. No doubt the estate is old. I will have to look into deeds and see when it exchanged hands or when the Maffett family may have intermarried with or morphed into the Elliott family. A visit to Ellerslie is definately in order. It appears the home was first built by George Elliott and then occupied by Dr. Maffett and later Florie, his great-niece. Dr. Maffett was married to Margaret Adams, and not an Elliott. Were these Elliott's related to Rebecca Booth Elliott mentioned in a previous post? The mysteries continue.


From Cultural Heritage Trails:

Gaelic Beginnings

b) Ellerslie - Elliot Bridge Rd.

Ellerslie has been the homeplace of the Elliott family since 

settling on the state granted land in 1790. By 1801, the plantation had grown in size to more than 5,000 acres. George 

Elliot, founder of the American family, was educated at University of Edinburgh and immigrated from Scotland to settle 

on the Lower Little River in the Upper Cape Fear Valley. He 

represented Cumberland County at the Hillsboro Convention 

in 1788. His son Alexander represented Cumberland County 

in the North Carolina Legislature in 1826. The home highlights eighteenth century domestic architecture of the area. 

The original appearance of the home was altered with a 

Greek Revival addition in the 1850s. Private.

Created Date:

circa 1790

Provenance: George Elliot (Scots planter), first owner | Architectural Note: In the 1840s, a new Greek Revival house was added to the front of the existing home, which became a rear ell. | Historical Note: The home is one of the few late eighteenth century plantation houses along the Upper Cape Fear River and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

From the United States Department of the Interior National Park Service:

National Register of Historic Places:

Thorbiskope is similar in form to many other houses along the Cape Fear, and throughout the 

coastal plain of North Caroina. It is similar to the houses built by George Elliot (Ellerslie, 

ca. 1797, NR) and Henry Elliot (Cool Springs, ca. 1815, NR) nearby. 

From the "290 Foundation: Ancestors"

Mary 'Florie' Maffitt

Her name was Mary Florence Maffitt though better known as Florie Maffitt. Daughter of John Newlands Maffitt and his wife Mary, Florie was born in Mobile, Alabama in February 1841 although news of his daughter’s birth, only reached her father when he arrived in Pensacola, Florida. John Newland Maffitt immediately sent for his wife and daughter Florie to come and live with him while he was on a three-month leave.

On August 3, 1852, when Florie was eleven years old, her father married Caroline Laurens Read, a South Carolinian whose late husband was also an officer in the navy. They were married in St. Paul’s Church in Charleston, and Caroline then took on the care of Florie and her brother while their father was at sea. Her stepmother taught Florie how to dress and act in front of people and in the many social skills required at Washington gatherings.

Following the death of her stepmother, Florie’s father moved her to Ellerslie Estate, the home of Dr. William Maffitt, brother of the senior John Maffitt near Fayetteville, North Carolina. The estate got its name from the Maffitt ancestral home in Dublin, Ireland, and Ellerslie stood on a high elevation near the head of Blount’s Creek, about half way between Fayetteville and present-day Fort Bragg. In a new home and being close to family once again, Florie’s life gained a new purpose and renewed energy and totally enjoyed her stay in the countryside She would make many trips to Wilmington or Fayetteville to visit her father when he came in port, or to shop at the fine places that Wilmington had to offer to such a young lady. Then came war; and her father’s new assignments in the Confederate Navy took him away for longer periods

Before the Civil War ended, Florie met the man who captured her heart. His name was Joshua Wright. The Wrights were a well-known Wilmington family which in years to come, alongwith the Maffitts, would shape the future of Wilmington as one of the best seaports on the East Coast for shipping goods. On February 17, 1864, Florie and Joshua married in St. JoFebruary 17, 1864, Florie and Joshua married in St. John’s Church, Fayetteville, North Carolina and in the years following had six children: James Allen, John Maffitt, Joshua Grainger, Thomas Henry, Mary Allen and Caroline Lauren. Florie and her husband would often travel to their estate in Cork County, Ireland after the war, and visit members of the Maffitt family residing there. She also traveled to the Middle East, meeting kings and queens who knew of Captain Maffitt’s reputation on the high seas and his work with the British merchant navy after the close of war.

Florie and Joshua along with their children lived on John Maffitt’s estate until her untimely death in 1883. Maffitt was at her bedside at the time of her passing and is reported to have endured a massive hemorrhage of blood from his nose.

Florie Maffitt remains an important part of Wilmington’s unique history. Probably her full story will never be known but we do know from the foregoing that she was a brave woman and a fine example of courage to other women. She was a loving daughter to a man who taught her the secrets of the sea. Florie changed many lives and challenged much conventional thinking of her time. In her father’s twilight years (and unknowingly hers), she was already a truly inspirational figure in our history.

Condensed from an article by Bob Maffitt, Hon Vice-President (US), 290 Foundation, Wilmington N.C.

The Water Cure

A plaque emplaced by Malvern Civic Society at Ellerslie records that,

Ellerslie was the water cure establishment of Drs Edward and Walter Johnson.(son)

Here Thomas Attwood the Birmingham political reformer died in 1856.

Thomas Attwood 1783 - 1856 was the first Member of Parliament for Birmingham.

Dr Johnson and his son later moved their business across the road to Malvernbury.

In 1911 Ellerslie was occupied by widow Julia Caroline Colt nee Hutton.

 Coachman Adam Anderson lived at Ellerslie Cottage, and gardener Robert Scott lived at Ellerslie Lodge.

Julia Colt's husband Captain George Frederick Russell Colt died Great Malvern in 1909. In 1881 his occupation had been recorded as proprietor of the Gartsherrie Estate, Roxburgh, Scotland.

Mary Florence "Florie" Maffett Wright

hn’s Church, Fayetteville, North Carolina and in the years following had six children: James Allen, John Maffitt, Joshua Grainger, Thomas Henry, Mary Allen and Caroline Lauren. Florie and her husband would often travel to their estate in Cork County, Ireland after the war, and visit members of the Maffitt family residing there. She also traveled to the Middle East, meeting kings and queens who knew of Captain Maffitt’s reputation on the high seas and his work with the British merchant navy after the close of war.

Florie and Joshua along with their children lived on John Maffitt’s estate until her untimely death in 1883. Maffitt was at her bedside at the time of her passing and is reported to have endured a massive hemorrhage of blood from his nose.
Florie Maffitt remains an important part of Wilmington’s unique history. Probably her full story will never be known but we do know from the foregoing that she was a brave woman and a fine example of courage to other women. She was a loving daughter to a man who taught her the secrets of the sea. Florie changed many lives and challenged much conventional thinking of her time. In her father’s twilight years (and unknowingly hers), she was already a truly inspirational figure in our history.

Condensed from an article by Bob Maffitt, Hon Vice-President (US), 290 Foundation, Wilmington N.C.

The above was the origins of the Ellerslie estate in Ireland.

From:

The Stuff of Legends

by Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle Jr.

February 2009

Soon after making landfall in New York, the Maffitts moved to New England, where young John lived the first five years of his life. But he spent several happy boyhood years at Ellerslie, the plantation home of an uncle, Dr. William Maffitt, near Fayetteville, North Carolina, as well. It was a Southern exposure that would greatly influence his life.

Dr. Maffitt, who had accompanied his brother’s family to America in 1819, adopted young John when his mother and father separated in 1824.