Several genealogists have made mention of an English sea or naval captain who came to this country early in the 18th Century.
The National Cyclopedia of American Biography carries an article on Alfred Austell, born 1814 in South Carolina and who married Jane Wilkins of Spartanburg, S.C. It states that Alfred was the son of William Austell, born 1777. married to Amelia. This William Austell is said to be the son of an English Naval Sea Captain who came to America early in the 18th century, and who was descended from William de Austell, Sheriff of Cornwall under Edward III and the builder of the ancestral castle now in ruins in the town of St. Austell, England.
The North Carolina Register, Vol. I has the same information as given above. It adds that the Austells were of noble family of Cornwall, England, saying: The town of St. Austell is a thriving village and the ruins of the castle built by the sheriff are still standing. The male line of the family has been extinct in England for nearly 200 years, since 1720. Lady Molesworth of Kenizer and Lady Trevillion are representatives of the family.The North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. II repeats the same information and adds: The lady who enquires of William Austell and wife Amelia says her great great grandfather buried himself in the wilds of Yadkin district on account of his fondness for adventure.
Alfred Austell, mentioned above, was a well-known financier of Georgia and a successful business man. After the Civil War he was called "General" but was destroyed financially. He rebuilt his fortune, organized banks and railroads, and was a partner in a very successful cotton dealing firm.
Mary Shields Shore (d. 1980) who was a descendant of William Austell and Amelia, says she has seen an entry in a "William & Mary" Quarterly, Series I, Vol. 21, p.97, which names a Capt. G. W. Austell as having been sent as a messenger from Williamsburg, Va., to England in 1740.
The time frame makes these relationships possible, although they are not proven.
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