"Our Heritage"
Mt. Olive Tribune
By Claude Moore

One day last week, I ran up with one of my former students at Mount Olive, Lorraine Ivey Kornegay. She suggested that I might like to write something about the pioneer Ivey family. I am glad to do this. There are many descendants of the early Iveys in Sampson, Wayne & Duplin counties.

The Ivey family originated in France where they were known as St. Ives. They migrated to England after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Iveys prospered in England & according to the records they were fanatical in their devotion to the Church of England.

Thomas Ivey, born in England in 1604, married Ann Argent, the daughter of George Argent of Middlesex, England. They migrated to Elizabeth River Parish, Norfolk County, Virginia in 1635. Thomas Ivey is believed to have been a son of Sir George Ivey & his wife, Lettice Culpepper. Thomas Ivey died in 1653 & left four sons; Thomas, George, William & a daughter, Ann.

Thomas Ivey II (1636-1684) married, lived in Virginia & had the following children: Thomas III, Anthony, Lemuel, Agnes, Elizabeth & Frances.

Thomas Ivey III (1670-1744) married & settled in Beaufort County, NC, around 1702. Their children were: John, Thomas, William, Robert & Henry.

Robert Ivey (born 1720) married & bought land in Craven County in 1750. They had at least two sons: Robert II & John. Robert Ivey II married & received land grants in Dobbs County as early as 1754.

John Ivey (1750-1805) married Miss Moseley, probably from LaGrange, settled on the north side of the Neuse River near Whitehall at what is known as the old John Ivey Place. The house is still standing. Dr. Henry B. Ivey of Goldsboro & most of the Duplin & Wayne Iveys are descended from John.

John Ivey (died 1693), the son of Thomas & Ann Argent Ivey, the first settlers, married Mary Joyce. They had a son, John Ivey (1677-1753) who married & patented land in Prince George & Surry counties in Virginia. They had several children among whom was a son, Thomas Ivey who died (1796) who married Ann Gilbert & migrated from Dinwiddie County, Virginia to Duplin (now Sampson) in 1766 & settled on a plantation on Turkey Swamp. He had two brothers, John Ivey & William Ivey who settled in Duplin County.

Thomas & Ann Gilbert Ivey had the following children: Captian Curtis Ivey (1759-1792) who married Sarah Routledge & lived on a plantation near Turkey, later known as the Kirby Place; Amelia Ivey (1771-1840) who married Elisha Faison & lived on a plantation near Turkey; Charlotte Ivey who married James Faison; Lucy Ivey (1757-1819) who married Captain James Thompson & lived near Turkey; Rebecca Ivey; Elizabeth Ivey who married Jethro Oates & lived near Faison; & Thomas Ivey (died 1813) died unmarried.

Curtis Ivey was a Captain in the Continental Army, first Clerk of Court of Sampson County & one-time secretary of the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati. He is buried in the Moore Cemetery near Turkey, NC.