Welcome to the Gurley Families of the South. The story of the Gurley families of the south is the story of the migration, the religion, the communities, the wars, the social unrest and the exploration of the southern territory of what would become the United States.
The southern Gurley's were involved in the beginnings of the settlements in Virginia, they migrated into North Carolina . As states and territories opened, the migration continued into South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. From the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, and national battles since, the Gurley's served and fought for what they believed in. The Gurley's served their communities as business leaders, clergy, and teachers. They woked as farmers, store keepers, factory workers, and as skilled and unskilled labor.
The data on this site focuses on documented sources and research. The sourced information on this siteis generally believed to be accurate. I have researched the Gurley's of the south since 1993 and tried to use the original primary sources first. I have travelled to libraries, universities, courthouses, cemeteries and churches and used the work of other living and long passed researchers as a guide.
I have met amazing people along the way. I can not begin to thank the folks that helped who work in libraries, historical centers, and universities for their patience and help. Many researchers and their families shared boxes of research and computer files with me. Special thanks to the works I found and the conversations I had with some of these folks: John Miller Bradley, Byron Gibson, Carl Gurley, Dennis Gurley, Don Gurley, Donald H. Gurley, Henry Frasier Gurley, Larry Gurley, Mozelle Gurley, The Hall Family of Huntsville, Betty Hughes, Virginia Meynard, Justus Moll, Rev. William Curtis Cockman, Ginger Powers, Ken Sims, and Rev. Charles Rogers and many others that I have cooresponded with via email. Thanks to all!Over my 25+ years of research, I have found no scrap of paper or documentation that allowed me to leap across the ocean to Ireland, Scotland or even England. In fact, no reliable source has been located that indicates where the Gurley's came from before they appeared in the colony of Virginia in the late 1600's. The best link to a pedigree can be inferred by reading about the orders that George Gurley received to travel to England for ordination into the church in the early 1700's. Fortunantely, we can now look beyond the paper and microfilm records and can do detailed DNA research to follow some of these paths.
As you look thru the data, you will notice that nothing is included for any of us still living. Just for reference, my line leads to the John Gurley, the son of George Gurley, Senior (father of Rev. George Gurley).
Caution:There have been many genealogies of Gurley families published either in print or online that contain information that is not sourced. Many tales and stories exists about the Gurley's of the South, if I have included them, they are noted as an unsourced story. A.E. Gurley's work on the Gurley's of the south is one of those books and resources that includes non-sourced data or information that has been proven to be inaccurate. Many family files posted online use this as a source. If the source was verified, A.E. Gurley's work is sourced. A.E. Gurley was working on his line from the Northeast U.S. he began work on the Southern Gurley's shortly before he died.
The work on this line is not finished but, here's the latest work in progress on the Gurley's of the South. Please feel free to contact me via email with questions, comments or revisions. (Updated 2/2023)