Great x3 grandfather Carroll Witty (1818-1898)

Repost from Monday, April 9, 2018

A man named Carroll...

Carroll Witty, (1818-1898) that is, my 3 times great grandfather on my mother's maternal side, the Booth Family Tree.

We reviewed the lives of most of his children in (2018) the last week.  I'd deleted the new one added in Ancestry, born in 1882, named Permella Witty, born in Marshall TX - died in 1963,  Fort Worth, TX.  I found later that Permilia was granddaughter of Carroll Witty, daughter of William Wiley Witty (1854-1929) and his wife Molly Paschal Witty (1853-1933).

I have already covered much of the patriarch of the family's life.  But let's see if there's anything that isn't in the stories and photos, the background from one place to another where he traveled.  My old blog Here speaks of Carroll and his daughter Eugenia, and others in my family.

I found an Alabama agricultural census for 1850 had been recently added, with Carroll Witty having no land, either improved or unimproved, and no value of a farm, but $100 value for farm implements.  For the same year the federal census said he had a household of 8 persons.  He was 31, his wife Susan Hoke Witty was 32, and he had children; John C. 6. James 5, Martha E. 3, Mary 2, Thomas 0, and Joseph Hoke, 57 (his father-in-law).

The population census for the same year includes his brother (Andrew) Jackson Witty living next listing to his. Jackson did own land.  And his household was very interesting.  Jackson was 35 and his wife Emily was 26, and his mother's sister, Elizabeth Wells lived with them, age 75, and perhaps a cousin Sarah Wills 35 and unknown relationship Carlin Wills 26, and a mis-transcribed person Matilda Collins, 9 (listed as Marilda Colling).

I must salute Carroll Witty for taking his family to Texas, for being a entrepreneur and starting a new community (with partners) and for being a man with a mission.  He may have been a farmer in 1850, but by 1852 he was in Marshall TX, and by 1860 all the way in Hill County, Subdivision, TX.

This is a man who traveled far, as well as had a big family.  Though his 2 oldest sons took part in the Civil War, (and one died in it) there's no record that he did.  His family grew up, and daughters and sons married and moved away, and he continued to be a farmer.  In the 1870 census he had property valued at $1000 and his youngest 3 as teenagers were living at home as well as his oldest son James who was a stock raiser (perhaps cattle.)

UPDATED: He is listed as Terrell Witty, living with his wife Susan, in the 1880 census, with their daughter Susan actually 24, but listed as 20 living with them, as well as a niece, Freby Moore, age 21.  He is listed as "Terrell Witty" clearly in the handwritten form, but when someone says Carroll for a man's name, perhaps the census taker understood it as Terrell.  And their daughter Susan Witty had married in 1877 to James Moore...but for some reason was living with her parents and using her maiden name.  And whoever Freby Moore was, the niece, she was born in Alabama.  Perhaps James' sister?   Susan and James Moore didn't have their daughter, Edna May More, until 1885.

But this Uncle James "J.J." Moore (b. 1856 Marshall TX) had a life which continued after his wife Susie died in 1902, and he remarried to have more children.  He also lived until 1932, and here's a great photo of him in his corn field in 1930.

Great times 3 Uncle James Joseph Moore 1854-1932

Lucretia Wells Witty (1775-1817)

A great times 4 grandmother, wife of James Witty, and mother of Mr. Carrol Witty...she seems to have been confused on a lot of Ancestry trees with her sister Elizabeth. But if the will of her father, James Wells, is to believed, Elizabeth married Mr. Riece/Reeves, and Lucretia married Mr. Witty. Their names on their father's will are Lucretia Witty and Elizabeth Riece.

There are so many dates that make me scratch my head in wonder, when looking at the Wells family tree. I will just say that as of this date in time, it seems as follows. (These may change if I find any documents to substantiate other dates!)

Lucretia was born in 1775 in Surry County, North Carolina. The county was formed in 1771 from Rowan County, NC, which had been where her parents were living and several of her siblings births were recorded. This was before the American Revolution, so North Carolina was a colony still at the time Lucretia was born. Surry County now consists of about 2/3 Piedmont land, rolling hills, and the other 1/3 is the Appalachian Mountains to the west, including now the Blue Ridge Parkway National Park.

Lucretia was the 7th of 10 children born to James Wells (1728-1810) and Mary Price Wells (1730-1809). There are some alternate dates and places of her birth, namely in 1775 in Virginia (Surry County is on the NC/VA border) or 1768 in Delaware or Maryland. (See why it's hard to figure out much about this family?)

Without any documentation, it is conjectured that she married James Witty (1768-1830) in 1800. Their oldest son, George Witty, was born in 1805 or maybe 1808 in Limestone County, Alabama. A newspaper obituary in 1847 says he had been the first baby born in Limestone County in 1808.

There is a document in the Guilford County NC Quaker meeting in 1806, where James Witty and his family are removed from that meeting to move to another one. At one time there was an Ancestry tree that said his first wife was named Mary, who was mother of his earlier children, all but one of whom died before the move to Alabama, and we don't know her death date either. And his second wife was Elizabeth Wells (which I seem to believe not true.)

The Wittys had a son in 1815, Andrew Jackson Witty, born in Tennessee, whose death is unknown.

Their son, Carroll Witty (1818-1898) was born in 1818, in Limestone County AL.  James Calvin Witty was born in 1824 (death unknown.) And finally they had a daughter, Martha Jane Witty Hine, (1827-1891 also born in Limestone County AL.

Grandmom Lucretia was part of the 1830 Census of Limestone County AL, in James Wittys' household of 10 persons. I have no idea who was who, as it's just broken down by ages, and so many of the birth dates are not accurate.

As all the other dates are very nebulous, I can guess that the death date of Lucretia was after she was counted in the 1830 Cenus, but not in Martin Co., Indiana. That record is referring to Lucretia Ellis who died in Martin Co, Indiana, not my gggg Grandmother Lucretia Witty. Unfortunately that Indiana Lucretia is given the same parents as my Lucretia Wells Witty.

My ggg grandfather, Carroll Witty, moved further west into Texas. George Witty has his grave in Limestone, AL. There's no information on James Jr. or Jackson's deaths.  Martha Jane is buried in Athens, Limestone County, AL.

James Wells (1728-1810) and his will

In his will, dated 25 Jan. 1810.  He was my great times 5 grandfather on my mother's tree (The Booth Family Tree).

James Wells states he gives to his son Thomas Wells, 12 shillings and 6 pence. (1748-1820)
He gives to his daughter Eizabeth Riece 12 shillings and 6 pence. (1777-1861)
And to his daughter Lucretia Witty, 12 shillings and 6 pence. (1775-1817)
To his son Nunan Wells, 12 shillings and 6 pence. (1770-1811)
To his daughter Rachael Hutchins, 12 shillings and 6 pence. (1774-1851)
To his daughter Susannah Rash, 12 shillings and 6 pence. (1747-1847?)
To his son John Wells, 12 shillings and 6 pence. (1777-1850)
Marianne Wells (he does not indicate their relationship) 12 shillings and 6 pence. (her name really was Rachael Marianne Wells Hutchins, (1774-1851)
To his daughter Mary Beck, 12 shillings and 6 pence. (1781-1855)

To his son James Wells, (1755-1810), all his land and tenements and 1/2 his moveable property, and the other 1/2 of his moveable property to his beloved wife, Mary Wells. And "as I consider the property she brought to me when we married as her own I want her to hold the same without any division."

25 Jan. 1810.

But there is the little problem of his wife, Mary Wells (1730-1809) apparently having died in 1809...so why was she included in his will written in January 1810? Maybe there's a mistake in her death date? Maybe they weren't living together and were both cared for by their children. Or maybe he was not as clear minded as he said he was. Certainly his 9 children's portions of equal amounts, and the 10th getting all the property, does seem a bit odd. But it is a genealogist's treasure, with each of the daughters' married names.  I am skeptical about Susannah Wells Rash living from 1747-1847. But I can't follow that down the rabbit hole today.

I want to talk about my great times 4 grandmother Lucretia Wells Witty next.

Clarification about James Witty

James Witty (abt. 1768 - 1830-40), 
post from Feb. 2019, some clarification from earlier post.

He was born around 1768, and has several Quaker documents about him and his family from Guilford County, North Carolina - but no birth record.  It could have been lost, or he might not have been a Quaker from birth.

The New Garden Meeting (Guildford County NC) has a beautifully penned introduction, mentioning that it would record births and deaths, and especially work around the 11 lost days in Sept. 1752 (when the calendar moved from Julian to Gregorian according to England finally changing it's calendars). But nobody is mentioned in the introduction itself.  It should also be remembered that until 1752, the Western Christian Feast of the Annunciation, on March 25, also called "Lady Day".was considered the first of the year. And since the Quakers don't use the Roman names of months or days, there was First Month, Second Month, etc.  So I'm not sure (like many genealogists) of when these events actually happened which are recorded as, say, 3rd of Fourth Month, etc (no births or deaths are available now).

James Witty's birth is listed in an index (again hand written) with a number 240 next to it which was a page number.

His children's birth's are recorded, as well as early deaths. Only 2 of the 5 may have made it through childhood apparently (at least as far as these records provide). I know 3 died early, and the other 2 don't have dates of death listed on Ancestry.  His wife, Mary, also died around 1792.

See the typed version below...with months listed as left numerals (but again, in Quaker version)

The minutes of the New Garden monthly meeting in 1806 report that James Witty had removed with his family to the visit (?) of the Miami Meeting. (This location is unknown to me, the modern one is in Ohio.)  Since he hadn't followed their proper procedure, another member was going to visit him and make sure everything was alright and report back next monthly meeting.

In the next meeting minutes, a report is made that the Friends who visited James Witty and his family gave a certificate saying all was well with them.

He apparently remarried in 1800 or so to Lucretia Wells (Witty) in Tennessee.  This has no documentation however.  Their first son, George Witty (1808-1865), was indicated to have been born in TN in 1805. But with the notation of the New Garden Meeting of Friends that it was 1806 when his family moved from Guilford County, NC, I question that these 2 events happened in TN.  I also found that his son George had a headstone which says he was born in 1805, but there are newspaper clippings (just found on Ancestry) saying he was the first child born in Limestone County, AL in 1808.

I believe that the records saying both the marriage and the birth were in TN are due to the boundaries of the states being close to one another.  It's possible the marriage was in NC or TN, but that the birth of George Witty was in their new home along the border of TN and AL.  My hunch is based on the Guildford Quaker document of 1806 about the family moving, and the newspaper clipping.  But there seem to be no records saying that TN was indeed the location of these events.  So we don't know where the indication of TN marriage and birth came from.

Anyway, back to James.  I just found out his second wife was named Lucretia Wells Witty.  All the records on Ancestry had been calling her Elizabeth.  But Lucretia Wells and Elizabeth Wells' father's will (James Wells) states Lucretia Witty would receive some money, as well as her sister Elizabeth Riece. That's enough for me to put two and two together and know Elizabeth Wells Riece wouldn't have had a sister named Elizabeth Wells Witty...and so now there's Lucretia's first name...as of 1775.

So James Witty took off for the frontier of Alabama, with his family, and had a land claim which is mapped.  It's rather confusing, but apparently he was one of the founders of that area, on the border of Tennessee.

And while looking at Uncle George Witty's Ancestry site, I found a photo of the Witty Cemetery in Limestone County, Alabama.  It was completely overrun by trees, but the photo of George's headstone looks as if someone might have cleared it out.  I would imagine Grandpa James is also buried there, as well as other Witty's living and dying in that area. (Uncle George was a older brother of my 3 x great grandfather, Carroll Witty (1818-1898) who was born in Limestone, AL, then moved from Alabama to Texas.

Some of the Witty graves, Alabama.

The Witty families lived in Limestone County, Alabama

A repost from -Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Mooresville AL

Mooresville is one of the oldest incorporated towns in Alabama, having been incorporated on November 16, 1818, when Alabama was still a Territory.

Limestone County, AL - used to be cotton raising area.  Huntsville and Athens are cities in Limestone County.  My great times 4 grandfather, James Witty (abt. 1768 - 1830-40), may have lived in an area like this, where Carroll Witty, (1818-1898) his son, was born.

The entire town of Mooresville, described as a picturesque early 19th century village, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the older public buildings, including the Stagecoach Inn and Tavern, the Brick Church, the Post Office, and the Church of Christ, are owned and maintained by the town's residents.

Old Post Offece in Mooresville, AL  Photo by Brian Stansberry

Mooresville Post Office (1840) – located at the corner of Lauderdale and High streets, this post office is the oldest in operation in Alabama and has call boxes dating before the American Civil War. The call boxes and some of the office furnishings actually predate the building, having been used in the nearby Stagecoach Inn and Tavern.

Photo: Robbie Caponetto

Small Town We Love: Mooresville, Alabama

In Southern Living magazine...

A real-life living museum. 

by Lacy Morris

Population: 53

Why We’d Move There
History reigns supreme in this postcard-size town. As a matter of fact, the entire town, all 0.1 mile and six streets of it, is included on the National Register of Historic Places. White picket fences frame tree-shaded streets and buildings where Presidents have slept. Visiting here is like stepping back into a time of gracious plenty, where city noise is the rustling of oaks and congestion is the growth of moss on clapboard cottages.

The Community
Though there’s a larger city on either side of this Tennessee River town (Huntsville to the east, Decatur to the west), no one seems eager to leave. In fact, the mayor, Margaret-Anne Crumlish, is the third generation of her family to take the seat and the seventh consecutive generation to live in Mooresville.

The Perfect Day
Start at JaVa.Mooresville on North Street, where Jack McReynolds, the unofficial town record keeper, serves lattes, lemonades, and apple pies. Then lace up your walking shoes for a guided tour (256/355-2683) with a resident. Stops include the Stagecoach Inn and Tavern, where town council meetings are still held, and the post office, the oldest one in continuous use in Alabama. Stop over at 1818 Farms (1818farms.com) to buy organic eggs, lavender linen spray, and goat’s milk bath bubbles. And don’t even think about leaving town without visiting Lyla’s Little House (lylaslittlehouseal.com), where Mrs. Lyla Peebles sells her candies, cheese straws, and homemade ice cream along with vintage dishware. On Fridays in summer, join Bonnie Richardson as she hosts margarita nights on the porch of her home, Cedar Lane.

Local To Know
Sixth-generation resident Woody Peebles has lived on the same street for 64 years. You’ll find him in the Peebles House on North Street, where he lives with wife Lyla. The two went on their first date 30 years ago on a Tuesday, and by supper on Friday, Woody had proposed. Now they act as the town’s party planners, hosting events at The Dance Hall(256/353-8723).

Don’t Miss
The 1839 brick church on Lauderdale Street has a wooden hand pointing toward heaven atop the steeple. It was carved by Bonnie Richardson’s “Pa,” who worried that people wouldn’t know which way to heaven.

Old Brick Church (1839) photo by M. Kauffman

James Witty, (abt 1745 to 1830-40)

James Witty, my 4 times great grandfather

first posted: Monday, July 14, 2014

The Witty pioneers in Alabama

James Witty, 1745-1840,  Quaker from North Carolina, moved to Alabama.

In the 1830 census for Limestone Alabama, he is listed with this household.

Name:	James Willy (Witty)
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):	Limestone, Alabama
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 60 thru 69:	1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:	2
Free White Persons - Females - 50 thru 59:	1
Free White Persons - Under 20:	4
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	4
Total Free White Persons:	10
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored):	10

I have looked at the Quaker Meeting Records which are intact from monthly Men's Meeting called The New Garden Monthly meeting of Guilford, NC.  James Witty is noted as a birth (date unclear by the page I've saved).  He also is noted to leave the meeting with his family to move to a meeting called Miami Meeting.  There are two notes to this effect, the first sort of a notice that it's happening, and sending a couple of the members to see if it's true in May, 1806.  The second is their report saying yes, it's true in June, 1806.

Introduction comments for Guildford, NC monthly meeting of Quakers

I found a very interesting survey map with James Witty owning land in N. Alabama.  I don't understand it all.

His name is written across 4 squares that have a creek running through the middle, in the upper part of the map, centrally located.  And then one more square has J. Witty written in it.  I think it is from 1830 also.  The notes regarding it say: "Earliest Township and Range Public Land Survey State: Alabama Principal Meridian: Huntsville Meridian (Northern Part of Alabama)"

He was married first to Mary Witty. Her maiden name is unknown.  They had 5 children before she died sometime between 1792 and 1800, and 3 of her children died between 1793-94. I don't know the dates of the other 2 children deaths, so perhaps they lived to adulthood.

James' second wife is named Elizabeth Wells Witty.  There's a Lucrettia Witty mentioned in a will for James Wells, in Surry County, NC 25 Jan 1810.  I have to check what her relationship to Elizabeth Wells might have been....
UPDATED 2019 - Lucrettia Wells Witty (1775-1847) was James Witty's wife, because Elizabeth Wells had another husband (Reise) as her name mentioned in that will.

The first 2 of the 5 Witty children are listed as having been born in Tennessee according to Ancestry, and the later ones born in Limestone, AL, starting with my ancestor Carrol Witty.

I have no idea how they were also living in Tennessee.  More to research...

The area of northern Alabama was very close to the Tennessee line, especially before the states were actually formed.  Land was offered to veterans of various American wars.  The Tennessee River ran through Limestone County.

James Witty's family may also have been living in Athens AL, or what was to become Huntsville...I'm sorry to not be very familiar with Limestone County AL.

But tomorrow I'll post an interesting article about a rural Alabama town, Mooresville.
It has some historic buildings, which were standing at the time James was growing his cotton.

Finding the Witty ancestors

First I have to admit there is no evidence this person was my six times great grandfather, Jonathan Brittain, born (probably) in Yorkshire England. (1695-1750) There is a record of his daughter's birth, which is the only record with his name on it that I've found. My ancestor Mary Wity, didn't end up being this woman.

Jonathan Brittain's daughter was Mary Brittain Witty. She was born on 4 MAR 1721 in Bradford, York, England. Source: England Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

Some of the Ancestry contributors have posted plaids for Jonathan and Mary Brittain - the Yorkshire England plaid.

Mary Brittain married John Witty (1720-1793) who had been born in either England or Wales. He has a plaid attributed to him also, but it's unlikely that he would have had anything with this cloth (described as Witt-Roxburgh Dist.) I'm including it here just because I think it's pretty.

Now I'd like to think this Witty couple came to the American Colony of North Carolina.

But I must admit, this couple named Mary Brittain Witty and John Witty remained in England, and thus are recorded as dying there as well. So Mary Brittain and her husband, another John Witty are not on my Ancestry tree!

But I'm pretty certain my ancestor, John Witty (1720-1793) was from North Carolina (though he may have been born in England) who was living in Guilford County, on the county line of what became Rockingham County, NC.  He was my great times 5 grandfather. There are a lot of North Carolina land records with John Witty's name on them. He received an original land grant (I think) for serving in the American Revolutionary War.  The bills of sale of his land give his presence in the area throughout the years of his life.

I'm going to continue to call his wife Mary, though we don't know her surname at this time. She had her children in North Carolina, wherever she had been born. But she obviously didn't die in England, as the other Mary (Brittain) Witty did. I am amazed that other descendants (cousins of mine) believe that she and John would go back to England to die...after living their whole lives in North Carolina.

The Witty children include:
Mary (1751-1792)
Andrew (1753-1818)
Elijah (1756-1841)
John Jr. (1761- ?)
James (1768-1740)
Ezekiel C. (1770-1842)

A document exists about a John Witty who married in 1815, which is after the death of our grandfather, so I'm adding "Jr." to his name. John Jr. had a daughter that had been listed in error as the daughter of her grandfather, John Sr., before I started looking more closely. The daughter was Margaret "Miss Peggy" Witty Winchester (see more below.)

Great times 5 Grandmother, Mary Witty died at some date in Guilford County, North Carolina. The dates that are on most Ancestry trees belong to the Mary Brittain Witty who lived her whole life in England, with birth and death dates recorded there. These wouldn't be the correct dates for my Great x5 grandmother Witty.

There is however, a Witty Cemetery, in Barren County, KY where John and Mary Witty's son, Ezekiel C. Witty (1770-1842) is buried.

Incidentally, while getting some of the people into the correct families, I found "Miss Peggy" Margaret Witty Winchester (1785-1870) married Dr. William Winchester and they moved to Kentucky. There's an interesting document as to whether to move her grave to another site when the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) started building dams and creating Kentucky Lake in 1937-1944. The actual document mentions that her grave was not moved, being in the Winchester Cemetery in Concord, Calloway County, KY.  I looked to see about the Witty graves, because some of them also had noted that they were moved for the new dams. Only 2 Witty graves were mentioned, and neither were moved.

My great times 4 grandfather was James Witty (abt. 1768-1840). He moved to Alabama, and his son, Carrol Witty (1818-1898), moved to Texas. There he had a daughter,  Eugenia Witty Booth (1817-1898), who was my great times 2 grandmother.

My mother's family tree has these Alabama Wittys who eventually came to Texas. In the next couple of posts I'll be re-posting some old blogs from 2014-2018, with hopefully a bit of better editing. I can't believe how many names I've misspelled!

Martha Rogers Cannon (1770-1844)

Mary, Mary, quite contrary.
How does your graden grow?

And for the last some-odd years or so, Mary Rogers (1769-1857) was listed as my Great times 4 grandfather's sister. But when I checked for her statistics with "hints" on Ancestry, I found her parents weren't Henry Rogers (1741-1794) and Elizabeth Lankford Rogers (1743-1787).  They were James (1742-1828) and another mother Rogers. So I won't be sharing about this Mary Rogers Casey Dunn.

Who is next on the list of siblings of Rev. Elijah Rogers (1774-1841) - the children of Henry Rogers (1741-1794) and Elizabeth Lankford Rogers (1743-1787)?  These were my great times five grandparents, born in Virginia, who relocated to the wilds of Tennessee, in Sevier County, before either became a state or county.

Martha Rogers Cannon (1770-1844) is next on the list of children born to the Rogers household in Virginia, and who then moved with her parents around 1780-90 to Tennessee. In 1791 she married James Cannon (1759-1832). He is on the list of early Sevier County settlers provided by the Sevier County Historical Association. 

But he has some confusing entries on his Ancestry information. It's possible he married to another Martha in 1780 in Cocke County TN, and her maiden name was unknown. They had a child, Mary Catherine Cannon (1786-1872.) We are pretty sure James Cannon didn't marry Martha Rogers until 1791, because she would have only been 10 years old in 1780.

Now this is the way these facts are given on Ancestry. And to turn them into a narrative is rather strange, because the dates just don't add up. But I don't have any way to know which are wrong in these listings. Most of them don't have records to substantiate them. I hate to pass along misinformation.

When I started to investigate the family on Ancestry, James Cannon and Martha Rogers Cannon had a daughter, Sarah Cannon (1789-1857) born in 1789 in Virginia.  When I looked further at this Sarah Cannon's details, she married someone named Wilson, and on her life details when she died, her parents weren't given as James and Martha Rogers Cannon at all...her descendants think she was Sarah Boone Wilson, born in North Carolina.

So I've done a snip-snip and removed her from my tree, though she still is listed on the list of ancestors...but not connected to the George Rogers tree any more. It may be there was a daughter named Sarah Cannon, who didn't marry Mr. Wilson, and then I'll add her with correct information onto my family tree

So let's look a bit more at Martha Rogers Cannon... who married James Cannon in 1791 in Sevier County TN. That fits a chronological scheme that is logical.  Their children may or may not have been the ones on my tree...starting with

Dicy P. Cannon (1799-1860), born in Virginia in 1799 (yes that's what it says on the trees)
James Cannon (1800-1842) born in Sevier County TN
William Cannon (1802-1880) born in Sevier County TN
Martha Susan Cannon (1804-1864) born in Sevier County TN
John R. Cannon (1808-1860) Sevier birth
Rebecca Cannon (1809-1844) Sevier
 Alexander E. Cannon (1810-1870) Sevier,
 Jackson Cannon (1812-?) Sevier County

James Cannon has a land grant from Tennessee dated 19 Jun 1810. So if he had served in a war, it would have been the Revolutionary War probably.

In case that's a bit hard to read, there was a descendant over on Ancestry who put a map of Sevier County available for James Cannon as well.

Notes that were included with the above map:
"FRENCH BROAD RIVER & LITTLE PIGEON: I cropped and enlarged the map that ___posted, & I highlighted in blue the French Broad River across the north part of the map, and the Little Pigeon Creek running perpendicular to it. I also highlighted in red the word "Sevierville" at the bottom or south...The area shown on this map is roughly some ___miles SE of Knoxville. The key to this map, which is cut off on this cropped enlargement states that the map "principally dates from 1806-07, but later land owners' names were added from 1824-30, where they did not interfere with those prior. "...Although names on map detail were hard to read, my transcription follows (caution-need to confirm with actual deeds/surveys). This map detail was of special interest to me because one of the "23 Moore Mentions" in the 1807-08 land grants south of Broad was a JOHN MOORE who had 210 acres (grant #951) on the west fork of this same Pigeon River, which he assigned to James CANNON, as I had noticed two CANNON's on this map detail: (1) John CANNON ( 114A) and (2) Wm. CANNON (175A). Other names on this attached map detail included: ANDROS, Prior (190A); BAER, Robert (81A); BARFILS, James (131A); BLAIR, Sam (137A); BRYAN, Peter(110A); CALVERT, Iram (167A); CALVERT, Edward (1146A); CLACK, Spencer (120A), CONGLITON, Nobert (97A); CROW, Robert, 90A; CROW, Latah (90A); HENDERSON, Wm. (100A); HENDERSON, 120A; HILL, John (477A) ;HUFF, Jacob (147A); KERR, Robert (147A);KERR, Robert (81A)*; MASSINGILL, Wm (140A); MITCHEL, Wm (100A); PITSER, Ha(_____A), ROGERS, Jonah (__A); TIPTON, Meshic (141A); WILSON, Alexander, 147A; UNKNOWN, William (41A)." 
Source of above comment is Ancestry member C. Larsen 828. I've added the underlined people who have relations to my ancestry. I've never heard of a Jonah Rogers, so that name was surprising.

However, looking at the map I can see next to Spencer Clack's property on the French Broad River, Elijah Rogers has a large tract of land (my great times 4 grandfather.) Spencer Clack (1746-1832) was Elijah's father-in-law, so he would be my great times 5 grandfather. The island in the river designated as McCroskey (something) is still known as McCroskey Island, upon which the water treatment plant for Sevierville is now located. I drove there last year, and didn't realize I was on a road traveling where my ancestors had lived. That gives me a chill! It could be a sewage treatment plant, but did have those big pipes running to and fro, and vats. I took a couple of pictures, but there wasn't a sign indicting what it was.

 McCroskey Island Road

 Bridge over Little Pigeon River

 Big pipe on bridge over Little Pigeon River

Whatever treatment facility is on McCroskey Island. A McCroskey married one of Elijah Rogers' daughters, so they are cousins.

I digress...I'm old and I think I'm entitled to do so.

Martha's husband, James Cannon, died 13 Dec 1832 in Sevier County TN

Back to Martha Rogers Cannon. She apparently died after 19 Feb 1844 in Sevier County TN. Whoever gave that date to my Ancestry records must have had her mentioned in some legal document or another, but they forgot to add it to the date. We don't know where she was buried.

There's a link to other families named Cannon, and going back into the Virginia families named Kennon. But it's pretty confusing!
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Josiah Rogers (1766-1834)

Josiah Rogers (1766-1834) has his birth recorded in Franklin, Virginia. He died in Sevier County TN on 12 AUG 1834. 

He married Martha "Patty" Clack/Clark Rodgers (1768-1867) who had been born in Rocky Mount, Franklin County, Virginia. She was the daughter of Spencer Clack (1746-1832) and Mary Beavers Clack (1745-1840) (mentioned in my post in 2017 here.)  Josiah's brother, Elijah Rogers, married "Patty" Clack's sister, Catharine Clack Rogers (1778-1850).  Rev. Elijah and Catharine Clack Rogers were my great times 4 grandparents.

Josiah and "Patty" Clack Rogers' 1786 marriage was recorded by "Marriage Bonds Franklin County,Virginia 1786-1858; page 197.  Josiah Rodgers & Martha Clark, dau. Spencer Clark, 22 Jan 1786; Sur: Richard Literal." This is the source of the use of the name Clark, which was given to both Patty and her father Spencer, a clerical error. She was 17 at the time of her marriage to Josiah, who was 20 years old.

Their daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1786 in Sevier County, TN, where their parents had moved as well.  Another daughter,  Nancy was born in 1787, also in Sevier County TN. Nancy married James Porter, and Elizabeth married Isaac Love, but both died on May 20, 1811. Nancy had had a daughter who did live to marry, so there may be descendants through her.

If the sisters' deaths on the same date isn't weird enough, about half the Ancestry trees give a death date for their mother, Patty Clack Rogers in 1810. These same trees have her marrying a second husband in 1804, named Spencer DeKalb Beavers, and having about a dozen more children...many of whom would have been born after the 1810 death date.

And how did it happen that Patty married another man in 1804, whcn Josiah lived until 1834?

A lot of people consider themselves descendants of Patty and Spencer De Kalb Beavers, at least by looking at all those children they supposedly had.  

Perhaps Patty didn't die in 1810, but on April 17, 1787,  at age 99, the way my tree says.  If so, she didn't have very many children in her long life, for those times.  Or maybe somehow she did marry again, and we don't know what condition Josiah might have been in when that happened.

There are many things we don't know about these people. Just a few facts. Josiah apparently died on Aug. 12, 1834 in Sevierville, Sevier County TN. He was buried in the Forks of the Little Pigeon River Cemetery, where his brother, Elijah, was also buried.

Bathsheba Rogers Amonette (1765 - 1835).

Another sibling of Rev. Elijah Rogers (my 4 greats grandfather.) So may I introduce five times great Aunt Bathsheba Rogers Amonette (1765 - died after June, 1835). Elijah was the youngest child of Henry Rogers (1741-1794) and Elizabeth Lankford Rogers (1743-1787), while Bathsheba was their third child (according to Ancestry DOT com.)  She was born in Virginia, then probably moved with her parents to Sevier County TN around 1791.

There are 3 suggested dates and places of her marriage to John Amonette (1756-1833). First when she was 17 she might have married him in Laurens County, South Carolina in 1782. Or maybe she married him in Knox County, TN in 1789, or perhaps in 1794 in Tennessee.  There are no documents to substantiate where or when, but these are the dates and places on Ancestry trees. Since John Amonette is considered to have been a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and his life used by Daughters of the American Revolution for such, I am voting for either of the places in Tennessee, with dates of 1789 or 1794. Those aren't so far apart after all.

John Amonette served from  Nov. 21, 1776 to Nov. 7, 1779 as a private, 10th Virginia Regiment, and 6th Virginia Rgt. (According to headstone application for him in 1937 by Vivian D. Vaughn.)

Aunt Bathsheba had 7 children, 4 girls and 3 boys. They were born between 1790 and 1809.  I don't know the date when John and Bathsheba Amonette moved to Madison County AL. This was probably a result of his receiving a land grant for his service in the war. In his obituary in 1833, his residence in Madison County is stated to be at least 20 years.

There's no date of Aunt Bathsheba's death, except that it was after June 1835. I don't know what that was based upon. As is often the case for women, there aren't many documents with her name on them. But I find the many documents about her husband, especially those substantiating his soldiering history, do give a glimpse into her life.  The pension record is practically illegible, but I think it stopped when he died. It spelled his name Ammonet, rather than Amonett, which is what was used in most other records. He was buried in Donaldson Cemetery, Hazel Green, Madison County, Alabama. But the family trees over on Ancestry say that Aunt Bathsheba died in either Washington County, TN, or Memphis, Shelby County, TN. She probably was living with one of her children, or even grandchildren.

The big question that I have in the back of my mind, is what she was called...you know, her nickname. 

George Rogers Sr. (1764-1858)

Another sibling of Rev. Elijah Rogers (1774-1841).

George Rogers Sr. (1764-1858) was born on Feb 8, in Somerville, Fauquier County, Virginia to Henry Rogers (1741-1794) and Elizabeth Lankford Rogers (1743-1787).

He moved with his family to Tennessee before 1791, when he married Elizabeth Randall/Randles (1772-1861), who also had come from Virginia.  They lived there for a while, then moved on to Sinking Creek, Wayne County, Kentucky.

He served in the War of 1812, as a private, in Johnson's Reg't, mounted Kentucky Volunteers. His wife was eligible for a pension, which is listed as Revolutionary War Pensions, and he is listed as serving on the Continental Line on his headstone. There are many pages of documents saved into Ancestry that give George Rogers a lot of credit for having served in the Revolutionary War, and Elizabeth being eligible for his pension.

How many children did Elizabeth and George have? That's a good question. It looks like they either adopted some children, or counted some of the sons-in-law married to their daughters as their own child. The list includes Abraham Goodding, husband of their daughter, Margaret Rogers Goodding. I think there may have been 12 children born to Elizabeth Randall Rogers and George. There are actually two sons named George Rogers, and the older one was still alive when the younger one was born. I can't figure it out unless the second was adopted perhaps.

There's a will that father George Rogers wrote 7 Feb, 1857. He died in the next year, and his son James Rogers was the executor. He left his land to James and a son, George. Since the older son George had died in 1848, it must have been meant for the one born in 1820. His wife was given his entire "estate."

The will only mentions his wife, several children, and one grandchild. He states the others had received their portions "when they left him." Many of his children moved to Missouri apparently.

Elizabeth and George Rogers (from "Find A Grave") I dare say some photos were being taken in the 1850s...but this seems pretty early to me.

The above photos were posted on the "Find a Grave" site for George Rogers.

George Rogers' will recorded in Wayne County KY documents.
Note: I've corrected date of his birth to 1764...when this blog was first published it was in error saying he was born in 1774.

James Rogers' son Robert M Rogers (1796-1861)

Robert M. Rogers was my 1st cousin, five times removed.  His father, James, was a brother to Rev. Elijah Rogers (1774-1841), my 4 greats grandfather. Robert M. Rodgers (spelled with the "d" many times) was born in Tennessee, probably Sevier County where his older brother Joseph Larkin Rogers had also been born.

Robert married 14 Feb 1815 to Jane (Ginny) Ellison/Allison in Madison County, AL.  By 1815-17 they lived in Monroe County, MS. (Mississippi State and Territorial Censes Index)

In the US Census of 1840 for Madison County AL, Robert and his wife are listed with their first 5 children (by ages and gender identification only.) They have 1 female slave and 7 free colored children under the age of 10. So the household consisted of 7 white persons, 7 free colored persons and one slave.  2 persons are engaged in agriculture, and 1 is engaged in navigation of lakes, rivers etc.

Incidentally, my Ancestry tree has 7 children born to the Robert Rogers family before 1840. I wonder where the other 2 were.

In the 1850 Census for Monroe County AL, Robert is listed as an Overseer, while his wife is a farmer. They had 4 children living with them then.

In the 1860 Census for Monroe County AL, Robert had just lost his wife in 1860, and he only has a daughter and a son living with him. He is also listed in the 1860 Slave Schedule for AL, but the index is all that is available on Ancestry.

He died in 1861 in Pickens County, AL, and some Ancestry trees said he was a Confederate soldier. At the age of 65 in the first year of the Civil War, it's somewhat doubtful. There are no details of his death, even where or when he was buried.

He did receive a land grant from the US President, Martin Van Buren in Alabama, which usually was for services during one war or another. But there is no mention I've found that he fought in any wars other than the note that he died in the Confederacy.

James Rogers' son Larkin Rogers/Rodgers (1794-1878)

James Rogers (1760-1842), a Revolutionary War soldier, had at least one son, who probably was the force behind the memorial marker for his father. The son, Joseph Larkin Rogers was born Aug 19, 1794 in Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee.

His mother, Elizabeth Rogers is not clearly known, as several women are proposed in different Ancestry trees, but not to my satisfaction at this time.

Larkin served in the War of 1812, as a private in the 2 regiment (Pillow's) of West Tennessee Volunteers.

By 1816 his name appears in Madison County, Alabama Territory, in the Census and Census Substitutes Index.

On March 18, 1817 he married Hannah Holland, also in Madison County, Alabama. Their first of 13 children was born in that county, but the next were born in Pickens County, Alabama. They lived there, except for one son possibly born in South Carolina, named after his grandfather, James M. Rogers, born in 1840.

But also in 1840, Larkin and Hannah Rogers appeared in a Census in Regiment 39, Morgan County Alabama.

Apparently the child born in 1840 had not yet been born, because the youngest male is age 5-9. However, Ancestry is saying there were also boys 1 yo and one 3 yo in 1840. They aren't listed.  There is a female under 5 on the census, so that's little Rebecca Jane who had been born in 1835. Charles S. had been born in 1833, so he is probably the one son that is listed as 5-9 years old. The boy listed as 10-14 would have been Jacob M, born in 1829, so he was 11 in 1840.

The male age 30-39 would be Larkin probably, though having been born in 1794 he would actually have been 46 that year.

Two females age 5-9 would have been Hannah Matilda, born in 1831 (thus 9 years old) and Elizabeth Ann, born in 1824, so she was 16 actually. That would have been hard to hide as a 9 year old. They had lost Mary P. who lived from 1822-36, and Ludisa who lived from 1826-27 (see info below, on 1950 Census where her short life is contradicted by her marriage and motherhood!)

And last but not least, Hannah was counted as being between 30-39, though born in 1799 would make her 41.  It is possible/probable that their oldest daughter, Sarah Louisa, born in 1818, had already left their home, as well as James Barba, born in 1820.

So the census gives them 5 children living with them, and their oldest 2 aren't mentioned, while the youngest 2 are also missing on this table.

In the 1850 Census, Larkin's family were living in Itawamba, District 6, Mississippi.  Larkin and two older sons were farming, and he had 9 of his children living with them, as well a a 2 year old grandson. All the children were listed as having been born in Alabama. I also discovered that my Ancestry tree was incorrect in saying Ludisa died in 1827, at age one. She is the daughter who had married a Mr. Richardson and has a 2 year old son living with them, James A. Richardson. She is included in the 1860 census as well, by then living with her second husband and 2 more children.

In the 1860 Census for Itawamba County, MS, Larkin and Hannah are in their 60s, and they have several adult children also farming with them, and 2 grandchildren, sons of their deceased daughter Elizabeth Rogers Gandy.

Having such a unique name, Larkin appears even on the 1870 Census for Lee County, District 4, MS. He stated by then that he was 68 (note his giving different ages may have caught up with him, but in reality he was 76.) It is quite possible that he never knew exactly when he was born. Hannah was then listed as also 68, and James is 30, Isabella is 26, and Becky J. is 35 (Rebecca).

Larkin Rogers died 1 July 1878, and Hannah died 2 February 1892, both in Plantersville, Lee County MS.  He is buried in Union Cemetery where he (or a descendent) placed a memorial stone in honor of his father James Rogers (1760-1842).

James Rogers (1760-1842)

Now I'm going to look closer at the siblings of Rev. Elijah Rogers (1774-1841)...other children of Henry Rogers Sr. (1741-1794) and Elizabeth Lankford Rogers (1743-1787).

Eldest in my Ancestry tree was James Rogers, born 2 July 1760 in Culpepper County, Virginia colony.

His 5 siblings were all born in different parts of Virginia apparently. I note that James Rogers also had different records of his life in different parts of both Virginia, Tennessee and Mississippi. I'm not sure they are all about the same James Rogers/Rodgers. The spelling varies in different areas also.

James married, and the name of his wife was probably Elizabeth. But there are a couple to choose between on various Ancestry family trees.  My tree had Mary Elizabeth Profitt Polly Brazil. But there was also a marriage record of James Rogers to Polly Brazil in 1832 when James was 72 years old.  I haven't found any record of his marriage to Mary Elizabeth Profitt, though the same record to Polly Brazil is used to substantiate the Mary Elizabeth Profitt marriage to James.  Very strange. And my tree had combined the two names, which I think is unlikely.

There's also a record on 20 Dec 1790, in Greene County TN, of Elizabeth Hays marrying James Rodgers.

My DAR member cousin has only Elizabeth Hays as James Rogers/Rodgers wife. So once again I'm going to remove someone from my tree, but her statistics will remain in my files. Goodbye Mary Elizabeth Profitt. But not Polly Brazil! I have a record of her marrying a James Rogers in 1790. (And of course it could have been a grandson of our James by then, but I honestly can't find one.)

Oh shucks. The records of Elizabeth Hayes are of her marriage to James Frederick Rodgers, born in 1773. Not one born in 1760 who served in the Revolutionary war, as his grave marker indicates, including a birth date. Elizabeth Hayes and her James had many children, but in Alabama, and not including one son that I think is definitely his, Joseph Larkin Rogers. So at this point, I don't think Henry's oldest son, James ever married Elizabeth Hayes either.

For now, I have named the mother of his 2 children "Elizabeth unknown Rogers." 

There's a memorial marker for James Rodgers, with the dates I'm using, also giving him credit for being in the Virginia Company in the Revolutionary War.  This grave marker is in Union Methodist Church Cemetery in Plantersville, Lee County, MS. Lee County is right next to Monroe County MS, which is the place he died.

Only one son is included in the information for this marker, named Joseph Larkin Rogers, who is also buried in this cemetery. But in actuality, James Rodgers isn't buried there. The cemetery was established in 1855, about 13 years after James died. So it's just a memorial marker.

I'm going to look at his son Joseph Larkin Rogers, who went by Larkin. He was also a farmer.  Next post!

Rev. Elijah Rogers' siblings

Just now I've looked to see who else was in the "patriarch's" family, children of Henry Rogers, Sr. (1741-1794) and his wife Elizabeth Lankford Rogers (1743-1787).

First I'll just list them in order, with dates, as they stand on my Ancestry tree. These could change as I look at hints on my tree, which often happens as I find any records. But going this far back has limitations, especially for a family that originated in Virginia, and most of whom moved into western North Carolina which became east Tennessee in their lifetimes.

James Rogers (1760–1842)

BIRTH 2 JULY 1760 • Culpepper, Virginia

DEATH 1842 • Monroe, Mississippi

George Rogers (1764-1858)

BIRTH 6 FEB 1764 • Somerville, Fauquier, Virginia

DEATH 18 NOV 1858 • Sinking Creek, Wayne, Kentucky

Bathsheba Rogers Amonette (1764-unknown)

BIRTH 1765 • Virginia

DEATH Washington Co Tenn

Josiah Rogers (1766-1834)

BIRTH 1766 • Franklin, Virginia

DEATH 12 AUG 1834 • Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee

Henry Rogers, Jr. (1767-1841)

BIRTH 1767 • Fauquier, Virginia

DEATH 11 MAY 1841 • Sevierville, Sevier, Tennessee

Martha Rogers Cannon (1770-1844)

BIRTH 1770 • Virginia

DEATH 1844 • Sevier, Tennessee

Elijah Rogers, Rev. (774-18421)

BIRTH MAY 1774 • Fauquier, Virginia

DEATH 11 MAY 1841 • Sevierville, Sevier, Tennessee
*my great times 4 grandfather

Ah ha, as I read through these aunts and uncles, as well as Rev. Elijah Rogers, I found some startling information on Henry Rogers, Jr.  The tree as it stood when I started looking at it, gave him as wife, Catharine Clack Rogers, who was the wife of Rev. Elijah Rogers. Of course his wife could have been  another woman, who I think was mixed up as to whether she was Rev. Elijah's wife Catharine, or another woman named Beulah Fairfax or Rhoda Clack. And which record was used to cite her name as some combination and as Henry Jr.s wife? An application to Sons of the American Revolution...giving Rev. Elijah Rogers and his father Henry Sr. It doesn't even say Henry was married to Catherine. But with our web ability strained today, I can't even read the original over on Ancestry. I won't be able to research this mistake, because I've removed Henry Jr. from my family tree.

And the Ancestry trees that name her as Henry's wife, also give Henry and Beulah four of Elijah and Catharine's children! There they are, which is totally incorrect. 

And the worst part of the misleading information on Henry Jr.s name, is giving him the same date of death as Rev. Elijah Rogers, May 11, 1841. Something is just not right here!

My cousin, Patricia Rogers, is a member of the DAR, Daughters of the American Revolution. I just checked her tree, and Henry Jr. doesn't have any wife or children listed. Oh, indeed, when I looked a second time, there isn't even a son of Henry Sr. named Henry Jr. She must be checking the same things I am today!

I will share the typed copy from the Rogers Family Bible, transcribed by my grandfather, George E. Rogers, Sr. 

OK...I found that it only indicates Rev. Elijah married to Catharine Clack Rogers...and it doesn't include any of Rev. Elijah's siblings. So these were added to Ancestry from another source. 

And I also noted that a cousin of my grandfather (who still lived in Sevier County TN) was the source of some of the details that my grandfather typed up for his sons. Also many of the details that were included came from a genealogist who was hired to look into our ancestors. Nothing wrong with that, if only she had given her source materials. The ones that are cited from "Virkus" are dependent upon ...wait for it... the family trees submitted by descendants so they could be part of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR.) I've often found mistakes in these entries.

For now, I will go with my cousin and move poor Henry Jr. into a questionable status. Rather than deleting him, I'm just removing him as a child of Henry Sr. and his wife.

I love looking for more information, and finding things I may have forgotten over the years. Who knows...

My grandfather mentioned the Rogers Family Bible had been with his cousin Myron Ross. I know they visited sometimes. But I believe the last I know of the possession of the Bible was another cousin, a Gibbs I think.