Correction to dates per WV Archive online birth/death records in bold
This concerns those who descend from the connection between Andrew Lewis Lilly (1817-1875) and Sarah Ann Mooney (1823-1860). Specifically, I will deal with Sarah Ann Mooney's side...
First, though...DO NOT get confused over the two men with the name of Andrew Lewis Lilly. The one I am covering was the uncle to Andrew Lewis Lilly, born 1840. Andrew Lewis (born 1817) was a son of John "Snakebite" Lilly*. Andrew Lewis (born 1840) was a son of Wilson (brother to Andrew born 1817).
I wanted to clear that up because it's so easy to get these two confused. My grandmother said that they called my great great grandfather "Lewis", so that's how I will refer to him hereafter.
Anyway, let's look at Sarah Ann Mooney's ancestry. She was actually the first wife to Lewis. After she died, Lewis married Sarah Holstein.
Sarah Mooney and Lewis Lilly had roughly six children: Dayton, Green, Joshua, Melissa, Simpson, and Ida (Lydia) Jane Albatine (my great grandmother and first wife to John Wesley Basham).
Sarah Mooney was the daughter of John S. Mooney (1786-1844) and Sarah Stoneman (1786-1861). John Mooney owned roughly 500 acres at Middelton's Fork of Bluestone River in Mercer County.
A couple of years ago I went looking for this area and couldn't find it. I asked numerous residents in that area and none of them knew what I was talking about. Of course, I could have been in the wrong area.
Sarah Stoneman was the daughter of James Stoneman (1735-1829) and Sarah Freeman (1751-1844)...and this is where the story gets interesting...
According to some accounts, James Stoneman was born near London, England (by the way, there is a biennial reunion in Galax, VA for people who descend from him).
According to an account I came across, James Stoneman was kidnapped at age 10 and brought to America. But, the family reunion website does not refer to this, so I am unclear if that story is true. Also, I came across a record that appeared to report that he arrived with parents. Some of the Stoneman family claim it was James' ancestor who was kidnapped+. Either way, he lived in Orange County, NC until after his marriage.
He married Sarah Freeman, a Quaker. At first, Sarah was dismissed from the Cane Creek MM, Quaker church for "marrying outside of unity". James was not a Quaker and it was a no-no for someone to marry a non-Quaker (at the time). Apparently, he later converted because they were eventually admitted into the fold.
In 1793, they moved to Chisel Knob, VA (this is in Carroll County) near Fancy Gap and the Blue Ridge Parkway... not too far off I-77 .
+If you are interested in reading more on the Stoneman family, check out The Stonemans: An Appalachian Family and The Music That Shaped Their Lives, by Ivan Tribe. He covers the kidnapping story in detail.
*Check out my earlier posts on John "Snakebite" Lilly, including a photo of his home that is being rebuilt.
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