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.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
A little on the Swopes
The Swopes were one of the first families to settle in present day Summers County. Joseph Urlich Swope, born 1707 in the town of Leiman, Germany (roughly 4 miles south of Heidelberg) left for America and settled in Lancaster County Pennsylvania.
His son Joseph (sometimes referred to as John) migrated to Virginia. Then, according to John Miller's account, he explored west (sometime around the birth of his son Joseph). He followed Indian trails to the present town of Union, WV. There he traveled to Swope's Knob (named after him) and down into Wolf's Creek.
According to Miller's story, Joseph hid from Indians in a popular tree near the Broad Run Church.
Later, he brought his wife and child back and built a home near the Connor Spring. It was here that his second child Michael was born in 1753. Miller states Michael was the first white child born in Monroe County, which at that time included present day Summers Co.
There are several interesting stories about the Swopes. Joseph's eldest son (also Joseph) was abducted by the Shawnee and, according to Miller's account, was adopted by Chief Cornstalk's mother. Later on Joseph was retrieved after the battle of Point Pleasant.
Michael Swope settled at the head of Hand's Creek. His daughter, Sarah Ann Swope (abt 1787-1862) married Joshua Harvey. Their daughter Elizabeth Bell (or Dell) married John R. Pack. This is how many of us connect to the Swopes.
I have a photo on the blog (earlier post) of the tomb of Sarah Swope Harvey and description of where she is buried. There is a tombstone for Joseph Swope at the Broad Run Church at Wolf Creek, WV but I haven't traveled there to see it yet.
Monday, April 23, 2012
West Virginia School Journals, Deeds, Johnson, Hudgins, Gwinn, Lowe, Clark, Basham
Sorry for my absence... work, work, work!
Did a quick search on Google Books this evening...just plugging in random words, names, phrases. Typed in my Great Grandfather's name J.W. Basham (instead of his full name John Wesley Basham) and came up with some interesting material via the "West Virginia School Journal, Vol. 31" this was published in 1902 and the original (or AN original is at Harvard University)... it includes the following:
"Be it resolved by the teachers of Summers County in the institute assembled: that we are opposed to the proposed amendment to the Constitution which provides for the limitation of the Irreducible School Fund to one million dollars.
That the county should be made the unit for taxation for school purposes. That the State levy should be raised from ten to twenty cents on the $100.00. That there should be a uniform list of text books throughout the State. That the present compulsory school law be repealed and a more effective one be enacted in lieu thereof."
Signed. R.L. Deeds
Miss S. Johnson
Miss. S. Hudgins
J.E. Gwinn
G.W. Lowe
R.W. Clark
J.W. Basham
Also, very interesting materials are in the journals that include information about what the teachers were teaching, issues in schools, etc.
Did a quick search on Google Books this evening...just plugging in random words, names, phrases. Typed in my Great Grandfather's name J.W. Basham (instead of his full name John Wesley Basham) and came up with some interesting material via the "West Virginia School Journal, Vol. 31" this was published in 1902 and the original (or AN original is at Harvard University)... it includes the following:
"Be it resolved by the teachers of Summers County in the institute assembled: that we are opposed to the proposed amendment to the Constitution which provides for the limitation of the Irreducible School Fund to one million dollars.
That the county should be made the unit for taxation for school purposes. That the State levy should be raised from ten to twenty cents on the $100.00. That there should be a uniform list of text books throughout the State. That the present compulsory school law be repealed and a more effective one be enacted in lieu thereof."
Signed. R.L. Deeds
Miss S. Johnson
Miss. S. Hudgins
J.E. Gwinn
G.W. Lowe
R.W. Clark
J.W. Basham
Also, very interesting materials are in the journals that include information about what the teachers were teaching, issues in schools, etc.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Macy Faye Basham
Macy Faye Basham, daughter of Lou and Wash (George Washington) Pack, passed away this week. She was 100 years old. She was married to Guy Basham. There is a full obit at Register Herald online.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Online Sources for Research
The following online sources I use to find information about our ancestry. A word of caution: when you are reading a book authored by this or that person, check the validity of the information against primary sources (birth/death/marriage information). I have reviewed the books by James Miller, Johnston, Charles Silas Hatcher and Oren Frederic Morton. Their information was sometimes incorrect and subsequent authors used this same material to write their own books. For example, the story that President Hayes's wife was a daughter of Jennie Pack. This is false. She was the daughter of Dr. James Webb and Maria Cook Webb of Chillicothe, Ohio. Trefousse's biography of President Hayes does not mention the name Pack and I did a search via the Hayes Presidential Library and nothing surfaced.
Excellent sources for PRIMARY materials:
WV Archive Online.
1. Go to the main page.
2. Scroll down to "Explore Archives and History...", at the bottom of the page
3. Click on Births, Deaths, and Marriages (database)
4. You might need to try different spellings of an ancestor's name. The people who constructed the database tried their best to read the handwriting on records, but they didn't always read/ interpret the names correctly. Also, try putting in different information in the fields to get the results out that you need.
Library of Virginia Online
1. Go to the "West Virginia" page
2. Go to "Land Office Patents and Grants" heading.
3. Click on "Land Office Patents and Grants database".
4. You can try the tab "Images and Indexes". I have more luck finding online materials here. You can also try the full catalog tab for a broader search.
Unfortunately, not all Va's records are downloadable or online, BUT some wills and land grants have been uploaded. We must lobby for VA to upload their materials to the web! With a host of info on early American settlers on their hands, I think it is their civic duty.
Good source for SECONDARY materials:
Google Books
Go to Google Books, then type in the name of an early settler ancestor you are looking for. I've had luck doing this. Sometimes you can only review certain pages, but many early books existed before modern copyright law (or not renewed, etc. under such) so the full text is accessible.
Excellent sources for PRIMARY materials:
WV Archive Online.
1. Go to the main page.
2. Scroll down to "Explore Archives and History...", at the bottom of the page
3. Click on Births, Deaths, and Marriages (database)
4. You might need to try different spellings of an ancestor's name. The people who constructed the database tried their best to read the handwriting on records, but they didn't always read/ interpret the names correctly. Also, try putting in different information in the fields to get the results out that you need.
Library of Virginia Online
1. Go to the "West Virginia" page
2. Go to "Land Office Patents and Grants" heading.
3. Click on "Land Office Patents and Grants database".
4. You can try the tab "Images and Indexes". I have more luck finding online materials here. You can also try the full catalog tab for a broader search.
Unfortunately, not all Va's records are downloadable or online, BUT some wills and land grants have been uploaded. We must lobby for VA to upload their materials to the web! With a host of info on early American settlers on their hands, I think it is their civic duty.
Good source for SECONDARY materials:
Google Books
Go to Google Books, then type in the name of an early settler ancestor you are looking for. I've had luck doing this. Sometimes you can only review certain pages, but many early books existed before modern copyright law (or not renewed, etc. under such) so the full text is accessible.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
First Settlers and Other Families (part two) I - P (in the process of being updated)
Again, this is a short list of family information. There are other families mentioned in the early settler records, so if I do not mention a family's names it just means I have little or no information.
Kissinger
This family came to the Greenbrier and Monroe area around 1770. Mathias, Andrew, Sr., and Andrew Jr. were involved in the battle at Point Pleasant. Mathias's heirs: Andrew, Mathias, Mary, Jacob, Susanna, Michael, Elizabeth, and Anne who intermarried with the Mann, Maddy, Ballard, Parsons, Fulton, and Halstead families.
Mann
From what many researches say, the Mann family is German (originally Monn). I've stitched together information from numerous sources. There's lots more on this family.
George Bernhardt Mann immigrated from Germany and settled first in Pennsylvania.
William Mann was a Sergeant at Fort Young in 1759 in Covington, VA. He was a hunter and trader. His wife's name was Jean, and Children: Moses, Thomas William, John, Catie, Jenny, Sarah, Alice, and Archibald.
John Mann, Jr. a son of John Jacob Mann and grandson of George B. Mann acquired land on the James, Jackson and Cowpasture Rivers from 1750 to 1778. Later he moved to Monroe County and settled in the area of Indian Creek (present day Summers County).
His wife's name was Mary Kessinger.
Pence
Jacob Pence was from Rockingham County and was in the Augusta Co. VA militia during the R.W. He lived in Monroe County and married Elizabeth Trust. They had three sons: Henry, David and Moses. One son married Nancy Stodghhill.
Kissinger
This family came to the Greenbrier and Monroe area around 1770. Mathias, Andrew, Sr., and Andrew Jr. were involved in the battle at Point Pleasant. Mathias's heirs: Andrew, Mathias, Mary, Jacob, Susanna, Michael, Elizabeth, and Anne who intermarried with the Mann, Maddy, Ballard, Parsons, Fulton, and Halstead families.
Mann
From what many researches say, the Mann family is German (originally Monn). I've stitched together information from numerous sources. There's lots more on this family.
George Bernhardt Mann immigrated from Germany and settled first in Pennsylvania.
William Mann was a Sergeant at Fort Young in 1759 in Covington, VA. He was a hunter and trader. His wife's name was Jean, and Children: Moses, Thomas William, John, Catie, Jenny, Sarah, Alice, and Archibald.
John Mann, Jr. a son of John Jacob Mann and grandson of George B. Mann acquired land on the James, Jackson and Cowpasture Rivers from 1750 to 1778. Later he moved to Monroe County and settled in the area of Indian Creek (present day Summers County).
His wife's name was Mary Kessinger.
Pence
Jacob Pence was from Rockingham County and was in the Augusta Co. VA militia during the R.W. He lived in Monroe County and married Elizabeth Trust. They had three sons: Henry, David and Moses. One son married Nancy Stodghhill.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
First Settlers and other families (part 1) A - H
The following is a short list, and description, of some of the first frontier families of what later became Summers County. Although some of these families factor indirectly, or not at all, in the story of Streeter, they are worth mentioning. After all, I'll bet that you might be related to them (at least one or more) somewhere in your family tree. Now, I've mentioned the Ellisons, Packs, Farleys, and Meadows( -ors) numerous times in other posts, so I am not including them here. I mean no disrespect if I forget to mention your family's name.
Arbuckle
Captain Matthew Arbuckle was born in 1741 in what is now Botetourt County and was one of the first settlers to explore the Greenbriar valley (according to some accounts). He was a trapper and hunter. His father, James, was born in Scotland.
He joined the Virginia militia in 1758. He commanded a militia company and served as chief scout and guide. In fact, he guided General Lewis and the rest of their army to Point Pleasant in Dunmore's War against Chief Cornstalk.
Arbuckle was one of the first men to move to present day Lewisburg, WV. His plot of land was on the corner of Jefferson and Randolph streets.
He married twice. First to Jane Lockhart. This marriage produced sons: Charles and John. His second marriage was to Francis Hunter (she too was married before to a James Lawrence, Jr.). Their marriage produced: Matthew Arbuckle (who became a famous general), Thomas, Samuel, and James II.
For an interesting read, checkout Arbuckle and Col. James Stewart's involvment in the affair of Chief Cornstalk's death.
Ballard
One of the first of the Ballard family mentioned is William Ballard. He was a Private then later a Corporal in the Revolutionary War. He enlisted in 1779 and was in the battle at Yorktown. He married Elizabeth Steppe. He settled in Greenbrier County.
Elijah Ballard of Hans Creek was also a Revolutionary War veteran. He was granted 970 acres on Hans Creek.
Clark
Alexander Clark, son of James ad Elizabeth Summers Clark was born in 1736. He lived near Indian Creek in Summers County. He married Sarah Lafferty. He was involved in a number of skirmishes with Indians in the y. Children: James 1764, Rebecca 1766, William 1771, Ralph 1773, Alexander 1775, John, 1778, Martha 1780, Samuel 1782.
His son Alexander II was born 1775 and married Mary Hawkins (daughter of Samuel Hawkins and Mary Erwin). He was a soldier in the War of 1812. They had twelve children: James 1797, Sarah 1798, Hannah 1800, Elizabeth 1802, William 1803, Nancy 1805, Samuel 1807, Salina 1808, Alexander C. 1810, Rufus 1812, Lucinda 1815, and Mary H. 1817.
Their son Samuel married Elizabeth Halstead, a daughter of Benjamin Halstead of Indian Creek. Their daughter Salina married Alexander Halstead, a son of Benjamin Halstead.
Comer
Augustus Comer was born in Frederick County in 1757. He married Catherine Rush. He later enlisted in Shenandoah County in 1776. He was in the 12th VA Regiment under Capt. Langdon and Col. Neville. He and his wife Catherine later settled in Lindside, Monroe County. He is buried at the "Cummings Cemetery" (check out findagrave.com).
Children: Elizabeth, Frederick, Jacob, Catherine, Micheal, Barbara, Augustus, Sarah (Sally), and John Henry.
Halstead
James Halstead was the first Halstead who settled in southern WV. There is, or was, a lot of controversy over his origins. Some say he was born in England in 1740 and others reject this idea claiming there is no definitive evidence where he was born. It is believed he served in the 12th VA Regiment during the Revolutionary War.
What we know for sure: he settled in Indian Creek in the 1780s. His sons were Benjamin, Amos, and John. Benjamin married Patience Roles. Amos married Nancy Ellis (a daughter of Owen and Christina Van Doren - Ellis of Wolf Creek). John Married Elizabeth Mann. James Halstead also had a daughter Elizabeth who married into the Meeks family.
Future generations of Halsteads migrated into Raleigh, Fayette, and Nicholas counties. My grandfather Edgar Stanley Halstead descends from James. My grandfather married Lillie Jennings Basham.
Families I have little or no information about at this time:
Booten, and Byrnsides.
Arbuckle
Captain Matthew Arbuckle was born in 1741 in what is now Botetourt County and was one of the first settlers to explore the Greenbriar valley (according to some accounts). He was a trapper and hunter. His father, James, was born in Scotland.
He joined the Virginia militia in 1758. He commanded a militia company and served as chief scout and guide. In fact, he guided General Lewis and the rest of their army to Point Pleasant in Dunmore's War against Chief Cornstalk.
Arbuckle was one of the first men to move to present day Lewisburg, WV. His plot of land was on the corner of Jefferson and Randolph streets.
He married twice. First to Jane Lockhart. This marriage produced sons: Charles and John. His second marriage was to Francis Hunter (she too was married before to a James Lawrence, Jr.). Their marriage produced: Matthew Arbuckle (who became a famous general), Thomas, Samuel, and James II.
For an interesting read, checkout Arbuckle and Col. James Stewart's involvment in the affair of Chief Cornstalk's death.
Ballard
One of the first of the Ballard family mentioned is William Ballard. He was a Private then later a Corporal in the Revolutionary War. He enlisted in 1779 and was in the battle at Yorktown. He married Elizabeth Steppe. He settled in Greenbrier County.
Elijah Ballard of Hans Creek was also a Revolutionary War veteran. He was granted 970 acres on Hans Creek.
Clark
Alexander Clark, son of James ad Elizabeth Summers Clark was born in 1736. He lived near Indian Creek in Summers County. He married Sarah Lafferty. He was involved in a number of skirmishes with Indians in the y. Children: James 1764, Rebecca 1766, William 1771, Ralph 1773, Alexander 1775, John, 1778, Martha 1780, Samuel 1782.
His son Alexander II was born 1775 and married Mary Hawkins (daughter of Samuel Hawkins and Mary Erwin). He was a soldier in the War of 1812. They had twelve children: James 1797, Sarah 1798, Hannah 1800, Elizabeth 1802, William 1803, Nancy 1805, Samuel 1807, Salina 1808, Alexander C. 1810, Rufus 1812, Lucinda 1815, and Mary H. 1817.
Their son Samuel married Elizabeth Halstead, a daughter of Benjamin Halstead of Indian Creek. Their daughter Salina married Alexander Halstead, a son of Benjamin Halstead.
Comer
Augustus Comer was born in Frederick County in 1757. He married Catherine Rush. He later enlisted in Shenandoah County in 1776. He was in the 12th VA Regiment under Capt. Langdon and Col. Neville. He and his wife Catherine later settled in Lindside, Monroe County. He is buried at the "Cummings Cemetery" (check out findagrave.com).
Children: Elizabeth, Frederick, Jacob, Catherine, Micheal, Barbara, Augustus, Sarah (Sally), and John Henry.
Halstead
James Halstead was the first Halstead who settled in southern WV. There is, or was, a lot of controversy over his origins. Some say he was born in England in 1740 and others reject this idea claiming there is no definitive evidence where he was born. It is believed he served in the 12th VA Regiment during the Revolutionary War.
What we know for sure: he settled in Indian Creek in the 1780s. His sons were Benjamin, Amos, and John. Benjamin married Patience Roles. Amos married Nancy Ellis (a daughter of Owen and Christina Van Doren - Ellis of Wolf Creek). John Married Elizabeth Mann. James Halstead also had a daughter Elizabeth who married into the Meeks family.
Future generations of Halsteads migrated into Raleigh, Fayette, and Nicholas counties. My grandfather Edgar Stanley Halstead descends from James. My grandfather married Lillie Jennings Basham.
Families I have little or no information about at this time:
Booten, and Byrnsides.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)