Notebook - Mom's Families #6, Part 1

Bradley, John. Notes on William Gurley, One of the First Settlers of Johnston County, North Carolina, & Some of His Descendants, 9/1946.

In Johnston County, North Carolina, Deed Book S, No. 1, pages 352-6, there is recorded a long deed, dated 2 February 1793, wherein Arthur Gurley of said County conveys to William Worley, for 130 pounds, 125 acres situated in Johnston County on the north side of Neuse River and on the north side of Moccasin Swamp, and reciting that the same is:

The upper part of two hundred acres of land granted to William Gurley under the seal of his Excellency Gabriel Johnston, Esquire, Governor, bearing the date of 20th day of April AD 1705, and transferred by deed from William Gurley to John Gurley and descended by heirship from John Gurley to Frederick Gurley and transferred by deed from Frederick Gurley to Nathan Gurley and descended by heirship from Nathan Gurley to Arthur Gurley and transferred by deed from Arthur Gurley to William Worley.

The date of 20 April 1705 is a copyist's error, and has "crossed up" a number of genealogists. In 1940, the writer spent several days at Smithfield, North Carolina, county seat of Johnston County, and employed Rev. James P. Smith of that city to assist him in his search of Gurley records, as Rev. Smith is an excellent genealogist and was 15 February 1941, Rev. Smith wrote to me as
follows:

The date of 1705 for patent of William Gurley mentioned in Deed Book S-1, page 352, is a copyist's error. I once showed this to the Register of Deeds as a curiosity.  There are no patents in this area earlier than 1738. The identical tract is deeded by Frederick Gurley to Nathan Gurley in 1771 and refers to patent granted to William Gurley 20 April 1745.

Johnston County Will Book I, at page 62, records the will of Mary Gurley, executed 7 May 1792, and probated about November of the same year in which, after bequeathing "one shilling sterling" to each of her children, William, Jacob, Isom, Rebecca Austin, Lidia Pool, Mary Burwick, and John, she left the remainder of her estate to her daughter Patty.  Olds, in his Abstracts of Wills, lists the above, but misprints Isom's name as "Tron." The writer has seen the original will, which is preserved at the Department of Archives in Raleigh, North Carolina, in Will Book #56.091 at page 8 and the name is unquestionably Isom, meant for Isham, as his name was subsequently spelled in other public records.

Although there is no documentary proof, due probably to fact that some of the Johnston County records are missing, it has been taken for granted by several genealogists who have studied Johnston County Gurley records, that she was the widow of a William Gurley whose name figures in a number of Johnston County deeds. No record of their marriage or of his death has been found.

In 1897, A.E. Gurley of Willimantic, Connecticut, published a book on the Genealogy of the New England Gurleys, and subsequently, in the early 1900's, toured the South, as far as Gadiston, Georgia, gathering material on the southern Gurleys, intending to publish another book, but died before so doing.  Some of his notes have been preserved, and hereinafter he will be referred to as "A.E.G."

After A.E.G. had carefully combed the records of Johnston County, North Carolina, and noted the above deed from Arthur Gurley to William Worley, he wrote:

In 1656, a Captain Henry Isham, said to have been of Royal descent through his mother, Mary Brett, came to Henrico County, Virginia, from England. His daughter, Mary, married Colonel William Randolph and it has often been claimed that more famous Americans were descended from this marriage than from any other couple in America. The list includes Thomas Jefferson, Chief Justice John Marshall, General Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, General Robert E. Lee, Peyton Randolph, Sir John Randolph, Edmund Randolph, John Randolph of Roanoke, and many others.

The writer believes that the Gurleys in Johnston County, North Carolina, came there from Virginia, probably Southampton County, Virginia, and that William Gurley named his third son Isham because there was some connection between the Gurleys and Ishams back in Virginia.

Southampton County, Virginia, Will Book 2, page 362, records the will of George Gurley Sr., of County of Seaton, in Parish of St. Luke, executed 12 August 1768 in presence of William Thomas, Jesse Brasswell and James Peding, and probated by George Gurley, Jr., as Executor on 10 January 1771, in which the testator mentioned his wife, without naming her, his son, John, daughters W. Cary West and Fathy Sellers, his grandson, George Edwards, and concluded by leaving the balance of his estate to be divided "between my son, George, Jr., and Ann Edwards," the latter of whom would have been his daughter.

The West family was very prominent in early Virginia for, in 1635-37, John West was governor of the state and he had a brother, Thomas West, who was the third Lord Delaware. The above will indicates and, in fact, shows that one of the daughters of George Gurley, Sr., had married a West.

Oconee County, South Carolina, Deed Book 9, page 649 (also recorded at Anderson, South Carolina, in Book O, at page 380) shows that on 12 November 1818, West Gurley sold 216 acres of land in Oconee County to Jesse Hall. Around 1819-1820, this West Gurley's name appears in several deeds recorded in Jefferson County, Alabama, of which Birmingham is the county seat.

As West, too, is an unusual surname, it strongly indicates that he was so named because he was descended from the West Family. Could it be just a coincidence that Isham Gurley, Isham [Gurley] Jr., and West Gurley were all in Oconee County, South Carolina on the heels of the retiring Indians, just as that locality was opened for settlement? there must have been a connection and relationship between them. West [Gurley] left Oconee shortly after the above sale and lingered for a time [until his death shortly after 1850] in Jefferson County, Alabama. The two Ishams, a few years later, followed him [West Gurley] to Alabama, but settled in Pickens County.

And while the above will of George Gurley, Sr., mentioning his daughter, Ann Edward is fresh in your mind, it is interesting that one of the early Gurleys in Johnston County, North Carolina, was a John Gurley who married Elizabeth Edwards, but most probably back in Virginia. As marriages of cousins in Virginia in those days was almost a rule, and not an exception, there was probably a relationship between Elizabeth Edwards and the Edwards wh? Ann, the daughter of George Gurley, Sr., had married, but of this, more later.

Rebecca Austin, fourth child of above, Lydia Pool, the fifth.

4. Rebecca, named Rebecca Austin and as fourth child mentioned in the 1792 will of Mary Gurley of Johnston County, North Carolina. A.E.G. spelled her name Rebeckah; said she was born in 1755, and that she married "----- Austin."  If anyone considers it important to know exact spelling of her name, the original will is on file at Raleigh, North Carolina . . .

Even though the following records will materially lengthen this already long document, they appear to the writer to lend plausible support to his theory on the ancestry of William Gurley of the 1745 Johnston County, North Carolina, land patent.

Some Southampton County, Virginia, Records - On page 14, supra, the will of George Gurley, Sr., is briefed. It mentions his unnamed wife, his sons, John and George, Jr., his daughters, W. Cary West and Fathay Sellers, and Ann Edwards, and his grandson, George Edwards. [The will] was probated 10 January 1771. He is said to have died 10 January 1771. Writer has a photostat of a document stating:

"George Gurley, father of Rev. George Gurley, Rector of St. Luke's Parish, Southampton County, died 10 January 1771. Virginia Gazette (Wm. & Mary Quarterly, OS 8/188)."

Virginia Land Office, Book 15, page 157, lists a land grant, by George [Gurley] the Second, of 150 acres to George Gurley of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. (Southampton carved therefrom in 1748) dated 28 February 1733. This must have been the above George [Gurley].

A.E.G. said "George Gurley (called Parson Gurley was the oldest son of George Gurley, the first, of Luke's Parish, Township of Courtland, Southampton County, Virginia, married Mary Willis 11 August 1749. Parsons Gurley died about 1 May 1804. His widow Mrs. Mary Gurley, died -----.  Children of Parsons George Gurley and Mary Willis, his wife:

Lucy born 3 February 1750. Married William Thomas.

Joseph born 12 October 1751. Married Martha Peterson (m[arriage] b[ond]dated 11 May 1772)

Henry born 9 April 1754. Married Priscilla Pitman

Samuel born 1 February 1757. Died 5 May 1763.

Celia born 11 September 1759. Married Newit Edwards (By J.M.B. Shouthampton marriage bond, dated 13 July 1780, "Celia Gurley, daughter of George, to Newit Edwards, witness and security , Wm. Edwards, George Gurley, Jr., and Jordan Edwards.")

George born 19 February 1762. Died 16 December 1763.

George born 16 August 1764. Married Lucy Martin. (By J.M.B. Southampton marriage bond of 17 May 1786, "George Gurley, Jr., married Lucy Martin daughter of James Martin. Performed by Rev. George Gurley of St. Luke's Parish, 18 May 1786.")

Mary born 18 April 1767. Married  John Drake.

Patty born 3 May 1769. Married John Whitbee.

John born 18 October 1771. Married Betsy (called Elizabeth) Gilliam. (John's marriage bond dated 6 November 1797 to "Betsy W. Gilliam, daughter of Thomas Gilliam. Security and witness, Benjamin Edwards and Samuel Kello, Jr.)

Re: John Gurley & Betsey W. Gilliam - A.E.G. says John married as above and evidently died without issue, leaving a large estate of which he attaches an inventory filling four pages. He then sets out his will which he personally signed 17 October 1805 in presence of John Whitbee, Patsey M. Drake, Benjamin Edwards, Littleberry Baines. After leaving a negro boy to each of two nephews, John Edwards and John Drake, he left the balance of his estate to his wife, Elizabeth W. Gurley, and appointed her his sole Executor.

Will of Nicholas Gurley, Southampton County, Virginia, Parish of Nottaway - In this will, found in Southampton Will Book 1, page 439, executed 23 April 1781 [probably type 1761?] and signed his (x) mark, Nicholas Gurley mentioned his wife, Ann, and three sons, Benjamin, Nicholas, and William.  In A.E.G.'s copy of this will he copied "also I do appoint my true friends George Gurley and Joseph Cobb whole and sole executors," and listed George Gurley, Sen., (who wrote his name) and Thomas Edwards and Mary Gurley, Jun., (these two by X as witnesses.)

The writer has a photostat of a typed copy of this will, furnished by Mr. Justus R. Moll; George Gurley, Jr., (and not just George) is named as one of [the] Executors, and on of the witnesses, Mary, is not Mary, Jun., but just Mary. This will was probated 11 March 1762.

At any rate, it is significant that Nicholas Gurley "of the county of Southampton and Parish of Nottaway" (as his will recites) has George Gurley, Sr., "of the county of Seaton in the Parish of St. Luke" and /or his son George Jr., or both as the case may be, to act as executor and witness. It certainly strongly indicates a relationship between the families of Nicholas Gurley and the two George Gurleys.

Nicholas Gurley must have been concerned about the health of his son, Benjamin, for in his will he said:

"I give and bequeath to my son, Benjamin Gurley, the land and plantation whereon he lives with appurtenances to him and his heirs forever, but if my said son, Benjamin should die without heir lawfully begotten of his own body, I then give and bequeath this land to my son Nicholas Gurley and his heirs forever. *** Furthermore my will and desire is that if my said son Benjamin should have heirs lawfully begotten as aforesaid, that then and in such case all the remainder of my lands to be equally divided between my two sons William and Nicholas and their heirs forever, but if my said son, Benjamin, should die without heirs lawfully begotten of his body, then my desire is that my son, Nicholas, have no right, title, or interest in the division of the said dividend of land last mentioned, but be the sole property of my son William and his heirs forever."

Right here, let it be added that Virginia Land Office Book 15, page 159, shows that on the 28th day of February 1733, George the Second likewise granted one hundred acres of land on "the south side of the Nottaway River." The land grant to George (see page 17) on the same day for 150 acres was likewise situated on "south side of the Nottaway River."  This is another strong indication of a connection between George and Nicholas Gurley.

Re: Estate of Benjamin Gurley - The above concerns of Nicholas Gurley over whether his son Benjamin would have heirs were seemingly well founded for on 11 March 1762 the Court of Southampton ordered an appraisal of the estate of Benjamin Gurley, deceased. The writer thought he had a copy of the will but cannot find it.  He does have a copy of the appraisal, which was returned on 13 May 1762, and filed in Will Book 1, page 465. John Drake, Nathan Vasser, and Tho. Edwards were appraisers.

Another Benjamin Gurley died in New Hanover County in 1771, and left a will. The writer has a photostat copy of a letter which states "Benjamin Gurley will mentions Mary and Elizabeth.  It was probated in New Hanover County in 1771."

The purpose of these notes is to attempt to show that all of the family of Nicholas Gurley moved to Johnston County, North Carolina, except Benjamin; that he probably died in 1762.

To return to Benjamin for a moment, it will be noted that John Drake, one of the appraisers of his estate, was a son-in-law of George "Parsons" Gurley, Jr.

John Gurley, the Second Gurley in Johnston County, North Carolina - (Writer will call him "John I" to distinguish him form another John [in County])

Johnston County Deed Book 1, which was opened in 1746, contains a deed, probably dated about 1747, wherein William Gurley transfers a part of his 1745 land patent to John Gurley, who had evidently followed him to Johnston County . . . 

If the above means that John Gurley who died in 1771 died in Southampton County, Virginia, then he must have been an extremely poor Gurley living among his kins men who were large land owners, for in 1931, the distinguished historian and genealogist, the Rev. Clayton Torrence, now the Secretary of the Virginia Historical Society, published a volume entitled Virginia Wills & Administrations from 1632 to 1800, in which he listed all of such for every county in Virginia.  His list for Southampton does not name John Gurley.

The writer has a thick clip of photostats of Gurley deed records, and so forth, from various North Carolina counties, sent to him by Mr. Moll, which ends up with the following:

"The foregoing records go to show that the Gurleys who were early settlers in Anson County, North Carolina, were great land owners, and were very industrious. These North Carolina Gurleys were a very stout and strong set of men. The most of them were six feet high and of robust build; and one, Jacob Gurley, was noted for his tremendous strength, it being said of him that he was as strong as any two men in his county."

Nearly fifty years ago A.E. Gurley, after examining the records of Southampton County, Virginia, on the Gurleys wrote:

"Between the years 1760 and 1828, the Gurleys of Southampton County, Virginia, bought and sold in that county 70 different pieces of land, which goes to show that they were men of ability, industry and wealth.

"The first deed of any land to any Gurley on the land records of Southampton County, Virginia, is given in Book 2, page 306, where George Gurley deeds to George Gurley, Jr., and says George Gurley of Southampton County [was in] parish of Nottaway. This deed is dated 10 January 1760. The records do not say where this George Gurley Sr., came from or how he came into possession of this land, therefore it is presumed he came in possession of this land by a land grant from the state of Virginia some years previous to the date of this deed.

"Virginia, like North Carolina, in the early part of the 17th century, kept no county records, the land records were all kept at the capital of the state, and the title to land was obtained by a patent called a land grant and [it] had to be signed and given by the governor of the state, and people who purchased land in these states in those days were called land proprietors.

"Virginia and North Carolina in those days were very thinly settled, and were practically a vast wilderness, inhabited by a few tribes of Indians.

"The buffalo, deer, and bears were plentiful in the forests, and the streams of water abounded with fish, which made it good hunting and fishing for the red man, bu soon after the white man began to settle in these southern states, the Indians began to be troublesome and they were driven from their habitations across the Mississippi River and from that day down to the present time those lands have been cultivated by the white man and the negro."

And at the end of his Johnston County, North Carolina records, A.E. Gurley wrote:

"I have given here all the Deeds and parts of Deeds which I thought were of importance found on the Johnston County land records at Smithfield, North Carolina. . . . 

. . . the 1792 will) to William Gurley, Sr., of the 1745 Johnston County land patent; so assuming and believing that all of the early Johnston County, North Carolina, Gurleys came from Southampton County, Virginia, then when:

1. Nicholas Gurley and George Gurley Sr., each obtained a land patent on 28 February 1733 two tracts of land which were either adjacent or nearby "on the south side of the Nottaway River" in that portion of the Isle of Wight County, which became Suothampton; and 
2. When said Nicholas and George [Gurley] and their descendants witnessed each other's will and deeds in Southampton; and 
3. When Nicholas had sons named Nicholas and William, and George had a son named John who are not accounted for in Southampton records; and 
4. When a William patented land in Johnston County, North Carolina, in 1745 and, within a year or two sold a part of the same to John Gurley of the 1759 will, and Nicholas Gurley obtained a Johnston County patent for 300 acres in 1782; and
5. When the members of these families bought and sold land to one another and witnessed each other's deeds and wills, and so forth, and intermarried, then:

This writer cannot escape the belief and conclusion that William Gurley, Sr., of the 1745 patent was the son of Nicholas Gurley of Southampton [County] as was Nicholas [Gurley] of the 1782 patent, and that John Gurley I, who either came to Johnston County with William, or soon followed him there, was the son of George Gurley, Sr., of Southampton [County], and that said William and Nicholas were at least cousins of said John 1.

For the benefit of someone who, I hope, will some day take up where I am leaving off, Rev. James P. Smith, in one of his reports, informed me that he had found a record where a James Gurley patented land in Craven County, North Carolina, in 1745, and where a Joel Gurley had obtained a Johnston County patent in 1760, and that he was unable to further identify either.

Originally, the entire state of North Carolina contained only six or seven counties, of which Craven County was one. It was subsequently split up into a number of counties, of which Johnston was one, [being formed in 1746 from Craven]. It is therefore possible that the land patent of James Gurley in some part of Craven County in 1745 was a long long distance from Johnston County. At any rate, there is no suggestion in Johnston County records of any connection between its Gurleys and this James [Gurley].

As to Joel [Gurley], he could not have been the son of John Gurley and Elizabeth Edwards, for their son, Joel, according to Mr. Moll's Bible record, was born 30 May 1747, and could not have obtained a patent in 1760 when he was only thirteen years of age.

In Conclusion - The foregoing notes represent just about the sum total of all that the writer has been able to learn about his Gurley ancestry after several years of off and on research, the travelling of several thousands of miles, copying reams of records, borrowing, begging, and buying stacks of additional records, spending hundreds of hours studying same, and the expenditure of quite a bit of money. 

The writer therefore hopes that some day, some descendant of William Gurley, Sr., of the 1745 Johnston County land patent, who has considerably more of brains, curiosity, energy, patience, health, and money than the writer will take up where the writer is "signing off,' prove or disprove that William Gurley, Sr., of the 1745 Johnston County patent was the son of the Nicholas Gurley of the 1761 Southampton County, Virginia will and other wise extend the Gurley line hereinbefore definitely established. The writer hopes that these notes will be of some value to some one who may make such effort and that, if the effort should establish additional information, it will be passed on to the writer or his children. This document was started weeks ago, a little added each day, on some of which hours were spent looking for some record to be incorporated herein, and finally completed on the night of 12 October 1946.

Signed: John Miller Bradley, 4211 Overlook Road, Birmingham, Alabama

Errata - Pages 16 and 19 - While John Gurley 1. of the 1749 will [penultimate paragraph on page 16], did mention a son, Nathan, writer is not certain that Nathan Gurley of the 1776 will was son of said John Gurley 1., as indicated on page 19 hereof.  After having again reviewed extensive reports from Rev. James P. Smith, in one he thought Nathan was son of John 1., and in another, suggested that he was a brother of William of 1745 patent.  There is nothing, however, in Johnston County records which would indicate that he was not the son of John 1.  Initialed J.M.B.

George Gurley, Jr. was clerk of Southampton's Committee of Safety in 1775, according to Volume 5 (First Series) of William & Mary Quarterly, page 248. J.M.B.

Explanation - Wherever words, in this copy of Mr. John Miller Bradley's notes on "William Gurley, Johnston County, North Carolina," are enclosed with brackets [ ] , the words are insertions by William T. Pryor for clarification purposes, but in no way to make a change in the meaning of the notes. William T. Pryor, September 2, 1968.

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Horvath, Doris. The Runyon Family, Edison, NJ, 1977

1. Vincent Runyon b. 1645, Poitou, France, d. 11/1713, Piscataway, Middlesex Co., NJ, md. 7/17/1668 Ann Boucher / Boutcher b. 1650, d. ca. 1723/25 Herts, England

Generation 2
1a. John
1b. Vincent
1c. Anne b. 1673, d. ?  md. Nathaniel Leonard
1d. Thomas b. ca. 1675 Piscataway, NJ, d. 4/1753 Hopewell, NJ, md. 1698 Martha Dunn b. 7/13/1681, d. before 1749, d/o Hugh & Elizabeth (Drake) Dunn
1e. Mary
1f. Peter
1g. Jane b. 1/19/1683
1h. Sarah

Generation 3
1c1. Thomas Leonard
1c2. Nathaniel Leonard Jr.
1c3. Maurice Leonard
1c4. Mary Leonard
1c5. Sarah Leonard
1d1. Catherine
1d2. Vincent
1d3. Thomas
1d4. Martha
1d5. Aaron
1d6. Ephraim
1d7. Joseph b. ca. 1704 Hopewell, NJ, d. unknown in Frederick Co., VA, md. ca. 1738 Elizabeth (-?-)
1f1. Joseph md. Elizabeth Trembley

Generation 4
1d7a. Peter
1d7b. John b. 4/4/1747 never married
1d7c. Benjamin b. ?, d. between 1/3 & 2/13, 1776, Amwell Twp., NJ, md. Anna Higgins d. b/t 2/23/1779 & 2/15/1780
1f1a. Phillip b. 1745, Piscataway, NJ, d. 1801, md. Elsie Coriell, b. 7/30/1764, daughter of Abraham & Esther (Heath) Coriell

Generation 5
1d7c1. John b. 1749, d. 1813 Amwell Twp., Hunterdon Co., NJ md. 1) ca. 1769 Rachel Hyde, daughter of James Hyde; 2) 6/19/1783 Rebecca Landis b. 5/6/1761, d. after 1851 daughter of Henry Landis
1d7c2. Joseph
1d7c3. Reuben
1d7c4. Sarah md. (-?-) Roberson
1d7c5. Elizabeth md. (-?-) Mathis
1d7c6. Mary
1d7c7. Anna
1d7c8. Piety
1f1a1. Lewis b. 1784, d. 1844, md. 2/6/1806 Sarah Pangborn
1f1a2. Drake md. 1810 Rebecca Crane
1f1a3. Esther md. Abraham Irwin
1f1a4. Margaret md. Moses Ellis
1f1a5. John(?)
1f1a6. Nella(?)
1f1a7. Jane md. Richard Irwin

Generation 6
Rachel Hyde's children:
1d7c1a. Anna Elizabeth b. 1770, died in infancy
1d7c1b. Sarah b. 1771, d. 11/8/1868, md. 2/6/1799 Jacob Boss
1d7c1c. Vincent b. 8/23/1773, d. ? Ohio md. Mary Drake daughter of Ralph & Rebecca (Stout) Drake, Vincent moved to Maysville, KY and then to Ohio
1d7c1d. Orminer b. 1/1/1776
1d7c1e. Rachel b. 1778
1d7c1f. John Hyde b. 1780, d. 1811 went to Kentucky with his brother Francis
1d7c1g. Joseph b. 2/7/1782
1d7c1h. Francis b. 12/9/1784
1d7c1i. Anna Elizabeth b. 3/25/1787

Children of Rebecca Landis
1d7c1j. Henry L. b. 5/17/1794 Amwell Twp., Hunterdon Co., NJ, d. 7/25/1861, md. 5/17/1820 Sarah Wagoner b. 6/18/1792, d. 11/29/1869 daughter of Abraham & Mary (Runkle) Wagoner
1d7c1k. Isaac b. 2/26/1796, d. 9/9/1858
1d7c1l. Catherine b. 1/24/1798, d. 6/21/1872, md. 5/20/1826 George Lanning
1d7c1m. David b. 3/7/1800
1d7c1n. Amos, b. ? d. 7/19/1872 md. 4/6/1835 Anna Eliza Bell

Generation 7
1d7c1c1. Orminah/Miner md. 10/30/1815 Ralph Van Dike at Maysville, KY
1d7c1c2. Charity b. 1801
1d7c1c3. Stout D.
1d7c1c4. Peer b. 1806
1d7c1c5. John b. 1808
1d7c1c6. Rachel
1d7c1c7. Jane
1d7c1c8. Deborah
1d7c1j1. Elizabeth b. 5/20/1821, d. 12/15/1861, md. 10/23/1839 Israel Duerr(?)
1d7c1j2. Mary Catherine b. 10/5/1824, d. 1/8/1910, md. 1857 John M. Gray
1d7c1j3. Anna b. 1/25/1830, d. 12/25/1889, md. 10/25/1849 Isaac Hoppock
1d7c111. Aaron Lanning
1d7c1l2. John Lanning

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MacLysaght, Edward. More Irish Families, Dublin, Ireland: O'Gorman, Ltd., 1960.

(O) Slevin, Slavin, (Mac) Sleyne, Sliney - Both the forms Slevin and Slavin are found today in about equal numbers chiefly in Ulster, 18 of the 25 births registered for the name in Matheson's test year being in that province. Ó Sléibhín, which is said to be derived from the Irish word sliabh (a mountain) was the name of a branch of Cenél Eoghain in Ulster, famous in the early mediaeval period as poets. Giolla Comhghaill Ó Sléibhín, chief bard of Ulster, was associated with King Malachy in the norther resistance to Brian Boru, other Ulster poets of the name about the same time are mentioned by the Four Masters, as well as one who was chief poet of Oreil in 1168. Though seldom met with in historical records after that time, they evidently did not sink into obscurity since as late as 1514 we find in the Ormond Deeds a judgement of the Liberty Court of Tipperary in which Terrelagh O'Slevin, together with an O'Donnell, is described as "pure Irish of the Irish nation" when charged with acquisition of lands contrary to statute; and again in the Survey of Co. Fermanagh made in 1603 Munter Slevine are cited as "carbes" (coarbs) of Killtyerman in the barony of Lurg.

It would appear that by the middle of the next century families of the name had become established in the midlands since Slevin is included among the principal Irish names in the barony of Farbill, Co. Westmeath, in the 1659 census. The name occurs at approximately the same date in the Hearth Money Rolls for Co. Armgah, Co. Donegal and Co. Tyrone. The forms used are O'Slavin, O'Sleaven, O'Sleivan, O'Sclevin and O'Slamman.

Slamon is occasionally used in Co. Offaly, in the neighbourhood of Birr, as a synonym of Slavin.

The present Chief Herald of Ireland is Gerard Slevin.

It has been stated that Sleyne is basically the same as Slevin. I think this is not the case. O'Donovan states that this name was a Gaelic patronymic (Mac Sleimhne) assumed by the Co. Cork Norman family Fitz Stephen, one of whom was Bishop of Cork from 1701 to 1709. Gams gives his name as Skyne, which is an error for Sleyne. Gerald MacSleyney (1568) and David MacSleyney (1584) are among the Co. Cork Elizabethan pardons. Synonyms of this name are found today are Sliney, Slyne and occasionally MacSliney. They are all rare.

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President Harry S. Truman & His Shelby & Woodford County Forebears, Part One, Kentucky Ancestors, Vol. 37, No. 1, Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Historical Society, 2001.

Harry, Bess & Margaret Truman

Among U.S. presidents, Harry S. Truman had the unique distinction of being the grandson of four Shelby countians. They were: Anderson Shipp Truman, who lived near Bagdad; Mary Jane Holmes, who lived approximately three miles northwest of Shelbyville; Solomon Young, whose farm straddled the Shelby-Jefferson County line near Long Run; and Harriet Louisa Gregg, who lived about three miles northwest of Simpsonville.

Truman, 33rd president of the United States, was the oldest of the three children of John Anderson Truman and Martha Ellen Young.  He was born in Lamar, Missouri, on 8 May 1884 and died on 26 December 1972 in Kansas City.  He married Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Wallace (b. 13 February 1884, Independence, Mo., d. 20 October 1982, Independence) on 28 June 1919 in Independence.

While serving as "presiding judge of the Jackson County Court," Truman became interested in his family tree and, about 1932, traveled to Shelby County in search of information.

Later, as president, he made the most of his Shelby County heritage during his 1948 "whistlestop" campaign in Kentucky. "I am proud of my Kentucky ancestors, naturally," Truman said on September 29, 1948, when his train stopped in Shelbyville. "Missouri was settled by people from Kentucky and Tennessee mostly. If you will come to Jackson County (Mo.), I will show you a slice of Kentucky."  A hastily arranged family reunion of sorts had been held during the president's appearance at the Louisville Armory the previous evening.

President Truman is buried on the grounds of the Truman Presidential Library in the Jackson County seat of Independence.

John Anderson Truman (b. 5 December 1851, Jackson County, Mo., d. 3 November 1914, Jackson County), a son of Anderson Shipp Truman and Mary Jane Holmes, was President Truman's father. He married Martha Ellen Young (b. 25. November 1852, "Parish Farm" - now Kansas City, Mo., d. 26 July 1949, Grandview, Mo.), a daughter of Solomon Young and Harriet Louisa Gregg, on 28 December 1881 in Jackson County, Mo.

Truman was a cattle and livestock trader and a lifelong Democrat. According to his granddaughter, Margaret Truman Daniel, "When Grover Cleveland won the presidency in 1892, returning the Democrats to power, John climbed to the top of the Chrysler Street house and hammered a flag to the cupola, while his admiring sons watched from the ground."

John Anderson Truman and Martha Ellen Young had the following children:

• infant male b. & d. 28 October 1882
• Harry S. b. 8 May 1884, Lamar, Mo., d. 26 December 1972 Kansas City
• Vivian John b. 25 April 1886, d. 8 July 1965 md. Louella Campbell
• Mary Jane b. 12 August 1869 Mo., d. 8 November 1978

. . . [Anderson Shipp Truman and Mary Jane Holmes were] married at the Shelby County home of Mary Jane's sister, Mrs. Catherine Clayton on 13 August 1846. The minister was E.G. Berry.

Truman Ahnentafel

1. Harry S. Truman

2. John Anderson Truman

3. Martha Ellen Young

4. Anderson Shipp Truman

5. Mary Jane Holmes

6. Solomon Young

7. Harriet Louisa Gregg

8. William Truman Jr. b. 13 Jan. 1783 VA, d. 28 Nov. 1863 Shelby Co., KY

9. Emma Grant Shipp b. 29 Oct. 1787 St. Mary's Parish, Caroline Co., VA, d. 21 June 1872, Shelby Co., KY

10. Jesse Holmes

11. Ann Drusilla "Nancy" Tyler

12. Jacob Young (our grandpa)

13. Rachel Goodnight (our grandma)

16. William Truman, Sr. d. between 17 Aug. 1796 & 23 Jan. 1797 Bedford Co., VA

17. Mary / Nancy(?) (-?-) d. after 19 Dec. 1796

18. Richard Jonathan Shipp b. 12 Nov. 1747, St. Mary's Parish, Caroline Co., VA, d. ca. 1828 Woodford Co., KY

19. Elizabeth Doniphan b. June 1758 King George Co., VA, d. ca. 1812 Woodford Co., KY

36. Edmund Erney Grant Shipp 

37. Tabitha Garnett 

38. Anderson Doniphan b. ca. 1726 Stafford Co., VA

39. Magdaline Montieith b. ca. 1737

72. Thomas Shipp II b. ca. 1731, St. Ann's Parish, Essex Co., VA

73. Rachel Grant b. ca. 1731 St. Ann's Parish, Essex Co., VA

74. (-?-) Garnett

75. (-?-) Muscoe

150. Salvator Muscoe, Sr. b. ca. 1645 Italy

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Roster of First Kentucky Ancestors, Kentucky Ancestors, Vol. 24, No. 1, Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Historical Society, 1988.

Alexander Wilson b. ?, came to Kentucky 1776.  (This according to biography of son Walter who was born 8 Jan. 1782 near Harrodsburg.) Official records show he moved to Vincennes, 1784, and was killed near there by Indians, 1786. Married (in Ky.?) to Nancy (-?-) Reared four children in Louisville, Ky., area then returned to Vincennes to claim land compensation for husband's death in Indian wars. Married second to John Johnson & third to John Couret White in Indiana. Nancy & Alexander Wilson were parents of Elizabeth b. ?, d. 1830, md. in 1796 in Jefferson Co., KY to John McBain d. 1822.  Moved ca. 1810 to Knox Co., IN and later to Lawrence Co., IL.

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Roster of First Kentucky Ancestors, Kentucky Ancestors, Vol. 25, No. 3, Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Historical Society, 1990

John E. Wilson b. ca. 1780 NC, son of unknown. In Livingston Co., KY (present Crittenden Co.), by 1816. Died 2 Nov. 1853, Crittenden Co., KY; buried Crooked Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. Married 2) 11 Nov. 1816 Livingston Co., KY Harriott Brooks b. ?, daughter of unknown, d. before 1831 Livingston Co., KY. Parents of Harriett Cassander WIlson b. Dec. 1824, Livingston Co., KY. Died 16 June 1908 Crittenden Co., KY, buried Pleasant Grove Cemetery. Married 23 July 1845 Crittenden Co., KY; buried Pleasant Grove Cemetery .Married 23 July 1845 Crittenden Co., KY to Peter Bebout (born 1823, Ohio, d. 6 Apr. 1862 Maury Co., TN [Civil War]), son of Abraham & Elizabeth (Van Ostrand) Bebout)

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Roster of First Kentucky Ancestors, Kentucky Ancestors, Vol. 26, No. 2, Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Historical Society, 1990

Benjamin W. Elston b. 25 Dec. 1759, Elizabeth NJ; son of David Elston & Neaty Line. After Revolutionary War service, Benjamin Elston moved with father to Burke Co., NC. Benjamin, wife Elizabeth & 11 children migrated to Kentucky - first to Bourbon Co., then Henry Co. (deeds 1802, 1804, 1811, 1816), and later to Trimble Co., KY. Benjamin died 15 Jan. 1845, Trimble Co., KY; buried there. Married 18 Nov. 1786, Burke Co., NC to Elizabeth Long.  She was born 8 or 9 Nov. 1770, d. 23 Dec. 1859 Trimble Co., KY, daughter of Alsey (?) & Samuel Long of Burke Co., NC

Parents of Caroline Elston b. 28 Aug. 1808 NC or KY. Died 19 Aug. 1888 Wilson Co., KS, buried with her husband Joseph Buffville Cemetery, Neodesha, KS.  Married 2 Nov. 1826 Henry Co., KY to Joseph Staton b. 1802, d. 10 Oct. 1880 Wilson Co., KS.

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Roster of First Kentucky Ancestors, Kentucky Ancestors, Vol. 27, No. 4, Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Historical Society, 1992. 

Mary Storrs Russell born 11 May 1781, Halifax Co., VA; died 9 Mar. 1847, buried with her husband in the family cemetery in Henry Co., KY. Daughter of Major John Russell b. 1755 King William Co., VA; Revolutionary War veteran; came to Henry Co., KY 1807; his 400 acres in Henry [later Oldham] Co. is present site of LaGrange, KY; died 31 Dec. 1820 and Hannah Woodson Storrs b. 1763 Henrico Co., VA; d. 1826-27 Henry Co., KY; md. 1779 Henrico Co., VA; daughter of Joshua Storrs & Susannah Woodson Pleasants, parents of Gervas Storrs Smith

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Roster of First Kentucky Ancestors, Kentucky Ancestors, Vol. 29, No. 4, Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Historical Society, 1994.

William Speer - born in 1748 in Somerset, Md., William Speer was the son of Jacob Speer, Sr. and his wife, Elizabeth (-?-). Jacob Speer, Sr. (born 3 Mar. 1725, Somerset Co., Md.; died 1802), was the son of Henry & Jane (Calloway) Speer (married 1711, Somerset Co., Md.); Henry was the son of Andrew Speer, the immigrant ancestor of this branch of the Speer family.  William Speer went with his parents to Surry Co., NC in 1771; he served in the Revolutionary War, from Surry Co., as an ensign under his brother, Captain Henry Speer.  William moved to Madison Co., KY, in 1801 and lived in Cumberland Co., KY, until 1824 when he moved to Jefferson Co., AL.  William Speer died in 1859 and was buried in the Bivens Chapel Cemetery northwest of Birmingham. His name appears, with 24 other Rev. War veterans who died in Jefferson Co., on a memorial boulder in the Woodrow Wilson Park; named in his honor is the William Speer Chapter of the Daughters of American Revolution, Birmingham. William Speer was married in Rowan Co., NC in 1780 to:

Amelia "Millie" Estep born in 1764 in Rowan Co., NC.  Amelia "Millie" Estep was the daughter of Thomas & Susannah (Holmes) Estep. Amelia "Millie" Speer was buried in the Bivens Chapel Cemetery with her husband. Their son was:

Isaac Speer born 20 April 1784, in Surry Co., NC.  Isaac Speer died in Cumberland Co., KY, in Feb. 1876. Isaac was married in Tenn., ca. 1808 to Elizabeth Atkins (born in 1788 in VA) who was probably the daughter of Charles Atkins. Isaac and Elizabeth's son, William (born 1810 in Cumberland Co.) was married ca. 1830 to Hannah Dulworth (born 1811, Knox Co., TN; d/o John & Mary (Broadway) Dulworth).

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Runyon(s)/Runyan(s), Etc. Grooms of Pike County, Kentucky, 1825-1865, Kentucky Ancestors, Vol. 21, No. 1, Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Historical Society, 1985

File No. 113 - License issued September 5, 1825 by Spencer Adkins CPCC for marriage of Adam Runnian & Martha Norris. Bond signed by Adam Runyon and SImon Harris. Letter: I certify that I am willing for Adam Runyon Jun. to obtain a licence to marry unto Martha Harris - 3th day of Sept. 1825.  Teste: Richard Keesee, Simon Harris, Signed Adam (his X mark) Runyon Senr.

(Certificate of marriage town in two - half gone; probably married by Haman Williamson - only Haman remains - date 1825.)

Note: As in File No. 113 above, the marriage file records "digested" in this work include names of principals, witnesses, those giving consent and performing ceremonies), dates and quotations from the original documents. Readers should consult the complete work for such details of the following marriages.

#115. Addon Runnun to Genne Mainare. Consent of bride's parents, md. 23 Dec. 1824.

#168. Alexander Runyon to Sarah Star. Consent of Adam Runyon sen & Sarah Starr, "free agent" md. 2? July 1827.

#280. William Runyon to Polly Mainer. Consent of fathers, William Mainer & Henry Runyon md. 3 June 1830.

#312. Harvey Runyon to Polly Stotts. Consent of father Harvey Runyon & Margaret Stotts, bride's mother, md. 15 Apr. 1831.

#607. Adam Runyon to Wealtha Auldridge. Consent of Waltha Aldredge & of Adam Runyon md. 14 Sept. [1839?], year of consent & bond.

#696. Henry Runyon to Polly Blackburn. Consent of Henry Runyon Sr. & William Blackburn & Jane Blackburn his wife, md. 5 Sept. 1841.

#943. Mitchell Runyon to Miss Margret Taylor, consent of Adrian Runyon, parent. Consent of William Blackburn & Jane Blackburn his wife, md. 5 Sept. 1841.

#1184. Asa H. Runyon to Miss Sarah Smith. Consent of Isaac Smith, Sarah's father, md. 13 Feb. 1851

#1185. Asa H. Runyon to Sarah Smith, Bond, dated 6 Feb. 1851, signed by Asa H. & Adron Runyon.

#1229. John C. Runion to Reene Bevens. Consent of Joseph Bevins, bride's father. md. 5 Aug. 1852.

#1380. Thomas Runyans to Milly Havins "daughter of Mary Havins of this County Consent being given by both parties," md. 19 June 1856.

#1616. Thomas W. Runyons to Judy Maynard. Consent of Wm. C. Maynard, bride's father and consent of David Runyann, groom's father, md. 16 Nov. 1865

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Runyon, Robert. United States Census Records 1790-1850 of Runyon Families, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky & West Virginia, Brownsville, TX: Brownsville News Publishing Company, nd

1790 columns: free white males 16+; free white males -16, females

Pennsylvania, 1790

• Runnings, Thomas, 2, 0, 3, Windsor Twp., no county given
• Runyon, George, 1, 2, 2, Windsor Twp., no county given
• Runyon, Abner, 1, 1, 3, Washington Co.
• Runyon, Stephen, 1, 3, 1 Washington Co.
• Runyon, Isaith, 1, 1, 2 Berks Co.

New York 1792, columns same as 1790

• Runyon, John 3, 1, 1, Otsego Twp., Montgomery Co.
• Runyan, Jonathan, 1, 1, 3, Otsego Twp., Montgomery Co.
• Runyan, Benjamin, 1, 1, 2, Otsego Twp., Montgomery Co.
• Runyan, Samuel, 1, 1, -, Cawnawaga Twp., Montgomery Co.
• Runyan, Henry, 1, 2, 3 Mohawk Twp., Montgomery Co.

Virginia 1782 - columns, free whites, dwellings, other buildings

• Runyon, John 6, 0, 0 Monongalia Co.
• Runyon, William, 7, 0, 0 Monongalia Co.
• Runyon, Henry, 8, 0, 0 Monongalia Co.

Virginia 1784 - columns save as 1782

• Runion, John, 9, 0, 0 Rockingham Co.

Virginia 1785 - same columns as VA 1782

• Runyon, Barefoot, 4, 1, 2 Shenandoah Co.
• Runyon, John, 7, 1, 0 Harrison Co.
• Runyon, William, 8, 1, 1, Harrison Co.
• Runyon, Henry, 6, 1, 1 Harrison Co.
• Runyon, Elijah 4, 1, 0 Harrison Co.

North Carolina 1790

• Runyon, Phineas, 3, 4, 3 Salisbury District, Rowan Co.
• Runyon, Joseph 1, 1, 3 Salisbury District, Rowan Co.
• Runyon, Befford 1, 1, 3 Salisbury District, Rowan Co.
• Runyon, John 1, 2, 5 Morgan District, Wilkes Co.
• Runyon, Adam, 1, 1, 2 Salisbury District, Stokes Co.

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Spears, Joseph F. The Spears Saga, no imprint 1982.

Sketch of the Spears Family of Kentucky - The founder of the Spears Family of the Colony of Virginia was Michael Christopher Spears and his brother, George Frederick Spears, both natives of Arnsberg in Westphalia.

Michael Christopher Spears was born in Westphalia in 1728; his brother George was born in 1731. In the blind and bigoted days of Louis XIV, many Germans and French Protestants were persecuted and put to death by the Roman Catholic Church.  Michael Spears and his brother were driven by Roman Catholic persecutions from their homes in Germany before they reached the age of middle-manhood. They left Arnsberg in the night, traveling (miles unknown) on foot for three weeks, and reached the city of Aix la Chapple where they remained for nearly a year.

In Aix la Chapple, Michael Christopher fell in love with a beautiful French Girl, Marie Louisa DeLaNoye (Delano), whose father was a draper and a Protestant.

After his marriage, he and his brother left Aix la Chapple. They settled at New Rochelle, a Huguenot settlement in the Colony of New York where the wife of Michael Spears had a brother living who had been driven by the persecuting spirit of the Romish Church to seek a home in the New World where he and his brethren could worship the God of their fathers, free from the bloody tyranny of that great despotic power which in all ages persecuted and put to cruel death all who opposed her ambition and tyranny.

About the year 1750, Michael Spears and his brother were visiting Virginia and at Williamsburg, they met Benjamin Burden who had just come to the country as an agent for Lord Fairfax, Proprietor of the Northern Neck. Burden persuaded the brothers to settle in Virginia as he had obtained leave from William Gooch, Colonial Governor, to locate 100,000 acres of land in separate parcels on the waters of the Shenandoah and the James Rivers. Burden was authorized to locate conditionally any quantity of land not exceeding 500,000 acres on any of the waters of the Shenandoah and James Rivers, west of the Blue Ridge. The conditions of these grants were that he should interfere with no previous grants, that he should settle 100 families in 10 years within its limits and should have 1,000 acres adjoining each cabin which he should cause to be built with liberty to purchase any greater quantity adjoining at the rate of 50 pounds sterling per acre.

In order to effect the compliance, it appears that Benjamin Burden went back to England about 1753 and, on his return to Virginia, brought with him 100 families of adventurers to settle on his grants.

From the traditions preserved by the late John Spears (1771-1866) in his father's family (George F. Spears, ca. 1731-1803), it appears that Michael Spears and his brother went back to New Rochelle for their families and settled in the present limits of Rockingham, Virginia. In Rockingham, Michael Spears lived and raised a family consisting of three sons and two daughters.

The above sketch of the Spears family is the first written record we have of their history. This handwritten record has been handed down from generation to generation. No doubt errors in dates  and names of places have occurred in the copying of the statement over the years. . . .

Although Michael Christopher Spears is our first ancestor in America, we have very little authentic information on record about him.

One of the early researchers of the Spears family was Samuel M. Duncan. He is often quoted as an authority on family history and history of central Kentucky. Samuel M. Duncan was born in 1830 and spent most of his adult life in Nicholasville, Jessamine County, Kentucky.

Mr. Duncan gathered together an immense amount of material concerning the early history of Kentucky and its people. He had a passion for collecting old letters and documents and preserving them. He talked with men who had been in the Revolutionary War and to those who had in their minds fresh recollections of the struggles, trials and dangers of pioneer life in Kentucky. (History of Jessamine County, Kentucky, page 262).

According to the application papers of Mrs. J.G.C. Bronaugh, Nicholasville, Kentucky, 1908 (AR Record 68067, Washington, DC). Samuel M. Duncan is quoted as her authority that George F. Spears was born in Germany about 1731 and died 1803, Lincoln County, Kentucky.

Mr. Duncan is also quoted as the authority for the Revolutionary service of George Spears and his son, John F. Spears.

Mr. Duncan said he talked with John F. Spears (1771-1866) and heard him tell about his war service and family traditions. We do not know the author of "Sketch of the Spears Family of Kentucky," but it could well be Mr. Duncan's record of his talks with John F. Spears.

Mr. Duncan wrote many letters on the history of the Spears Family, one of which is dated 1899.

There are many conflicting bits of information on Michael Christopher Spears. Since people are in the habit of naming children for their parents and grandparents, it is strange to note that there are no records of grandchildren by the name of Michael Christopher.

Mr. Duncan said that Michael Christopher was the son of Peter Abram Spear, whose wife was Margaret Graefenreid Henlopen. Her father was Peter Henlopen, a German Burgameister.

There existed a belief among some members of the family, prior to the turn of the century, that Henry Speers was the son of Jacob Spears, brother of Michael Christopher Spears. This seems reasonable since George Spears and Henry Spears, Sr., each had a son Jacob. George Spears had a son Jacob born in 1757 and Henry Speer's son , Jacob was born in 1754. More will be said about Henry Spears later.

Mr. James W. King, a first cousin of Mary Frye Barley, gives the following report:

Peter Abram Spears b. Sept. 12, 1690, md. Margaret Graefenreid

Children:

1. Michael Christopher md. Marie Louisa Delanoe

2. Peter Henry

These two brothers left Germany and spent two years at Aix la Chapelle, working for Carlo Delanoe, a linen draper.

Thirty families came to America, first to New Rochelle, New York. After two years, they visited Virginia and settled on Benjamin Burden's land grant from the King of England.

Mrs. Homer Primm (Clara Willson Reding) of Centralia, Missouri, did considerable research on the Spears family prior to 1930. Mrs. Primm was born at Tullula, Illinois, April 5, 1879, and is a descendant of George Spears (1764-1838) and Mary Neely of Menard County, Illinois. Mrs. Primm wrote that she had traced the Spears back to 1690 to the Germany State of Brandenburg where Peter Abraham Spears of Grossburen married Margaret Graefenreid Sept. 12, 1690. Another account by J. Colby Beckman fourth generation descendant of George and Mary Spears says Peter Abraham was born September 12, 1690. They were married in 1713. This could not be true if Michael was born 1790. They were probably married ca. 1708. Margaret's father, Peter Henlopin, was a Burgersmeister of Potsdam, a residential city on the Haven River 17 miles west-southwest from Berlin.

Both Grossburen and Postdam are in the State of Brandenburg where many Huguenots settled following the Potsdam Edit of 1685.

To this couple, Peter Abraham and Margaret Spears, two children were born:

1. Michael Christopher Spears, b. July 8, 1709, m. Marie Louisa De la Noye (Delano). Her father, Carlo, was a linen draper at Aix -La-Chappelle. They had a son George F. Spears. Born May 6, 1731. George F. Spears married Christenah Hardin. They had eight children.

2. Peter Henry Spears, b. ca. 1713. Henry Spears (Speers) of Pennsylvania, who married Regina Fronman, is thought to be the same man as Peter Henry, the brother of Michael Christopher.

The Richmond Times Dispatch of February 16, 1908, has a genealogical column on the Spears family by Mrs. John Ewing Price (Mary D. Hichman, b. Columbia Missouri, Oct. 14, 1866). Mrs. Price is a descendant of Jacob Spears (see the Compendium of American Genealogy, Vol. 1, p. 334). This article by Mrs. Price gives the Spears family sketch as follows:

Michael Christopher Spears was driven by Roman Catholic persecution from Arnsburg, Westphalia to Aix la Chapelle. Tradition states that at Aix la Chapelle he married a beautiful French Protestant girl named Marie Louisa De la Noye (Delano), who came with him to the Colony of Virginia in 1732. The record, or part of the old German record, places the birth of Michael Christopher Spears July 8, 1709. He was 23 years old when he landed in Hagers Towne, Maryland (settled in 1732), where he lived to the age of 75 years, dying in 1772. He had two sons certainly - Jacob, born about 1731, and George born in Germany, 1740. (This date must be in error because George Spears' first child was born in 1755.)

You will note that even this record contains errors. If Michael Christopher Spears came to the Colony of Virginia in 1732, George could not have been born in Germany in 1740 as stated.  Also, if Michael Christopher Spears was born in 1709 and (d.) in 1772, he would have been 63 years old, not 75.

You will note that in this article, George and Jacob are listed as sons of Michael Christopher Spears.  It is probably true that George was the son of Michael Christopher. In a letter dated February 8,, 1904, to Mary Frye Barley from Dr. Hugh Chrisman Spears, Tyler, Texas, he stated that "George Spears was born in Germany and brought to America as a baby. His birth is stated to be about 1730 or 1731, which seems reasonable since his daughter was born in 1755."  It is also quite possible that Michael Christopher had a brother named George Frederick who came to America with him and Maria, and that their baby son was named George Frederick after Michael's brother. Michael Christopher no doubt had several brothers and sisters in Germany, but we have no proof.

We have no accurate information on how many children Michael Christopher had, but the evidence indicates that our ancestor George, was born in Germany about 1731, and was brought to America as a baby in  about 1732.

Michael Christopher Spears might well have decided to stay at the settlement now known as Hagerstown, Maryland, as stated in the Richmond Times Dispatch article.  . . .

From the files of the Kentucky Historical Society, Honorable Samuel M. Duncan of Nicholasville, Kentucky, writes regarding the Spears family:

The German manner of spelling the name was Speyers, the French way was Spiers. John Spears, who was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, on April 10, 1771, in his life time told me he was a first cousin of Jacob Speers who was also a native of Rockingham County, Virginia, born in 1754, and served in the rebel army under Generals Washington and Gates at Saratoga. (Jacob Speers, son of Henry Speers).

John Spears reared a large family in Jessamine County and was an old farmer of the greatest energy I ever saw.  He married Margaret Chrisman, a daughter of George Chrisman, son of Conrad Chrisman and Margaret Custer, Protestant refugees like your great-great-grandfather, Michael Christopher Spears, who was driven by Roman Catholic persecution from Arnesberg, Westphalia to Aix la Chappelle. Tradition states that at Aix la Chappelle he married the beautiful French Protestant girl named Marie Louisa De la Noye (Delano), who came with him to the Colony of Virginia in 1732. The record, or part of the old German record places the birth of Michael Christopher Spears as July 8, 1709. He was 23 years old when he landed in Hagerstown, Maryland (settled in same year 1732) in the valley of Virginia where he lived to the age of 63 years, dying in 1772.

George Spears, Sr., was the father of John Spears, who was a brother of Jacob Spears. George Spears, Sr., was born in Germany abt. 1730 and was married in Virginia in 1754 to Mary Neely. [Note: George Spears Sr. married Christenah Hardwin about 1754. Mary Neely married George Spears, Jr. in 1785].  The following are the names of his children: John Spears died in 1866; George; David; Jacob; Hannah; Catherine; Elizabeth; Rachel; and Rebecca. The eldest child of the late John Spears was George C. Spears who married his cousin Ann Spears, daughter of Jacob Spears, in 1821.  George Spears was born in 1797, died in 1864.

A better race of people never settled in Kentucky than the Spears family. Jacob Spears was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, January 10, 1754. His father, Jacob [should be Henry] Spears moved to Pennsylvania in 1788.  The Indian depredations at that period were so frequent that he (Jacob, the son) left Washington County, Pennsylvania and settled for a short time near Clarksburg, West Virginia. In 1788, according to John Spears' statement, he settled in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Jacob Spears was in Captain John Hoagland's Company in Colonel William Crawford's Sandusky Expedition in 1782. (See Pennsylvania Records.)

Jacob Spears was private under General George Rogers Clark in Captain Joseph Bowman's Company at Harrodsburg, Kentucky, in 1778. (See Collins' History of Kentucky, p. 19).

Captain Lynn West commanded 2nd Company of Colonel John Scott's Regiment of Kentucky Volunteers in 1812. (See Quisenberry's War of 1812).

As you have noted from the preceding pages, the information about Michael Christopher Spears is confusing. I can find no authentic printed information in any reference book concerning Michael Christopher Spears. I, therefore, feel that the information that I have quoted about Michael Christopher Spears is information that had been handed down by word-of-mouth or in family records from generation to generation. Thus, this accounts, in large part, for the great discrepancies found in dates and spelling of names. Based on a composite of information and the frequency by which the same dates and names appear, I think the following may have some degree of accuracy:

Michael Christopher Spears, b. July 8, 1709, d. 1772, m. October 5, 1729 to Marie Louisa De la Noye (Delano).

Her father's name was Carlo Delano, a linen draper in Aix la Chapelle (Aachen), Germany.

Michael Christopher Spears' parents were Peter Abram Spears & Margaret Graefenreid, both natives of Germany.

We find the Speer and Spears people at an early date in southwestern Pennsylvania, which was actually a colony of Virginia as far north as where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers converge to form the Ohio. . . . Some historians in Virginia list Speers as early as 1732, 1735 and 1743. These are dates of deaths in Torrence.

In Chalkley's Record of Augusta County, he lists John and Hugh in 1746 and Henry in 1751-1752. Undoubtedly, this is the Henry Speers that later settled on the Monongahela River. It is reasonable to conclude that the Speers and Spears people came from New York into the German settlement of Pennsylvania where the Speers settled. The Spears moved further south and settled in the Shenandoah Valley. Evidently Henry Speers and George F. Spears, explored the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, possibly together, where George remained and established the Spears family in Rockingham County. Henry Speers resided in the area until after he end of the French & Indian War (1754-1763). He served as Captain for the Frederick County, Virginia, military force from 1755 to 1761. here is no record of him in Virginia after that time. Like Michael Christopher Spears, we know little about Henry's early history.  Dr. John S. Van Voorhis states Jacob, son of Henry, was the person from whom the Kentucky Speers (Spears) had their origin. This is not entirely true since George F. Spears, son of Michael Christopher, had a large family of children who moved from Virginia and settled at Carpenters Station in Lincoln County, Kentucky, and formed the Spears family.

When Jacob Speers moved to Bourbon County, Kentucky, he changed the spelling of his name to Spears. All records to this day of Jacob's and his descendants in Kentucky spell their names Spears. For more complete report on Jacob and his family. see Richmond Times Dispatch, February 16, 1908.

Samuel M. Duncan in a letter written to my grandfather, J.J. Spears, July 17, 1899, said in part, "Jacob Spears, the father of Abram Spears of Bourbon County, was born in 1756. He was the son of Henry Spears (Speers) and a grandson of Michael Christopher Spears."

Samuel Duncan also has written that John Spears, b. April 10, 1771, in Rockingham County, Virginia, in his lifetime told him that he was a first cousin of Jacob Spears, (son of Henry Speers), also a native of Rockingham County.

Colonel Matthew A. Reasoner made a careful study of the records of the Reasoner, Froman and Speers families. Some of Colonel Reasoner's records are published in the book, Ancestors & Descendants by Collins and Collins. . . . [his records are available] in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress . . . the compilation is entitled The Reasoners & Their Kin, Historical & Genealogical.

An excellent account of Henry Speers and his descendants up through 1893 is found in the book entitled, The Old & New Monongahela, by John S. Van Voorhis. Almost every event of that period had some connection with the Spears. . . .

Joist Hite is not our ancestor, but it seems evident that there was such a close association between the Hites, Spears, Speers, Fromans and Reasoners that the activities and travels of the Hite family throw some light on the activities of the Fromans, Spears, Speers and Reasoners during the early part of the 18th century when the records of these latter familes are incomplete. . . .

Henry Speers & Regina Froman Speers - . . . Henry Speers married Regina Froman, a sister of Nicholas Reasoner's wife, shortly after 1731. It is assumed this marriage took place in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. . . . our information about Henry Speers and his wife during the first half of the 18th Century is based on tradition and what we know of the activities of the Hite family.

. . . Reasoner traditions are insistent in holding that the Speers, along with the Reasoners and Fromans were of Huguenot origin and that they had been more or less associated and some even say that they came to this country together. If such is the case, it would appear if the Reasoner traditions are otherwise correct, that they must have landed in New York Colony and then, at a later date, wandered down toward Maryland, perhaps with Nicholas Reasoner. The fact that they both married Froman sisters (Nicholas Reasoner married Mary Froman, and Henry Speers married Regina Froman), would lead one to believe that they must have been together at some time prior to 1735, on or about which time their first children were born. If they were together in Europe and before 1735 in American, it would seem very probably they must have been together in New York Colony.

One can only conjecture where Henry Speers may have spent the earlier years of his presence in America.  The first record which has been discovered, which would appear to belong to him, is one which was found in the records of the Maryland Land Office in Annapolis, Maryland. It has to do with the purchase of a farm by Henry Speers. Other records show him with George Spears in Virginia.

From the records at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Patent Book F, Volume 18, page 138, it is shown that in 1771 Henry Speers secured a warrant to land on the Monongahela River in Westmoreland County. It is believed that it was about 1762 or 1763 when he and his family came to western Pennsylvania. . . .

The Chrisman Line - Magdalene Hite, daughter of Jost, was baptized at Kingston, New York, September 13, 1713. She married Jacob Chrisman, native of Swabia in Germany, and it is highly probable that their bridal trip was part of the emigrant train that the elder Hite headed for the Colony of Virginia in 1731. . .

Jacob Chrisman & Magdalene Hite had children:

• Abraham b. Oct. 15, 1733
• Sarah b. Sept. 23, 1734
• Anna Maria b. Nov. 9, 1735
• Isaac b. Nov. 9, 1736
• Johannes b. March 9, 1739, d. 1772-3, md. Mary Hinton
• Jacob b. 1769
• George b. 1745, d. August 29, 1816 md. Hannah McDowell b. 1747, d. 1817, md. about 1768, daughter of General Joseph McDowell.  George & Hannah are buried in Cooks Creek Cemetery, Route 726 and 701, Rockingham County Virginia.
• Henry md. a Scott
• Rebecca md. a Stephens
• Sinday
• Elizabeth

Jacob Chrisman Sr.'s will was probated at Wincester, Oct. 1778. . . .

George Chrisman & wife, Hannah McDowell, (d. June 12, 1849 in Kentucky) are said to have had four sons and three daughters, viz:

• Hugh
• Joseph migrated to Kentucky
• Charles b. 1775, d. 1812 migrated to Kentucky
• John b. 1773, d. 1815 md. Ann Harrison b. 1777, d. 1839 daughter of Reuben & Lydia (-?-) Harrison
• Margaret b. June 10, 1777, d. Nov. 13, 1855, md. John Spears Aug. 30, 1793 & removed to Kentucky with him, along with her brothers
• Hannah md. Joshua King and resided in Rockingham
• Elizabeth b. 1779, d. 1835

[Margaret Chrisman & John Spears are contemporaries of our John Speer & Margaret Cloyd]

John Chrisman & Ann Harrison had three children:

• Joseph
• George Harrison b. 1799, d. 1870
• Margaret M. b. Jan. 16, 1801, d. Nov. 4, 1854, md. Oct. 26, 1825 Charles C. Spears of Kentucky, b. March 7, 1802, d. Nov. 10, 1855

Charles Spears & Margaret Chrisman resided at the old Capt. George Chrisman homestead near Edom. His parents were John Spears (1771-1866) & Margaret Chrisman (1777-1855) see above. Charles & Margaret (Chrisman) Spears had children:

• Elizabeth md. William Glasgow of Botetourt Co., VA
• Lina
• John md. Sue McDowell
• Rebecca md. Rice Warren son of Jehu
• Charles C. md. M. Sallie Gray, had one daughter

Joseph McDowell, Sr., the father of General Charles & Colonel Joe McDowell, was born in Ireland in 1715. He married Margaret O'Neil, a descendant of ancient Irish kings and a member of one of the proudest families of the old native Celtic race. He is said to have been the grandson of Ephraim McDowell (16730[?!] - 1774).  Ephraim McDowell, of Scottish descent, was a soldier in siege of Londonderry and Battle of Boyne. He came from Ireland with sons John and James to Pennsylvania in 1729 and later settled near Joist Hite on Burdens Grant. Their children were:

• John
• Joseph b. Feb. 15, 1756, d. Aug. 11, 1801 md. Margaret Moffett (d. 1852) was a major at Kings Mountain, 1780 and at Cowpens, 1781
• Hugh
• Charles b. 1743, d. 1816 md. Grace Greenlee Bowman
• Margaret
• Elizabeth md. John Mckinney
• Hannah b. 1747, d. 1817 m. ca. 1768 to George Chrisman b. 1745, d. 1816

Joseph McDowell's brother, Hunting John McDowell, came from Ireland with him and settled in North Carolina about 1758. His plantation was known as Pleasant Garden. Not long after 1758, Joseph McDowell, Sr., came Burke County, North Carolina, and established a plantation known as Quaker Meadows, where his sons grew to manhood.

Both Charles and Joseph, sons of Joseph Sr., were active in the Revolution from 1776 until the close of the war. During the battle of Kings Mountain, the brothers had been forced to retreat before Ferguson's British regulars. Some of Ferguson's officers visited the Quaker Meadows plantation presided over by their aged mother, Margaret O'Neil. They ransacked the house taking the McDowell brothers' clothes. They tantalized Margaret by telling her that they would kill Charles outright upon sight. They would humiliate Joe by making him beg for his life on bended knees. These same officers were later captured at Kings Mountain and brought prisoners to the house they had dispoiled; cold, wet and hungry. The rigid sense of justice of the aged mother at first revolted at giving food or shelter to those "thieving Tories" as she called them in plain Irish, but she finally yielded and gave the prisoners food and warm clothing.

The McDowell's played an important part in the early history of the country.

There have been numerous marriages between the Chrismans and McDowells, and it would take a great deal of research to write the history of this branch of the family and their relationship with the Spears.

Life in the Early Days of the Shenandoah Valley - George Spears was among those who tried to uphold the militia organization commanded by Colonel George Washington.

The fort erected by the government did not provide adequate places for defense or refuge. Those who owned stone houses used them in time of danger as a place of refuge for the settlers.  This was true of the Hite, Chrisman, Bowman and Froman homes in the Cedar Creek area.

Thomas Harrison's stone house on Linville Creek had a spring in the basement and was also used in times of danger.

The Spears family no doubt used one or more of those homes as a place of safety in time of Indian raids. All of these families were neighbors. George Speers settled on Linville Creek. The Bowmans, Hites and Fromans also owned land there. . . .

On May 25, 1779, the Rockingham County Court decided to locate a courthouse on Thomas Harrison's plantation, "near the head of the spring," and built a courthouse of stone, 36 by 26 feet. . . .

In May 1780, Harrisonburg was made a town by act of the Assembly on 50 acres of Thomas Harrison's plantation and became the county seat of Rockingham County. Harrisonburg was only a few miles south of the homestead of George Spears. . . .

Benjamin Burden's Grant . . . [Benjamin] Burden came to America as the agent of Lord Fairfax and while in Williamsburg, formed the acquaintance of John Lewis, who was on a visit to the city.  [Through Lewis, Burden met and presented a buffalo calf to Governor William Gooch.]  The Governor was so much gratified at this that he directed a patent to be made out, authorizing Burden to locate 500,000 acres of land on the Shenandoah or James Rivers, west of the Blue Ridge. This large grant extended from the Southern line of Beverley Manor and embraced the whole upper part of Augusta and Rockbridge counties. It was surveyed by Captain John McDowell, who, some years later, on December 25, 1743, fell into an ambush while on this land and was killed by Shawnee Indians. Burden's grant was upon the sole condition that he could settle, within 10 years, 100 families upon said land. Burden immediately returned to England and returned with the required number of families, among whom were the McDowells, Crawfords, McClures, Alexanders, Wallaces, Moores, Mathews, and others, who became the the founders of some of Virginia's distinguished families.

John Spears Life Traced by Descendant as Marker is Dedicated - The life and ancestry of John Spears, Revolutionary soldier and patriot, at whose grave in Bellevue Cemetery here [Danville, KY] a bronze marker was unveiled and dedicated on Saturday afternoon, was traced by Col. Joseph F. Spears, Alexandria, Virginia, in the principal address in the dedicatory program sponsored by members of the St. Asaph Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.  Colonel Spears' interesting and informative talk follows:

It is a distinct honor to be here today, and to accept on behalf of the Spears family this tablet honoring John Spears, soldier and patriot of the Revolutionary War. . .

John Spears came from the early colonial stock who were responsible for the settling of this country. He was among those brave men with an adventurous spirit who left their homes and followed in the wake of Boone and others advancing the tide of civilization into Kentucky.

His father was George F. Spears, Sr. - born in Germany, May 6, 1731; died 1803.  George Spears was brought to America when a baby by his father Michael Christopher Spears, who was born in Westphalia, Germany, about 1709. . . .

George Spears, Michael Christopher Spears' son, later settled in Rockingham County, Virginia where George became a prosperous plantation owner, and reared a family of ten children; all of whom migrated to Kentucky - settling mostly in Lincoln County. In his will of October 14, 1796, George bequeathed to three of his sons, John, Jacob and David, a 900-acre tract of land in Lincoln County; near Carpenters Station.

John Spears was born April 14, 1771, in Rockingham County, Virginia. On August 30, 1793, John married Margaret Chrisman - daughter of Captain George Chrisman and Hannah McDowell.  Hanna McDowell was the daughter of Joseph McDowell and Margaret O'Neill; Captain George Chrisman was the son of Jacob Chrisman and Madelina Hite - daughter of Baron Jost Hite, who settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 1731. The old Chrisman stone house, built in 1751, sands oday in the Valley as a fine example of early Virginian homes.

The records show that John Spears, his brothers George, Jacob and his father George, all fought in the Revolution. John was a young boy at the outbreak of the war, but as was frequently the custom, he accompanied his father to war. During the Revolution each Company of infantry and artillery had a fifer and a drummer. Young John learned to play the drums and first served as a drummer boy in the battle of Brandywine. . . . Later John Spears served as a driver of a munitions wagon. The records show that in August 1781 he was engaged in hauling government owned hemp from Rockfish Gap, Virginia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and military stores on return. John's brother George, performed this military service with him.

On the level fields outside the small colonial village of Yorktown, John Spears witnessed one of the momentous events of American history. Here on October 19, 1781, after a prolonged siege, Lord Cornwallis surrendered his British Army to George Washington. . . .

John Spears' father George, served in the Revolutionary War and fought in the battle of Brandywine in 1777.

John Spears is listed as a member of the Cornstalk Militia, which was organized in 1792 when Kentucky became a state. The Cornstalk Militia's primary mission was to stop the many Indian raids that were organized against the settlers in Kentucky.

John and Margaret Spears lived for 50 years on their farm in Jessamine County. About 1850 or shortly afterwards they sold the farm and came to Boyle County and lived with their son, George Chrisman Spears, and his family on the Perryville Pike.  Margaret died there in 1855, and John died in 1866 at the age of 95 years.

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Virginia Muster Roll website, 11/30/2000, defunct

11th Virginia - organized Feb. 1777 from Loudon, Frederick, Prince William & Amelia Counties.  Served at siege of Boston, invasion of Canada, New York City, Trenton-Princeton northern New Jersey, Philadelphia, Monmouth.

• Morgan, Charles, VA, private 11 VA, 3rd Div., 3rd Brigade, late Blackwood's Company
• Morgan, Charles, VA, Matrose, 1 Art. Support Div. Art. Battery, Edden's Company
• Morgan, James, VA, Pvt., 2 VA
• Morgan, John, VA, Matrose, 1 Art. 1 Art. Support D. Art. Battery, Ragsdale's Company
• Morgan, John, VA, Sgt. 1 VA, 5th D. 1st VA B., camp
• Morgan, Richard, VA, Sgt. Major, 4 VA
• Morgan, Simon, VA, Lt. Col., 9 VA
• Morgan, Thomas, VA, Pvt. 2 VA State
• Morgan, William, VA, Pvt., 2 VA State, 5th D., 1st VA B, Bernard's Company