MORELAND
LETTERS
From Eddie M. Nikazy, 139 Glenn Hill Drive,
Hendersonville 37075 to Charles Moreland, 15508 Saranac Dr., Whittier, CA 90604
dated 4 Aug. 1991:
Mattson,
Madison, Mattison MORELAND, son of William and Dicy, grandson of John
and Catherine, is not named after any WILSON or
collateral line I know about. This name
may have come from the LUNSFORD family, Dicy's people.
In May
1990, I received a response from Mrs. Gladys May of Purcellville, VA regarding
Mattison's daughter, Alzenia Victoria who married James Lowery MCQUEEN (12 Mar. 1870). Mrs. May, who stated that she was elderly,
was the daughter of Mattison and Dicy's daughter, Dicy Caroline and David
Wheeler WILSON. She
stated that she knew Uncle Matt (as he was called) as a young girl. She also said that she had written MORELANDs
in Elizabethton re: family history but had not gotten a response. She listed Alzenia's family as follows:
Alzenia MORELAND b. 4 Nov. 1854, d. 4 Sep. 1918
in Cranberry, NC; m. James Lowery MCQUEEN, 12 Mar.
1870. Children:
Everett
C. b. 17 Jan. 1871
Cora
Lee, md. Jim LAWSON
Maude
Annie Cordelia md. _____ DAY
Bessie md. Gett MCCRARY, 3 June 1894
Lucy Mary Amanda, b. 23 Nov. 1880; md. Clarence W. QUEEN (MCQUEEN?) 7 June 1915
Henry
Haines
Lille
Josephine, md. G.R. TYREE, 13 Apr. 1905
Dicy Caroline, b. 5 June 1887; d. 14 Mar. 1962; md. David
Wheeler WILSON, 10 Sept. 1910
J.S. and R.L. (twins) b. 1 May 1889; d. 14 and 17 June 1891
J.A. b. 8 Feb. 1891
Ada
Beatrice, b. 4 July 1895; md. Charles WEST
While
researching in the Carter County [TN] Courthouse, I found a will for Johnson H.
MORELAND (Will Bk. B, will dated 15 Feb. 1894). Johnson H. MORELAND named his sister Martha
E. CALDWELL and niece Martha E. MORELAND.
He states that niece Martha B. MORELAND is the daughter of his dead brother
Wright MORELAND (this has to be Wright who married Polly
GRINDSTAFF) by Elizabeth FOSTER.
Said that he raised niece from a little girl. I knew that Wright had a son, or appeared to
have a son, named Johnson H. MORELAND (b. ca. 1843) in the 1850 census but do not
have information that Johnson H. was the brother of Wright. He continued in his will to distribute
"old Wright MORELAND" land to Martha E. MORELAND and Martha MILLER, formerly SMITH. I
did not copy this will but intend to make a copy from microfilm in the State
Archives.
Earlier
(1869), Wright's will left his property, after his wife Polly's death, to his
dead son (or appeared to be son from the census?), William's children: James, Johnson and Martha. (I believe Nona has these listed as children
of William MORELAND and Phoebe RICHARDSON, too).
*
* *
Reply from Charles to Eddie dated 9 Aug. 1991:
Dear Eddie,
According
to Mattie MORELAND KRUMM, William and Dicey MORELAND had a daughter named Alzenia Victoria
and according to the Johnson Co., TN census, she was 5 years old in 1860. This agrees with your birthdate of Nov.
1854. William MORELAND (md. Dicey LUNSFORD) was Gladys' great-grandfather.
By
the way, I certainly hope you keep in touch with Gladys in case she has any
more info on the MORELANDs. Would she
have any idea where the name Mattison originated from?
Now,
about the Johnson H. MORELANDs. There
were two of them. The oldest was the son
of Wright and Mary (GRINSTAFF) MORELAND, born 1843. The other was their grandson, born about 1862
- he was the son of Wright's son, William, who married Phebe _____ some time before
1860. William was dead by the 1870
census. At that time his widow, Phebe,
and her three children were living with Wright and Mary (GRINDSTAFF) MORELAND, her father-in-law and mother-in-law. The children at that time were James W. age 10, Johnson age 8, and Martha E. age 7.
These are the three grandchildren which old Wright left land to in his will. I am absolutely positive that the grandson
James W. is named James Wright MORELAND.
Granted, old Wright called him James R. in his will, but I'm sure you
must have noticed how many times the person doing the writing spells it Right
instead of Wright. The enumerator shows
it James W. on the census. I have a copy
of the Johnson MORELAND will written 15 Feb. 1894 and I am sure it is
the younger one - the grandson's will.
First he refers to his sister, Martha E. CALDWELL. In
the census of 1870 we note she was born about 1863 - in 1894 she is married to
CALDWELL. The niece he refers to, Mary
E. MORELAND is the "daughter of his dead brother, Wright
MORELAND" - that's James Wright MORELAND.
Old Wright and Mary did not have a son named Wright, so this couldn't be
the Johnson that was old Wright's son.
The land he leaves to his sister and niece is the same land willed to
him by his grandfather, old Wright. Also
note that "the rest of my land unto Martha L. MILLER formerly SMITH and sometimes known by that name...but
require that she remain with me and care for me as long as I may live." This may explain why he wrote the early will
- bad health. He also appointed another
MILLER, Martha C. as his executrix. Keep the name MILLER and SMITH in mind.
What
happened to the older Johnson MORELAND, old Wright's son? He got in a little trouble at the tender age
of 18 and his older brother, William A. (married Phebe and had the 3 children) bailed him out. On the 3rd day of May 1860 he appeared before
the Carter Co. court and admitted that he had fathered a bastard male child by
one Emeline "Emily" MILLER. A
bond was posted by William A. MORELAND and John W. (HYDER?) to guarantee the child would never become a
ward of the State of Tennessee.
In the
1870 census, 2nd Civil District of Carter County, (the same District in which old Wright and
Mary, Phebe and the rest of that gang were enumerated), I found an Andrew MORELAND, age 10 (born 1860) living with the Abraham
MILLER family, dwelling no. 114, family no.
114. That's got to be the illegitimate
son of Johnson H. MORELAND - Andrew would be the grandson of old
Wright. I have not run across Andrew
again.
I think
we can now see the connection with the MILLER family (sad as it seems to be!)
but what about the name SMITH? Do you
remember the Susannah SMITH who was named as a co-power of attorney with
old Wright MORELAND by Nancy MORELAND SIMPSON? I
found her in the 1840 and 1850 Carter Co. census, not too far from old Wright. She was 80 years old and living alone in
1850, next door to Ruth MORELAND OAKS (old Wright's daughter) and two more SMITH families, Elijah and Nicholas. I wish I could find the connection. "Martha L. MILLER formerly SMITH and sometimes known by that
name...????
*
* *
Reply from Eddie to Charles, dated 15 Aug. 1991:
The
name Susannah SMITH keeps "popping up." I have enclosed a page from the Johnson County Circuit Court record (Bk. B, page 375)
showing Susannah SMITH in a law suit against the heirs of my dead
great-grandfather, Garland WILSON. I
don't have any idea why. Note that
Catherine MORELAND is listed.
This court record is the only source that I know of which identifies all
of Garland WILSON's heirs. Have you determined who Orvil MORELAND was?
He was a child shown in the 1850 Johnson County Census living with Sarah
and Hamilton WILSON's family.
Sarah was the "Sarah MOORLEY" who married Ham WILSON (Johnson County Marriage Records) on 24 Feb.
1845. I believe this actually was Sarah
MORELAND. Also Matty KRUMM's MORELAND history (maybe from family
tradition), shows Sarah marrying a WILSON.
Sarah and Hamilton WILSON were enumerated next door to Catherine
MORELAND. Hamilton WILSON (son of Tapley) was the first cousin of
Catherine MORELAND.
*
* *
Johnson
County Circuit Court, Book B, page 375
Susannah SMITH & others vs. Garland WILSON:
Ejectment. In this cause the death of
the defendant Garland WILSON is suggested to the court and there upon on motion
of plffs. by their attorney it is ordered by the court that sci-fo(?) be found
against the following named persons who are represented to be heirs of the
deft. to wit Catherine MORELAND, Aaron RAMBOW and his wife Harriet, formerly Harriet WILSON, Rowland JENKINS and his wife Elizabeth, formerly Elizabeth
WILSON, Abraham KANE and his wife Sarah, formerly Sarah WILSON, Reuben MILLER and his wife Rachael, formerly Rachael WILSON, Noah BLACK ____? and his wife Nancy formerly Nancy WILSON, Wm. PAXTON, son of Mary PAXTON, daughter of Garland WILSON. She
and her husband are both dec'd and his residence is unknown, Andrew WILSON, William S. WILSON, Joel WILSON, Rich'd L. Wilson.
*
* * * *
Letter from Loretta Widdows, 106 Park Dr.,
Cranford, NJ 07016, dated 22 Nov. 1991
Dear Nona,
Received
Moreland Muster today, excellent as usual, and must add my comments regarding
Thomas MORELAND, Hamilton Co., Tenn.
You
have my charts going back to a Davis MORELAND and wife, Delilah OLINGER, 1850 Hamilton Co., census. I believe that there are two different
MORELAND families in Hamilton Co., TN. I
think that my Thomas MORELAND goes back to the Thomas in the 1830 Rhea Co., Tenn. census.
There is a problem with age in the census (see below).
I
correspond with Michelle Orlando of San Antonio, TX and she has info on another
Thomas MORELAND in Hamilton Co., TN. She
places her family over in Walker Co., GA, but mine were also over there.
Somewhere
I have a marriage record of a Thomas MORELAND to a Peggy (JAMES, I believe).
They are connected to a Pond Creek Baptist Church, Monroe Co., TN. Is
this the Thomas you are working on? [Ed.
note: I don't have info on a Thomas
MORELAND who married Peggy JAMES. Does
anyone else have anything?]
Mrs.
Orlando wrote: Info from obit of Thomas Jefferson MORELAND born 19 May 1838 Monroe Co., TN, died at
home of his daughter, Mrs. Charles Robert JONES at Rossville, GA (Walker Co.), d. 9 Apr. 1917, age 79
years. He was son of Pleasant MORELAND, who was b. in Blount Co., TN and died in 1862 at age 62 and wife Margaret
IRWIN who died in 1856. Thomas Jefferson MORELAND's young days were
spent in Hamilton Co., TN - later moved to Dade Co., GA; three children: William A. MORELAND, daughter Mrs. Lorena CAYLOR, and daughter Mrs. Maud JONES, wife of Charles R. JONES. He
was buried at Rising Fawn, GA. THIS
IS NOT MY THOMAS.
1836
Hamilton Co., TN tax list - Thomas MORELAND 1 poll
I have
tried for the past year, with no success, to prove that my Hamilton Co. family
connected with Francis MORELAND's of Dinwiddie Co., VA and Greene Co., GA. I
have corresponded with E.V. Knight, Jr. on this matter. We thought my family came from Joseph MORELAND who was in Lincoln Co., NC in 1789.
He died in Lincoln Co., NC. I
think this Joseph was the son of Francis who died 1796 in Greene Co., GA.
Joseph was deceased when Francis died and I have tried to find heirs of
Joseph, without success.
My
Davis MORELAND had one son, Thomas, and perhaps one more
but I am not certain. Family records
state there was a son, Francis, a smoking gun?
Davis
MORELAND's sister, Lydia, married Cornelius GANN and they were in the 1850 Walker Co., GA
census. With them was a Delilah MORELAND, age 70.
Who is she? Appears to be the
mother of Lydia MORELAND GANN. Was
she the wife of Thomas MORELAND in Hamilton Co., TN?
Any
help on the Thomas MORELANDs in Hamilton Co., TN appreciated.
*
* *
Thomas MORELAND b. ca. 1790
1820 census,
Rutherford Co., NC
2-0-0-1, 2-0-1 (Thomas & wife bet. 16-26, 2 daughters and 2 sons
under 10)
1830 census, Rhea Co., TN
3-2-1-0-0-1, 0-1-0-0-0-1 (Thomas
& wife bet. 30-40)
1840 census, Hamilton
Co., TN 0-1-0-1-1-0-0-1, 0-0-1-0-1-0-1 (Thomas age 50-60, wife 40-50)
This Thomas MORELAND
lived near John OLINGER, who was probably the brother of Delilah
OLINGER who married Davis MORELAND
Delilah MORELAND, 1850 Walker Co., GA age 70, Cornelius GANN age 31, Lydia GANN (sister of Davis MORELAND) age 34 (appear to be in the same
household)
[Ed. note: There was a Thomas MORELAND in Sullivan Co.,TN in 1830.
He was 40-50, and is perhaps the same Thomas who was in Hamilton Co., TN in 1840.
His wife was 30-40, so the ages fit.
Your Davis MORELAND was married in Lincoln Co., NC in 1819.
See this newsletter, Vol. 4, #3, p. 9 for early MORELAND families near
that county. John MORELAND was in court in Burke Co., NC in 1782.
See the note at the bottom of pg. 9 for theories regarding the identity
of these people. The Pleasant MORELAND you mentioned was the son of Thomas MORELAND who may have been a brother to the John MORELAND
in Burke Co., NC. I suspect that your
Thomas MORELAND is related to these MORELANDS of Burke Co. I'd appreciate hearing from any others with
ideas and theories concerning these families.
Please write Loretta directly and send copies to me for the newsletter.]
*
* * * *
From James L. Welch, 19801 - 95th Ave., NE,
Bothell, WA 98011
My
grandmother's maiden name is Martha Ellen MORLAN. I
have information as follows: Richard D.
MORLAN was born 1938 in Parke Co., Indiana; moved to Greene Co., Iowa ca. 1853 where he md. Sarah LEWIS in 1855 (they knew each other in Parke Co.,
IN). He belonged to Co. E, 39th Iowa
Infantry from 1863-1865. Before 1880
they moved to Benton, Arkansas.
In 1900 they moved to Bellingham, WA where many of their children had
preceded them. They had 7 children, all
born in Iowa. Their daughter, Martha
Ellen, married James Epp COLLINS (prob. in Benton, AR).
The
MORLAN/MORELANDS came from east Tennessee; perhaps prior to that from North
Carolina. Several families moved to
Parke Co., IN then to Greene Co., IA; others moved from east Tennessee to
Greene Co., IA. From census records we
have the names but can only guess at the relationships. According to his obituary, some of Richard's
siblings were living in Greene Co. when he died in 1920.
QUERIES
William and Dicey MORELAND named one of their sons Mattison L. MORELAND (b. 1852/53). Just prior to that in ca. 1851 Granville STOUT and Mary Adoline MORELAND named a son Matison L. STOUT. This
name hadn't appeared in the STOUT or MORELAND families prior to this, so it
probably came through marriage. Does
anyone have any ideas? Please respond to
C.E. Moreland, 15508 Saranac Dr., Whittier, CA 90604
*
* * * *
I have a Nancy Turner / Tucker MORELAND who was b. 24 Dec. 1724 in Dinwiddie Co., VA d. 12 Oct. 1831 in Jefferson Co., AL. She
married William Rose SADLER in 1791 in Lincoln Co., NC. I
believe that her parents may have been John MORELAND and Nancy TUCKER. I
cannot, however, find proof of that assumption.
Please respond to June M. Millwood, 605 Western Dr., Memphis, TN 38122
(901) 324-4157
*
* * * *
Do you
know anyone working on the Chesley MORELAND family from Estill Co., KY (1805-1837) and then Platte Co., MO (1837+)?
Do you
know anyone working on the Thomas H. MORELAND family from Estill Co., KY (1780+)?
I
believe that my great-grandfather, James David BEST, was raised by Chesley and Matilda MORELAND:
Chesley W. MORELAND b. 1808 Estill Co., KY; d. 17 Feb. 1882
Platte Co., MO; md. 2 Feb. 1837 Clay Co., MO to Matilda TOFFLEMIRE b. 1810; d. 1 Feb. 1892 Junction, MO.
Children:
John F. MORELAND b. 1838 MO; md. 24 Nov. 1864 to Martha MILES
Francis MORELAND b. 1839 MO
Silas MORELAND b. 1841 MO
Elizabeth MORELAND b. 1845 MO
William MORELAND b. 1846 MO
Louisa MORELAND b. 1847 MO
Lucy MORELAND b. 1849 MO; md. 19 Jul. 1886 to James T. BITRICK
Jane MORELAND b. 1851 MO
Martha E. MORELAND b. 1853 MO
Cela MORELAND b. 1856 MO
Sullette B. MORELAND b. 1858 MO; d. 1939 MO; md. 19 Jul. 1886
to Carrie H. HATTON
son MORELAND b. 1860
MO
Henry C. MORELAND b. MO; md. 29 Aug. 1883 to Ardella COOK
Respond to Thomas D. Best, 4813 Breckenridge Ct.,
Granite Bay, CA 95661
*
* * * *
Mary Elizabeth "Libby" MORELAND, b. 6 June 1861, Hyde Park, PA; m. Andrew
Marion HINES 2 Oct. 1879 - Guthrie Center, Guthrie, IA.
They spent most of their married life at Harrison Twp., Norton Co., near Almena, KS.
She died 11 June 1935 at Almena, KS.
Seek info about her parents and siblings. Respond to Vera Viers, 1195 Elm St., N.W.,
Salem, OR 97304
*
* * * *
Does anyone know of a HARDIN or HENDERSON
marrying a MORELAND? We have a Hardin /
Harden / Harding MORELAND born ca. 1812, Carter Co., TN.
Thomas Henderson MORELAND b. 1834, Monroe Co., TN md. Mary SHAHAN ca. 1854.
Henderson could have come from the SHAHAN family as William HENDERSON was a neighbor of John SHAHAN in Siever Co., TN.
Respond to Mrs. Henry G. Hilton, Rt. 4, Box 1036, Decatur, TX 76234
*
* * * *
Researching the family of Benjamin HANCOCK, b. ca. 1710, Virginia - father of a large
family including John who married Elizabeth MADDOX, Major, Stephen and William. Searching Virginia records to determine
parents of Benjamin. Interested in
corresponding with other descendants of Benjamin. Respond to Hancock Family Organization, P.O.
Box 22, Richfield, ID 83349
*
* * * *
HANCOCK
FAMILY
by
Maureen Ward, P.O. Box 22, Richfield, ID 83349
Benjamin HANCOCK b. ca. 1700/10; d. 1755/62 Goochland Co., VA; md. ca. 1732 (wife unknown). Children:
John D. HANCOCK b. 1735; d. 10 Nov. 1802 Patrick, VA; md. 16 Oct. 1755, Goochland Co., VA
to Elizabeth MADDOX
Major HANCOCK b. ca. 1735/42; d. 1820 Green Co.,TN; md. 1st on 16 Oct. 1765, Goochland Co., VA
to Ann THOMAS; md. 2nd on 5 Sept. 1782, Goochland Co., VA
to Mary MORELAND (daughter of Wright MORELAND and Ann WILSON)
Susannah HANCOCK md. 22 Sept. 1790, Goochland Co., VA to
Charles MORELAND
Thomas HANCOCK b. ca. 1736; d. 1803 Franklin Co., GA; md. 25 Mar. 1758, Goochland Co., VA to Mary
SHOEMAKER
George HANCOCK b. ca. 1737; md. 6 Jan. 1763, Goochland Co.,
VA to Mary WHITLOCK
William HANCOCK b. 1738 Goochland Co., VA; d. 1818 St.
Charles Co. MO; md. 1763 prob. Goochland Co., VA to Mary
(Molly) MERCHANT
Agnes HANCOCK b. 1739 Goochland Co., VA; md. 24 Aug. 1758
Goochland Co., VA to Stephen HICKS
Elizabeth HANCOCK b. 1741 Goochland Co., VA; md. 23 Oct. 1758,
Goochland Co., VA to John SANDERS
Marianna HANCOCK b. 1742 Goochland Co., VA; md. 3 Dec. 1758 Goochland Co., VA to
William WOODHALL
Stephen HANCOCK b. 1744 Goochland Co., VA; d. Sep. 1827 Bonhomme Twp., St. Louis Co., MO; md. 1765 Goochland Co., VA to Catherine
(Kitty) MERCHANT
Judith HANCOCK b. 1753 Goochland Co., VA; d. 5 Oct. 1810 Wayne
Co., KY; md. 8 Nov. 1772 Goochland Co., VA to
Richard WADE
Note: Wright MORELAND, father of Charles and Mary (mentioned above in
the HANCOCK family) married Sally HANCOCK on 4 Jul. 1782, Goochland Co, VA. She was
his second wife and they had no issue.
The following letter was written by Robert HANCOCK (1790-ca. 1860), son of Stephen HANCOCK (above).
The letter was written to Lyman Copeland Draper, creator of the Draper
Manuscripts.
Draper Collection, BOONE Manuscript
Volume 24-C, page 17
February
25, 1853
Mr. L. Draper -
I received your letter written to my brother
Stephen, directed to Fayette H.C. which is my post office and supposing there
was a mistake, I took it out and found you had written to me to Rockport,
which is my brother's post office. You
wish to know about my father and Uncle William.
They were born in Goochland Co., VA.
They were the two youngest children of a large family. My father was 16 years old when his father
died. His older brother bound my father
and Uncle William to the house carpenters business. They served awhile. Colonel BYRD was giving a campaign against the Indians and
French. They both enlisted and went to
campaign. When they returned, my father
was employed as overseer for a wealthy widow and Uncle William was also
employed by her. My father married when
he was 22 years old, two years after William HANCOCK married. Both married sisters of Henry MERCHANT that was in the first convention that formed
our confederacy. They then moved and
settled in Bedford County, VA.
In 1775 they joined in with Colonel BOONE as he moved his family to Kentucky, settled
at Boonesboro, Kentucky with Colonel BOONE, raised a crop
and transferred it to Colonel BOONE, until they moved their family. Then he replaced the same amount in
corn. They both stayed in Virginia two
years. In 1777, they returned to
Boonesboro with their families. My Uncle
William was taken at the Blue Lick with Colonel BOONE. When the Indians took them to their town they
made them run the gauntlet. The Indians
formed themselves into two chains they had to run between, and the Indians
whipped them as they passed. There was
several men run before William HANCOCK.
They were severely whipped. When
William HANCOCK had to run, one Indian left the line and took the center with
his whip prepared to give him a heavy blow.
William HANCOCK made full drive and knocked him down, and it raised such
a laugh among the Indians he went through without getting hurt. An old broke-down chief then took him and
adopted him in place of a son he had lost in battle and treated him well while
a prisoner. He had a very severe spell
of sickness. When he got well and
weather every night they would take all his clothes from him. His adopted father would keep him with him in
the daytime. The old Indian told him
they had held a council of war to take Boonesborough and they intended to kill
all the men and take the women prisoners, and he should have his family. He then began to think of trying to
escape. His clothes always being taken
from him, he did not think he could make the trip naked but learning the time
was near for the Indians to start, he procurred three pints of raw corn when
his adopted father was out at a war dance.
The old chief sat in the door and watched uncle until just before the
old chief called him. He did not answer
and the old chief stated that William was asleep and he would go to sleep,
too. William soon found the Indian was
asleep. He then went to the door and
pulled it gradually against the Indian's head until he had room to get
out. He then started with his three
pints of raw corn, naked for Boonesborough.
He had not went fur before he fell over a trig that a horse was tied
with. He got on the horse and the horse
lasted him 150 miles and fell under him.
When he got to the Ohio River, it was very full. He got two logs, tied them together and aimed
to cross. He got entangled in the drift
and was carried down, he supposed, 20 miles.
There was several days cloudy weather.
He was nine days on his journey.
The last day he give himself up as lost through hunger and fatigue. He laid down near a rise. He fell asleep and when awoke, he discovered
a tree with chopping on it. he went and
found my father's mark on it and a camp close by and it was where they had been
hunting before taken by the Indians. All
things appeared natural and he knew where he was 4 miles from
Boonesborough. He went on his way to the
river opposite Boonesborough. He called
and his voice was recognized. Almost
every person left the fort to meet him.
My father and BOONE and CALLAWAY stayed with him three days. He began to recuperate. He was nearly well when came they, the
Indians, were all around Boonesborough three days before the engagement took
place. They proposed a treaty every
day. They day they concluded upon a
treaty, our people were to assemble at Boonesborough and the Indians to home
after treaty was concluded. The Indians
stated it was common for two Indians to shake hands with one white man. At the time of their shaking hands the
Indians raised the war whoop and fired a gun and tried to jerk our men under a
steep bank. From the fort then the
battle commenced. It was hard work for
our men to get rid of the Indians. Some
got loose at the first onset and ran to the fort then there was four Indians to
one of our men. There was a Colonel Sam
SOUTH, an old man, but he yet had the strength and
courage of a lion. He commenced knocking
the Indians down and our men all got into the fort safely. The battle lasted nine days and nights. For three days they could hear the voice of Pompey, the negro.
When it sounded, our men would call to the Indians, "Where was
Pompey?" The Indians would
sometimes answer "He was asleep" and sometimes "He was gone
after more Indians." Though he was
dead, it was not known who killed him.
There was one Indian who would go across the Kentucky River and get on a
high bluff and banter our men at the fort.
They shot at him frequently. At
length, one of the men at the fort took an old rifle and shot at him. He fell dead and rolled 200 yards into the
river from the rip of the bluff where he was killed. One night an Indian got under the bastions of
the fort. They found him out. He ran so near the wall that they could not
shoot him to any certainty. When he
passed where my father was, he shot him so the Indian fell like he was dead by
the side of a stump and drew himself up behind a stump. My father spoke to a young man to shoot the
Indian in the head. He done so. The Indian was not hurt in any other
place. The Indians one night got into a
large peach nursery and was like to do a great deal of damage to the fort. Our men made a large cannon of wood and
banded it with iron, loaded it and fired it into the nursery and they supposed
they killed six Indians and tore the nursery all to pieces. The Indians left the nursery and tried to
fire the fort every night with torches made of hickory bark. They were always fired at and they always
threw their torches over the house in the front yard. They then tried to undermine the fort and
blow it up with powder. The men in the
fort entrenched against them and put a guard in it. They shot at the Indians and they quit the
project. Our loss was but one white man
and one negro. The loss of the Indians
was supposed to be 40. There was 40
fighting men in Boonesborough. The
Indian force was 440, 11 French and one negro was with them. Awhile after the battle, Daniel BOONE, Jacob STERNE and ... (too difficult to read)...the
Indians charged on them and fired on them my father was behind them he
dismounted and shot at the Indians and killed one. BOONE, STERNE were rather hurt the men ran
out of the fort and killed six Indians.
Another
incident our men were hoeing corn just as they were finishing their rows the
Indians fired on them and killed one negro the men ran from the Fort. A battle ensued two Indians were killed.
Another
incident I am intimately acquainted with three men that was taken with Col BOONE
at the Blue Licks. John BROWN and Richard WADE and Joseph JACKSON.
BROWN and WADE were taken to Canada stayed 18 months before they could
escape. WADE was taken sick and was sick
several weeks. BROWN stayed with him
during his sickness when they got home they lived together during live. Joseph JACKSON was gone 20 years to Detroit
on a trading expedition there he heard of his brother in Kentucky. When he go to his brother's, he became
sullen. His brother wondered what was
the matter he stated the Indians had ruined him. He would go back and if he could ruin the
Indians that he would come to settle in Kentucky. The next spring he returned with fur enough
to buy a well improved farm two negro men and one woman. He married and made a good citizen. My father and Uncle Wm both belonged to the
regular Baptist Church. They were both men
of medium size Wm HANCOCK settled in the county in 1797. My father moved here in 1821 Wm HANCOCK died 1818 in St. Charles County in his 80 second year. My father died in his 80th year in St. Louis
Co. and if you receive these lines you will please
let me hear from you and if there is anything that I've forgotten to put in
will answer you. (Note: A slight adjustment is required on these
dates based on other data available.)
I don't
know if other papers that my father left that would be of any benefit to
you. They both died before the pension
law passed. They were both in the
Revolutionary War.
Yours
with regards,
Robert
HANCOCK
To Mr. L. DRAPER
If you write to me direct your letter to Fayette
H.C. (Howard Co.,) MO.
Note: The above manuscript was hand written
nearly 140 years ago. In some places,
the writing was difficult to read, leading to a little "guess work"
at times on the transcribing. The
original spelling was included when possible.
THE
HANCOCK BROTHERS FROM VIRGINIA
Summary
William
and younger brother Stephen HANCOCK were born in Goochland Co., VA, the youngest of a large and adventurous
family. Their father, Benjamin HANCOCK, died when Stephen was 16 years of
age. Robert HANCOCK states that his father Stephen and Uncle
William were "bound" out in the house carpenters trade by their older
brother, possibly Major. They were
described as both "being 5 feet 8 inches high, weight 160 pounds. They were both nearer alike in every respect
than most other two men -- my father (Stephen) a little bow-legged, my uncle
straight as an Indian." Both were
said to have been "very cheerful and social in character and greatly
enjoyed a good joke and were able in telling one."
In
1760, the brothers joined the 2nd Virginia Regiment lead by William BYRD and served in the Cherokee Expedition leaving
from the Campbell Section of Bedford Co. In all
likelihood they traveled to the Carolinas and possibly Georgia.
William
married Mary MERCHANT, sister to Stephen's wife Catherine. Stephen's daughter Ruth was christened in Goochland Co. By 1768, he had patented 150 acres of bounty
land from his war service in Bedford Co.
No doubt, William did also. They
explored Kentucky in 1776, perhaps more than once. By October 1777 their families were located
in Boonesborough.
This move into the Kentucky frontier separated them from the remaining
siblings, who remained in Virginia.
In
January of 1778, William and Stephen were in the salt expedition with Daniel BOONE. In
February, these salt makers were taken captive by over 100 Shawnee
warriors. While Stephen managed to escape, William was taken captive. The prisoners were forced on a difficult
march north to Old Chillicothe, a Shawnee community on the Little Miami
River. Daniel BOONE escaped in June, William in July. Blackfish and his 450 warriors appeared in September
to capture the fort and march the prisoners to the north. Daniel BOONE, Stephen HANCOCK, William
HANCOCK and five other men were at the Council Table in front of the fort while
talking with Blackfish. The Siege began
shortly after, labeled the longest attack on a fort in Kentucky. The frontiersmen were successful in defending
the fort.
William's
wife Molly carried an iron pan handle some 5 or 6 feet
in length, as her weapon of defense. She
slept with it in bed during the siege.
By
1780, Stephen and William had located at Hancock's Station, close to Irvine's Station 2 miles west of Richmond, on Tates Creek. Land and Deed Records list many land
transactions from 1780 through 1800 for William, and through 1820 for Stephen.
The pay
role muster of Captain James ESTILL in Lincoln's Co. include the names of William and Stephen
HANCOCK, dated 1782. They were involved
in "Estill's Defeat" or "The Battle of Little Mountain."
In
1799, the HANCOCK brothers parted - Stephen remained in
Kentucky. Between 1800 and 1805,
Catherine died and he married Judith. No
doubt he travelled to Missouri during the years, but apparently did not settle
in St. Louis County until 1821.
His land on Crazy Horse Creek, St. Louis County, located only seven
miles east of the original Spanish Land Grant of William HANCOCK, is mentioned in his will of August
1827. He gave everything to this beloved
wife Judith and then to his son Stephen, Jr.
Stephen
Jr. son of William, travelled to Missouri ahead of his father, securing his
Spanish Land Grant in September of 1799.
William's grant was dated November 1799. Daniel BOONE arrived with a small party to Upper
Louisiana in October 1799, included in the company was Forrest HANCOCK, son of William. William, Sr. remained a close and loyal
friend to Daniel BOONE. William's farm
of 600 arpents was located on the Missouri River near son Stephen Jr. and Forrest.
Mary, daughter of William, married in Lincoln Co. Land
records of St. Charles Co. verify a second marriage to John MCMICKLE.
William's
first son, Stephen, died in St. Charles Co. in 1814, possibly as a result of
the War of 1812. He left a widow, Sarah, and at least two children.
Forrest
HANCOCK was one of the original "Mountain Men." The absence of records on Forrest leads to
the belief that he spent much of his life in the wilderness. We do know that he spent some time with the
Mandan Indians in the Dakotas and had business dealings with the famous
explorer Manual LISA.
Hunting and trapping, Forrest and Joseph DICKSON had left Missouri during the summer of
1804. They ascended the Missouri, had
been robbed by Indians but were still determined to continue. The journal of LEWIS and CLARK was helpful in locating information on
Forrest HANCOCK. LEWIS and CLARK had separated,
and were heading downstream toward St. Louis.
On Tuesday, Aug. 12, 1806, their journal entry reads:
Being anxious to overtake
Capt. CLARK who from the appearance of his camps could be
at no great distance before me, we set out early and proceeded with all
possible expedition at 8 A.M. these men informed me that there was a canoe and
a camp he believed of whitemen on the N.E. shore. I directed the perogue and canoes to come too
at this place and found it to be the camp of two hunters from the Illinois by
name of Joseph DICKSON and Forrest HANCOCK. these
men informed me that Capt. C. had passed them about noon the day before. they also informed me that they had left the
Illinois in the summer of 1804 since which time they had been ascended the
Missouri, hunting and trapping beaver; that they had been robed by the indians
and the former wounded last winter by the Tetons of the birnt woods; that they
had hitherto been unsuccessful in their voyage having as yet caught but little
beaver, but were still determined to proceed.
I gave them a short discription of the Missouri, a list of distances to
the most conspicuous streams and remarkable places on the river above and
pointed out to them the places where the beaver most abounded. I also gave them a file and a couple of
pounds of powder and some lead. these
were articles which they assured me they were in great want of. I remained with these men and hour and a
half when I took leave of them and proceeded.
(These two trappers are not only the first white men whom the expedition
has seen since leaving the Mandan villages in April 1805 - they are also the
first to follow the trail which the expedition had blazed.)
An
entry of August 1806 stated that John COLTER, a member of the LEWIS and CLARK
Expedition, requested permission to join DICKSON and HANCOCK in their trapping
expedition. Eventually, they would enter
Yellowstone basin. (John COLTER died in
1812 while serving as a Ranger under Nathan BOONE in Missouri.)
Forrest
farmed 400 acres of land in Femme Osage Twp., near his father and brother Stephen, although the farm was listed as delinquent
in taxes in 1817. William Jr. was administrator of his estate,
document dated 9 Apr. 1847. Dave FLEMING, one of the first locaters at Mine's Camp, in
present Cooke City, Montana, was reportedly the stepson of
Forrest. He stated that when he was
about ten years old, his stepfather took him on an expedition into the
mountains, since after the death of his mother there was no one to take care of
him in the settlements.
Sometime
in the mid 1820's William's son Benjamin came to the Femme Osage District, St. Charles Co. from Rutherford Co., TN, to claim the land given to him by his
father. Benjamin lived there until his
death in the 1850's. Although our direct
line, research on the family of Benjamin HANCOCK has been challenging.
William's
son Jesse died on the 18th of Nov. 1813, while a Mounted Ranger under the
command of Capt. Daniel Morgan BOONE, son of Daniel BOONE.
Daughter
Sarah married in St. Charles to James CLAY, but died before reaching the age of forty,
leaving six children.
William Jr. apparently remained on the original
homestead and was one of the earliest settlers of newly formed Montgomery Co.
which later became known as Warren Co.
As old
age was setting in, William gave his land and livestock to son William Jr. for
maintenance for himself and his wife in 1816.
He died in 1818. After many years
and unselfish efforts of dedicated researchers can the family of William
HANCOCK be identified and take a well earned place in history.
Sources: Bakeless, John. Daniel Boone, Master of the Wilderness. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska
Press, 1989.
DeVoto, Bernard [Edited by]. The Journals of Lewis and Clark. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company 1953.
Hairston, Ruth. Campbell
Chronicles and Family Sketches.
Lynchburg, VA: J.P. Bell Company, 1927.
Jillson, William R. Old
Kentucky Entries and Deeds. Genealogical
Publishing Co., Inc.: Filson Club Publications: No. 34, 1987.
Draper, Lyman. Draper
Collection, Boone Manuscript, Vol. 24C, p. 17.
The
Territorial Papers of the United States. U.S. Government Printing
Office, 1951.
St. Charles County land and marriage records.
*
* * * *
The
Hancock Brothers from Virginia
traces William and his brother Stephen from their Virginia roots, life in Kentucky
during the Revolutionary War, and finally settlement in Missouri in the early
1800's. There is an overview on their
descendants as well as group sheets and 6 generation descendancy charts.
The
non-profit book, approximately 275 pages, is fully indexed, hard-bound and run
on a laser printer.
Orders
due by March 13, 1992
No comments:
Post a Comment