VANCE, Abner Alexander Sr Rev

1759 - 1819  (60 years)

• Name	VANCE, Abner Alexander  [1]
  Suffix	Sr Rev
  Birth	1755	North Carolina, USA   [2, 3, 4]
  Birth	1759	Buncombe County, North Carolina, USA   [5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]
  Gender	Male
  Birth	1767	North Carolina, USA   [13]
  Fort	1774	Shawsville, Montgomery, Virginia, USA   [14]
  	(Old Alexander) Vance's Station & (Jeremiah) Harrison's Fort
  	Vance's Station & Harrison's Fort in Sinking Creek, Holston,Washington Co, Virginia Jeremiah Harrison's Fort This fort was located on the North Fork of Holston. In the year 1782 tithables of Washington County, Virginia, three adult Harrisons were listed. They were Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah, and from the Biblical names they are assumed to have been brothers. Jeremiah bought a tract of 400 acres and the later took up a tract of 340 acres. The 400 acre tract was on Sinking Creek of the North Fork of Holston and is dated in the Fincastle Survey, May 28, 1774. Yet the 340 acre tract appears in the Washington County Survey Book, and it is this tract he sells to David Smith on June 14, 1787. (31) Washington County was formed in 1776 from part of Fincastle. The north part of Washington later formed Russell County in 1786. The first mention of any fort here comes in a letter of Arthur Campbell to William Preston, dated October 6, 1774, (32) in which he says: "He was stationed on the main path to Clinch, opposite the Town House (33) to protect the settlers, and he mentions the families of Vance, Fowler, Harrison, etc., including John Campbell who had been serving as an Ensign to Captain Daniel Smith on Clinch." This Jeremiah Harrison and others, probably brothers, must have come to the area very early as the settlement certificate mentions settlement in 1772. They certainly appear to be the same family as lived in Augusta County, Virginia, from the earliest times, for instance, entry of 15th of September, 1742, shows Jeremiah Harrison and Isaiah Harrison as delinquents in the company of Hugh Thompson. (34) They appear to be sons of Joseph Harrison who died in early 1748, with Isaiah as Administrator of his estate appointed on May 18, 1748, (35) with Jeremiah as his security. In the summer of 1774, Jeremiah Harrison was paid for the pastureage of 135 steers for use at the Maiden Springs Station. (36) There were two Jeremiah Harrisons in Augusta County and they have different named wives. Apparently Jeremiah Harrison left the Holston and moved on to Kentucky where he is listed in a deposition at Woodford Courthouse, Kentucky, dated July 14, 1781. (37) That these men were old, or aging, when Dunmore's War broke out is likely as they are not reflected in any muster lists. Isaac Crabtree in making a supporting statement to his brother Abraham's pension application filed in Wayne County, Kentucky, in 1828, tells of their being sent to Jeremiah Harrison's Fort in 1776, and Jacob Crabtree, says that he was discharged from the militia at this fort in 1776. It is fairly evident that Harrison's Fort was a stockaded affair, but probably small due to the fact that it did not lie on an exposed frontier, and how long it remained in use is unknown, as no reference have been found concerning it, other than those above mentioned. Vance's Station This was a sister station to Jeremiah Harrison's Fort, and about five miles separated the two forts on the North Fork of Holston. This fort, like some others came to light in Revolutionary War pension statements. Vance's Station was no doubt the home of old Alexander Vance. The station is mentioned in both the pension statements of Abraham and Isaac Crabtree, who lived with their father, William Crabtree, on the North Fork of Holston, near the present Saltville, Virginia. The Crabtree brothers mention going to Vance's Station after a tour of militia duty at Blackmore's Fort and at the Flat Lands, which is believed to be another early name for Flat Lick, that section around Duffield down to Pattonsville in present Scott and Lee counties. Old Alexander Vance owned 289 acres of land on the North Fork of the Holston River surveyed and recorded in Washington County, Virginia, in June, 1783, although he had been living on the land many years prior to this survey and entry. This land included the mouth of Beaver Creek. Somehow, later, this land became the property of General William Tate who lived at Broadford in Smythe County, just upstream from Saltville. There were two Vance families in the area, one living on the North Fork of Holston River and the other on Beaver Creek near Bristol. In 1818, one Abner Vance (the brother of Alexander) of the North Fork of Holston family was hanged at Abingdon for murdering a member of the Horton family who had debauched Vance's daughter. Vance felt he had gotten an unfair trial and while in prison wrote a very stirring and tragic ballad which in early days virtually became a folk song and was widely sung around the hearthside of the pioneers and known as the "Vance Song." On October 6, 1774, Colonel Arthur Campbell wrote concerning Vance and Harrison's Stations in this manner, and this may be the clue to the dates one, if not both of these forts were built. "Upon the alarm of (Samuel) Lammey being taken Vance and Fowler's wives, with several other families convened at Mr. Harrison's, which lies upon the main path to the Clinch in the Rich Valley, opposite the Town House. Upon request of several inhabitants on both sides, I ordered six men to be stationed there for ten days, two of which were to be out ranging. Henry and John Dougherty moved their families to this side of the mountain, disagreeing with ye majority of ye inhabitants, as to the place to build a fort. Mr. John Campbell's wife has been on this side of the mountain this past two months and (Campbell) himself has acted as Ensign to Captain (Daniel) Smith on Clynch ever since that Gent was ordered to duty. Archibald and John Buchanan's families and Andrew Lammey came here, (to Royal Oak) who has continued on this side yet. Captain Wilson went immediately with 15 men, and ranged near a week in the neighborhood where Lammey was taken," and left four of his best woodsmen with neighbors for several days longer. I also ordered two of the most trusty persons I could get to act as Spys along Clinch mountain for ten days, which they performed, I am satisfied, faithfully; besides the six men at Harrison's I ordered Mr. Vance's and Fowler's wives three men a week, particularly to assist about saving their fodder, which they got secured safely." (38) Campbell's reference to a disagreement between the settlers as to the proper place to build a fort, it undoubtably the beginning of both Vance and Harrison's Stations, thus placing their erection in the year 1774. Samuel Lammey was taken captive by the Indians on Holston, carried into captivity and never returned. He was taken by a band under the leadership of the Shawnee Black Hawk http://www.newrivernotes.c om/swva/hssv-4.htm Shawsville yard may be site of Revolutionary fort Archaeological clues suggest the property may have been the location of Fort Vause. By Tonia Moxley 381-1663 Editor's note: A line was omitted in the printed story that explained efforts to reconstruct a second fort after the first one was burned. It has been restored in this version. SHAWSVILLE - Archaeologists found evidence Sunday that may prove a Shawsville couple's back yard was the site of a pre-Revolutionary War fort visited in 1756 by George Washington. University of Kentucky archaeologists Steve and Kim McBride and geologist Greg Adamson, along with more than a dozen others, chopped, scraped and scooped through layers of drought-hardened ground this weekend to verify the location of Fort Vause. The crew found a handful of artifacts and a dark stain in the layers of soil. The stain especially looks like promising evidence that at least one British Colonial fort was built on the hill behind Jack and Laree Hinshelwood's house, Kim McBride said. In early 1756 French, Shawnee, Miami and Ottowa troops attacked a fort, which was built by a settler named Ephraim Vause somewhere in present-day Shawsville. The forces burned the installation and killed or kidnapped many of the settlers, indentured servants and slaves sheltering inside the palisades. The attack was part of a French-led campaign to destabilize British settlements in Virginia. "The French and Indian War was really an international conflict" between two old-world superpowers that wished to control the valuable natural resources in the new world, said John Kern, director of the Roanoke office of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. The Indian tribes who joined the French in battle hoped to force British settlers, whom they considered invaders, out of the country. But other Indian people, including many Cherokee, sided with the British. Official military letters and reports from the day document the existence of the first fort and spell out efforts to quickly reconstruct it after the attack. But locals have long disagreed about the locations of the two forts. Some say both forts were built on the spot now owned by the Hinshelwoods. Others say only one of the forts stood there. Pinning down the location is important because Washington, a young British Colonial officer at the time, likely visited only the second fort. He came there to settle a dispute with soldiers who were demanding higher wages to finish the reconstruction, a fact that tickles Jack Hinshelwood. "Washington was not very happy when he visited here," Hinshelwood said. So geologist and weekend archaeologist Greg Adamson secured a $5,000 grant to try to settle the location question. Archaeologist Steve McBride said the evidence so far suggests that only the second fort stood on the Hinshelwood site because the crew has so far found no evidence of a fire. Submitted by Cheri Fox Smith, 2012 maksiccaradded this on 26 Nov 2012 gerryw4655originally submitted this to Cheri's Family Tree on 11 Jul 2012
  Oath of Allegiance	1777	Pittsylvania County, Virginia, USA   [15]
  	Abner Vance in Pittsylvania Co. Va. This is the oath of allegiance sworn in 1777: I do swear or affirm that I renounce and refuse all allegiance to George the third, king of Great Brittain, his heirs and successors, and that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the commonwealth of Virginia, as a free and independentstate, and that I will not, at any time do, or cause to be done, any matter or thing that will be prejudicial or injurious to the freedom and independence thereof, as declared by congress, and also, that I will discovere and make known to someone just of the peace for the said state, all treasons or traiterous conspiracies which I know or hereafter shall know to be enacted. That the justice of the peace before whom such oath or affirmation will and shall on or before the first day of january: Lankfords List: Abner Vance Matthew Vance Charles Kennons List: Benj. Burgess Edward Howard Ezekial Howard William Shorter's list: Thomas Burgess Abner Vance spent some time in Pittsylvania Co. Va. along with some other Vances, QUESTION: Who were the other Vances, were they related to Abner?
  Tax List	1782	Montgomery County, Virginia, USA
  	Lists him in the area.
  Occupation	1792  [16]
  	Indian Scout & spy, helped drive Mingo Indians out of Guyandotte Valley
  jurisprudence	1 Jul 1817	Russell County, Virginia, USA
  	Abner was ordered to appear in court to answer to a charge of breach of the peace by Daniel Horton. Abner Vance was "solemnly called but came not." His bond had been posted by John and James Vance who were called to court on 6 August 1817 as the court attempted to recover the penalty of a recognizance. The court ordered that the writ be dismissed at the Vance\'s cost.
  	Other than land transactions, Abner Vance is rarely found in Russell County court records prior to I July 1817 when he was ordered to appear in court to answer to a charge of breach of the peace by Daniel Horton. Abner Vance was "solemnly called but came not." His bond had been posted by John and James Vance who were called to court on 6 August 1817 as the court attempted to recover the penalty of a recognizance. The court ordered that the writ be dismissed at the Vance's cost.
  Incident	22 Sep 1817
  	Shot Lewis Horton, aiming for his brother Daniel for seducing ( then abandoning) daughter.
  	cf. Hatfield34491Martha.com, downloaded 08.02.00: Abner Vance, The True Story, by Grace Dotson, VFA Historian I had not researched my Vance lines long until I realized much more had been written about my 4th great grandfather, Abner Vance, than could be proven. The things that could be proven did not fit the legend as I had heard it. Listed below are the facts, all from Virginia court records, unless otherwise stated. No birth record has been found for Abner Vance. His parents and place of birth are unknown. His estimated date of birth is 1759/60 from the fact that he and a Matthew Vance swore the Oath of Allegiance in Chatham, Pittsylvania County, Virginia on 29 July 1777. Under Virginia law the requirements for swearing the Oath of Allegiance was: "all white males, over 16 years of age." Many Virginia records were lost or destroyed through the years and tax lists have often been utilized as proof of residency. Abner Vance and Thomas Vance were on the tax lists of 1782-1787 in Montgomery County, Virginia. Abner Vance was enumerated on the 1789, 1791-1799 and the 1802 Russell County Virginia Personal Property tax list. Other Vances who lived in Russell County before 1800 were Matthew, Phillip, Samuel, and John. Russell County records are incomplete. Abner Vance was married to Susannah Howard; she was called Susannah Vance in the will of her father's wife in Surry County NC in 1806. No marriage record has been located. Abner and Susannah Vance were the parents of several children. No birth records have been found for them, dates of birth have been established from census, death or marriage records. In 1784 Abner Vance and James Howard were on the Surry County North Carolina tax list as owning 250 Acres of land. Other than land transactions, Abner Vance is rarely found in Russell County court records prior to I July 1817 when he was ordered to appear in court to answer to a charge of breach of the peace by Daniel Horton. Abner Vance was "solemnly called but came not." His bond had been posted by John and James Vance who were called to court on 6 August 1817 as the court attempted to recover the penalty of a recognizance. The court ordered that the writ be dismissed at the Vance's cost. 16 October 1817, at a court called and held by the justices of Russell County, Virginia Abner Vance, labourer, and Susanna Vance, spinster, were charged with the murder of Lewis Horton who died on 27 Sept 1817 in Russell County Virginia. Susanna Vance was allowed to give security of two thousand dollars for her personal appearance, being unable to procure security she was remanded to jail until she found such security or was released by due course of the law. Abner Vance was remanded to jail with no bond set for his release. The next hearing on the docket in Russell County Court, October 16, 1817, was William Wingo, who was charged as an accessory before the fact to the murder of Lewis Horton. Wingo's bond was posted by the said Wingo, Squire McGuire and Frances McKinney. On November 4, 1817, Richard Vance was committed to the jail of Russell County, Virginia charged with being an accessory after the fact to the felonious shooting and wounding of Lewis Horton by Abner Vance. Richard Vance was remanded to the jail of Russell County, Virginia. The next term of the Court for Russell County Virginia was in April 1817. The Jury heard these cases: Abner Vance was found guilty of murder in the first degree in manner and form as in the indictment against him is alleged; thereupon he is remanded to jail on 14 April 1818. The next day of court, same judge and jury brought forth an indictment against Richard Vance as an accessory to a murder "a true bill" and an indictment against Susanna Vance for murder "not a true bill." Susanna Vance was discharged from imprisonment. On the next day (April 17th) William Wingo was again let go on bond and the Commonwealth Attorney, by comment of the Court, said that he would not prosecute further on behalf of the Commonwealth against Richard Vance and he was released. During the same Court and on the same day, April 17, 1817, Abner Vance was called before the bar for sentencing, when asked if he had anything to say he said he had nothing but what he had already said. Thereupon it was considered by the Court that he be hanged by the neck until he be dead, and that the execution of the judgment be made and done upon him, the said Abner Vance by the Sheriff of Russell County on Friday the 17th of July next between eleven in the forenoon and two in the afternoon of the same day at the place of execution in this county. Memorandum: At the trial of this cause and before the Grand Jury retired from the bar the counsel for the prisoner excepted to two opinions of the Court and a third after the jury retired from the bar to an opinion of the Court, which three exceptions were signed and sealed by the Court and ordered to be made a part of the record of this case. (This amounted to an appeal.) Court was adjourned. September 14, 1818. Superior Court of Law, Russell County Virginia. The Commonwealth against Abner Vance, upon indictment for murder. A copy of the judgement of the General Court awarding a new trial in this cause was produced and ordered to be - ? - on the records of this court. The Writ of error stated "The Court are unaminously of opinion that there is an error in this: that the Court rejected evidence of the witness introduced by the prisoner to prove his insanity before the fact of which he was accused, and in deciding it was improper to introduce such proof until the prisoner's insanity was proven on the day he shot the deceased. Wherefore it is considered that the said judgement be severed and annulled, and a new trial awarded, and in the meantime that he be detained in the safe custody in the jail of the Superior Court of Russell County until the next term, and until he be discharged by due course of the Law. September 15, 1818. William Wingo appeared in court according to the condition of his recognizance entered into before this court at the last term is ordered into custody of the sheriff to be committed into the jail. William Wingo acknowledged himself indebted to the Governor for bond; yet if Polly Wingo, wife of the said William Wingo, shall make her personal appearance before the court on tomorrow to give evidence on behalf of Abner Vance indicted of murder, and shall not depart without leave of the court, then this recognizance be void. The trial of Abner Vance is continued till tomorrow at ten o'clock. September 16, 1817. A 48 man jury pool was called and after two days only 7 men had been selected as jurors, the court decided to postpone Vance's trial until the next term of court. Spring Term of Superior Court Russell County, Virginia. April 12, 1819. Again a jury could not be be seated, after two days only two men had been selected as jurors. A change of venue was ordered by the court, to the Washington County, Virginia Superior Court. (Washington County borders Russell.) I have not located the Washington County Superior Court records for this trial, but I do know that they upheld the Russell County verdict and sentence. Abner Vance was sentenced to be hung on July 16, 1819. Although we know Abner Vance was hung, no optical record has been found. The Lynchburg Press, a newspaper in Lynchburg, Virginia, did print this alleged eyewitness account of the execution: "27 July 1819. On Friday the 16th Instant, Abner Vance was executed at Abingdon, in pursuance of his sentence, for the murder of Lewis Horton. He addressed the spectators, about four thousand, for an hour and a half with considerable ability; he died with the most heroic fortitude. He accused some of giving false evidence against him; and said that if he had obtained a fair trial, and nothing but the truth had been sworn against him, he thought the penitentiary would have been proper punishment for his offense. " I know this is not what has been written in books and is not the tradition that has been passed down for almost two hundred years, but, sadly, this is the way it was. Abner Vance is said to have composed a song or ballad which is called THE VANCE SONG or ABNER VANCE'S DEATH BALLAD, which is recognized, by the Southwest Virginia Folk Lore Society, as the oldest song, still in existence, written west of the Blue Ridge. The Susanna Vance, spinster, who was arrested and incarcerated in the early months of the court record of this case seems to be a daughter of John Vance, son of Abner. John had been living in Floyd Co KY, which was next door to Russell County, VA. On I Feb 1813, John and a Mary Wilson had applied for a marriage license, John was 33 years old and I believe this was John's second marriage. Susanna Vance, spinster, was released from jail in Russell County on April 16, 1818 and on August 17, 1818 in Floyd County, KY a subpoena was issued against John Vance to appear and show why his children shall not be bound out as the law directs and the sheriff is directed that on the service of the same he take possession of the said children, named William and Susanna, and have them here at the next court. Annals of Floyd County Kentucky 1800-1826 by Chas. C. Wells. I believe this was the girl involved in the incident. In 15 years of searching for Abner Vance I have never found anything to document he was a preacher as is often claimed, during the trials he was called Labourer. I have never found him serving in the Revolutionary War, just taking the Oath of Allegiance as stated earlier in this article, which was about like registering for the draft now. I have never found any hint of him owning the thousands of acres of land he is said to have owned in present Logan County WV and he surely did not hide from Virginia law enforcement officers for two years after the shooting, the record plainly shows him sitting in jail for that period of time. I have never found anything to indicate he was half Indian as often claimed, on the Oath of Allegiance papers and on the tax records I've located he was listed as white. I have never found anything to cause me to think he had been married before his marriage to Susannah Howard, I'm still searching for any marriage record for him. And finally, I've never found a pardon, but did find the earlier mentioned newspaper article, it seems to me that if a pardon had been granted him a copy of it would be somewhere and that it would have surely been newsworthy and certainly mentioned in the report of his death and none was. I have searched every nook and cranny within the realm of possibilities for this supposed pardon to hide, it can not be found. If anyone has a copy of Abner Vance's pardon the VFA and I would surely like to see it. Judge Elihu Sutherland of Dickenson County Virginia wrote "William Vance, of Sword's Creek (Russell County, VA), a descendant of Abner Vance, said in 1927: "As I have been told by older people Vance did not kill the Horton he aimed to kill. His mind was to kill Daniel, but Lewis put himself in the way and provoked the old man until he told him to go away or he would kill him, and Horton run and crossed the Clinch (River), a distance of about 200 yards and told the old man to "shoot and be dammed ". The old man fired and Horton rolled off his horse into the river." Abner Vance's court records are in Order Book 5 and 6 at Russell County Virginia Court House, Lebanon, VA. THE VANCE SONG, taken from the Sweet Bird Songbook Green are the woods where Sandy flows, and peace it dwelleth there. In the valley, the deer, they like secure and the red buck roam everywhere. But Vance no more shall Sandy behold, nor drink of it's crystal wave. The partial judge has pronounced his doom, the hunter has found his grave. The judge said he was my friend, though Elliot's life I saved. A jury man, I did become, that, Elliot, he might live. The friendship that I have shown to others has not been shown to me. Humanity, it belongs to the brave and I hope it remains with me. It was by the advice of McFarland that Judge Johnson did me call. I was taken from my native home and placed in yon stone wall. My persecutors have gained their quest, they promised to make good. They swore that they would never rest till they had gained my life's blood. There are David Horton, Bob and Bill, a lie against me swore, in order to take my life away that I might be no more. But they and I must meet when Gabriel's trump shall blow. Perhaps I shall rest in Abraham's breast while they roll in the gulf below. I killed a man, I don't deny, he threatened to kill me. And for this I am condemned to die, the jury all agree. But, I and they together must meet when all things are made known. And if I have shed innocent blood, I hope mercy will be shown. Bright shines the sun over Clinch's hills, so soft the west wind blows. The valley, it is covered all over with bloom, perfumed by the sweet red rose. But Vance no more shall Sandy behold nor smell it's sweet perfume. This day his eyes must close in death, his body conveyed to the tomb. Farewell, my friends and children, dear. To you I bid farewell. The love I have for your precious souls no mortal tongue can tell. Farewell, my true and loving wife, to you I bid adieu, and when I reach fair Cannan's shore, I'll wait and watch for you. Abner Vance is said to have sang (sic) this song just before he was executed, I worked with the Southwest Virginia Folk Lore Society at Appalachia, VA to have this formally acknowledged as the oldest song, still in existence which was written west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have both printed and oral copies of the song and will send them to anyone interested. I welcome any corrections or additions, Feel free to contact me at any time. Grace Dotson
  murder	27 Sep 1817	Russell County, Virginia, USA
  	Lewis Horton died on 27 Sept 1817 in Russell County Virginia.
  	0241214GHLn- 16 October 1817, at a court called and held by the justices of Russell County, Virginia Abner Vance, labourer, and Susanna Vance, spinster, were charged with the murder of Lewis Horton who died on 27 Sept 1817 in Russell County Virginia. Susanna Vance was allowed to give security of two thousand dollars for her personal appearance, being unable to procure security she was remanded to jail until she found such security or was released by due course of the law. Abner Vance was remanded to jail with no bond set for his release.
  murder	27 Sep 1817	Russell County, Virginia, USA   [17]
  	a different look at the story
  	Abner Vance, Two Sides to Every Story By: Barbara Cherep Foreword The following article was researched by Barbara Cherep, Tom and Janice Vance. Although the original story of Abner was researched by many others first, to name a few are Theodosia Barrett, Kathleen Mason, Betty Williams, Charles C. Wells, Henry Ragland, Tim Vance, Grace Dotson, and probably more than a few I don’t know. This article will provide new pieces to the puzzle. Such as Judge Johnston’s Letter to the Legislature, Daniel Horton’s Letter to the Legislature and the American Beacon Newspaper Article. Theodosia Barrett mentioned the Virginia Case record by Brockenbrough but did not supply the transcripts for all to see. It is Thomas Ritchie’s letter of Judge Johnston that I found which tells the story from another point of view, one which will surprise you as it did me. Even though I wrote this article from my own point of view of the trial; much of the exact spelling as the originals, I want you to read it. Come to your own opinions after reading these original transcripts. We are Vance’s and share in this story. It may differ in what was passed down, but the truth lies in the middle. If I have missed anything, misquoted or anything that comes to mind, I would be happy to include or do a rewrite. Send an email to barbnzhxkq@aol.com . At the end of this story you will find some Petitions of Russell County, which mention Abner and others. These were hard to read, and the spelling is that of the document. Some names and words left off. Did my best to read them, sorry for any mistakes. Abner Vance - The Last Two Years Abner was hung in Abingdon for shooting a man in the back named Lewis Horton brother to Daniel Horton whom Abner intended to kill. Now according to the many stories written and published, this version will share a proven extra little twist which will shed light on some of the folklore passed down generation to generation. Such as Abner did not get his rifle from over the door just before he shot Lewis Horton, however he did intend to kill Daniel Horton, who is not mentioned as accompanying Lewis Horton at the time he was shot. Only Joseph Fowlkes (i.e. Russell County records have his name as Joseph Fulks) is mentioned as being present at the time of the shooting. Many stories have been published on his hanging with some variance of that historic trial but the outcome is always the same. Abner was sentenced to murder in the first degree, hung for a murder he had admitted to and noted in the Richmond Enquirer and the Journal of the House of Delegates by William Brockenbrough. However, there is still one document that tells the story as well as any. In 1818/19 in the Journal of the House of Delegates of the Commonwealth of Virginia, written by Thomas Ritchie printer for the Commonwealth. This document is known as “Letter of Peter Johnston Relative to the Trial of Abner Vance in Russell County”. Peter Johnston was the Judge of the first trial of Abner Vance in Russell County, Virginia. This letter holds what the Judge deems to be testimony of Abner and others present for the first trial in Russell County. Let’s start with the beginning records as we know it recorded in Russell County previous to the trial of Abner. I will then present the trial records and other documents found in support of his two trials. March 4, 1817 - Daniel Horton commissioned as a Justice of the Peace. April 1817 - Term of Russell County Virginia court, Abner Vance distinguished himself in the trial of John Elliott. John Elliott was being tried for the murder of Eli McLaughlin. Eleven of the jurors stood for first degree. Abner Vance "hung the jury" and with his eloquent oratory won them over. Instead of hanging, the sentence was "nine years in the penitentiary house in a solitary cell with a low coarse diet for half of the term." June 3, 1817 - Ordered that John Vance be appointed surveyor of the road from head of Sandy down to the mouth of slate; Frederick Stilton Sen. From thence down to the state line of Kentucky and that Harry Smith Get., do furnish each of the said surveyors with a list of tithables. June 3, 1817 - William Horton paid a $500 bond and took an oath of law to become a constable. July 1, 1817 - Abner Vance being bound in a recognizance with John Vance and James Vance his securities to appear here this day to abide by and perform the judgment of the Court on a charge of a breach of the peace by Daniel Horton, was solemnly called but came not. July 2, 1817 - Ordered that William Romine be appointed the surveyor of the cove road from the fork of the river road to the line of Tazewell near William Fannons and that Daniel Horton Gent., do furnish him with a list of tithables. August 6, 1817 - Abraham slave of Abendego White, The prisoner was brought into court with a sundry of witnesses, charge was not proved, prisoner was discharged from prosecution, Abraham by the Commonwealth proved that he lifted his hands against William Cromwell, and others, he was given 5 lashes at the whipping post by the Sheriff, that the prisoner is of turbulent disposition, and the Daniel Horton the prosecutor in the case and is afraid that slave will take his life or do personal injury to him. August 6, 1817 - The Commonwealth against Abner Vance, John Vance and James Vance defendants on a writ of venire facias to recover the penalty of a recognizance. By consent of the attorney for the Commonwealth and assent of the court, it is ordered that this writ be dismissed at the defts. Proceeding the Trial - Cause and Effect Sometime in September 1817 it is stated by Judge Johnston that Lewis Horton gave testimony in the days preceding the shooting in Chancery Court, presiding was Chancellor Brown, where Abner understood that Lewis Horton had “swore upon his life” or so Abner was told or misinformed. That statement comes from, “The Letter of Judge Peter Johnston Relative to the Trial of Abner Vance.” What is not stated is why Lewis Horton had given a deposition in Chancery Court. Chancery Courts would try to reconcile land disputes, divorces, bastardly bonds, Wills and Administrations. These are usually disputes that were non criminal in content such as trespassing or land deeds. If we could locate this Chancery Case we could prove why Lewis Horton was in Chancery against Abner Vance. A story of this shooting was passed down through the generations but with no court related content to say that Abner Vance shot Horton because Lewis and Daniel dropped by horseback, his daughter off at Abners home after tarnishing her reputation. Another such story was told by William Vance to Judge Elihu Sutherland written in an article by Grace Dotson. William writes to Sutherland: “As I have been told by older people Vance did not kill the Horton he aimed to kill. His mind was to kill Daniel, but Lewis put himself in the way and provoked the old man until he told him to go away or he would kill him, and Horton run and crossed the Clinch River, a distance of about 200 yards and told the old man to “shoot and be damned.” The old man fired and Horton rolled off his horse into the river.” William’s story in this one paragraph was not far from the truth. Lewis Horton was a single man; however Daniel Horton was married. It was Daniel who Abner admits to wanting to kill as William says. That is so very true. Other stories say that Elizabeth, daughter of Abner is thought to have a multi day excursion of sorts with one Lewis or Daniel Horton. This depends on who tells the story. Locating the Chancery Case for Horton would solve that mystery forever. In our case the story could be proved with these documents. They say there are always two sides to every story. In this case I believe it’s true. Now, because of Judge Peter Johnston we have some new facts to go on which allude to much more than what was passed down. On Sept 22, 1817, Abner Vance shot Lewis Horton. Abner loaded his gun this fateful day and walked down to the Ford of the Clinch where Judge Johnston’s letter states “to wait for Daniel”, just a short distance from his home. The Judge writes that Abner waited to kill Daniel Horton and 3 others whose names are not mentioned. However we do get a clue in this one verse of the Vance Song that was sung by Abner the day he was hung naming three others. At this point we cannot be sure it’s the Horton men (i.e. William, Robert Horton) in which Abner was talking about in this song. But it does begin to make sense. It’s the name David that does not come to mind in any transcript or record. There are 1David Horton, Bob and Bill, a lie against me swore, in order to take my life away that I might be no more. But they and I must meet when Gabriel’s trump shall blow. Perhaps I shall rest in Abraham’s breast while they roll in the gulf below. Lewis Horton was shot in the back just below the shoulder and lived 6 days after the shooting. Lewis Horton last gave instructions of his Will on September 27th. From the letter dated December 2, 1818 to the Legislature where Peter Johnston was looking to the Legislature for new legislation as he felt strongly about the way in which the first trial had gone, afterwards when a Writ of Error was filed, thus giving Abner a new trial based upon Abners defense of insanity. His daughter wanting to give testimony in Abners defense, of his insanity in the first trial, the daughter, name not mentioned, had not seen her father for days before the shooting. The court felt if she could not give testimony of his nature the day of the shooting, insanity could not be recognized as a defense. Abners Counsel “excepted” the ruling, thus the insanity plea was dropped, only later to be overturned by the Attorney General for the State of Virginia, awarding Abner a “Stay of Execution”, a new trial on June 1818. This was more than likely the reprieve that many Vance descendants thought to be a “Stay of Execution” the day Abner was hanged, based on stories handed down generation after generation, which reprieve was sent on the day he was hanged, moments too late. In Richmond the Governors Reprieve Book does not list Abner Vance anywhere in its contents. Therefore a Stay of Execution on the day Abner was hanged could not be found. Judge Peter Johnston Jr. Judge Peter Johnston was the Judge of the 13th Circuit Judicial Court mentioned in a book by Dobson called “The Speakers and Clerks of the Virginia House of Delegates.” It is noted in this book that Judge Peter Johnston was the speaker of the House for Virginia 1805 to 1807. He was born in Chesterfield, Virginia in 1763. Died at “Panicello” near Abingdon, Virginia and buried in the Johnston Cemetery on Walden Road, east of Abingdon. He was a member of the House of Delegates from 1792 to 1794 and 1798 to 1808. Assigned to Prince Edward County first, he took a position with the Thirteenth District General and Supreme Court of Law in 1811, because he felt that the hunting would be better in Southwest Virginia. He married Mary Wood, daughter of Valentine Wood and Lucy Henry, who is the sister to Patrick Henry. Peter Johnston was a very influential man in Virginia. The trial of Abner Vance was not only a local issue to Russell and Washington Counties. Judge Johnston asks the Legislature for a change to Laws for what he believes to be an unfounded Cause of insanity in Abners trial, he states; “It is not only probable, but certain, that other instances will arise under the present judiciary system of this State, requiring the special interference of the Legislature, unless some general law should be enacted, the provisions of which may be adequate to the prevention, of remedy of evils and difficulties, such as have occurred in the case of Abner Vance. I have made this communication from a persuasion, that if the subject appears as important to you, as it does to me, you will lay it before the General Assembly.” Peter Johnston __________________________________ The First Trial Begins Underlined dates are transcripts of Russell County Court Books to include Vance, Wingo, and Horton’s. The idea is to give you all of them so that you can get a feel for the people and what was happening around Abner as he goes into this trial. 7 Oct 1817 - William Wingo and John Webb Bell who were committed to the jail of this county for not finding security for their good behavior were brought into Court and sundry witness being sworn and examined against them and they being heard in their defense. It is considered by the Court that they the said William Wingo and John Webb Bell do enter into recognizance for their good behavior for the term of one year and a day in the penalty of one hundred dollars each with two securities in the sum of $50 each and pay the Costs of the Prosecution but being unable to find Security they were remanded to jail there to remain for the said term of a year & a day or until they find such security or be otherwise discharged by the due Course of law. Ordered that it be certified to the Register of the Land Office that John, Travis, Lucy Sergent wife of Wm. Sergent, Elizabeth Sergent wife of Elijah Sergent, Enoch Horton, Sarah Bradshaw, wife of John Bradshaw, Lettice Horton wife of William Horton, Laodicea White wife Meshach White and Robert Horton are the heirs and all the heirs at law of John Horton deceased as has been satisfactorily proved to this Court. This day personally appeared in Court Ezekiel Daniel and Isaac Arden (Harden) and made oath that Lewis Horton deceased during the time of his last sickness to wit on the 27th day of September last past at William Ardens in the county of Russell made his noncupative will in which he desired that all his just debts should be paid and after they were paid, that his remaining estate should be divided in four equal parts to be divided as follows, one part to his son Daniel by Priscilla Wilson and the other three parts divided between Lewis, Francis and Salley children of his brother Daniel Horton. Which is ordered to be established as the non cupative Will of the said Lewis Horton dec’d. (Noting Lewis Horton was a single man, having one child, seems to be an ex-wife or girlfriend, as she uses the name Wilson, also he leaves property to his brother Daniels children who is married, also noting that the name of Arden is used in the above but Harden is used below on Oct 16th when witnesses are called to give bond as witnesses against Abner) October 16, 1817 - At a Court called and held by the justices of Russell County at the courthouse on the 16th day of October 1817 for the examination of Abner Vance and Susanna Vance charged with the murder of Lewis Horton. Present: Zachariah Fugate, Charles Carrell, James Browning, Nathan Hamilton and John Colley, Gent Justices The said Abner Vance and Susanna Vance being brought into Court and sundry witnesses being sworn and examined as well for as against them, it is the opinion of the Court that the said Abner Vance and Susanna Vance for the murder of Lewis Horton as aforesaid ought to be made in the Superior Court of Law for the county. That the said Susanna Vance be permitted to give security for her personal appearance before the said Superior Court at the next term in the sum of five thousand dollars to answer the charge aforesaid and thereupon the said Abner Vance was remanded to jail and the said Susanna Vance not being able to find such security was also remanded to Jail there to remain till she finds such security or until she be thence discharged by due course of law. Daniel Horton, Ezekiel Daniel, Joseph Fulks, William Harden, Catherine Harden, Isaac Harden and William Horton all of this County came into Court and severally acknowledged themselves to be indebted to his Excellency James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the sum of one hundred dollars each, of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said Governor and his successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered; yet upon this condition that if the said Daniel Horton, Ezekiel Daniel, Joseph Fulk, William Harden, Catherine Harden, Isaac Harden and William Horton shall severally make their personal appearance before the Judge of the Superior Court of Law for this County at the Courthouse at the next term to give evidence on behalf of the Commonwealth against Abner Vance and Susanna Vance accused of Murder, then this recognizance to be void. Zachariah Fugate. Oct 16 1817 - At a court called and held by the justices of Russell County at the Courthouse on the 16th day of October 1817 for the examination of William Wingo charged with being accessory to the murder of Lewis Horton. Present: Zachariah Fugate, Charles Carrell, Samuel Gibson, James Browning and John Colley gent justices. The said William Wingo being brought into Court and sundry Witnesses being sworn and examined as well for as against him on consideration it is the opinion of the Court that the said William Wingo for being as an accessory before the fact to the murder of Lewis Horton aforesaid ought to be tried in the Superior Court of Law for this County and that he be permitted to give security for his personal appearance before the said Superior Court at the next term to answer the said charge in the sum of two thousand dollars. Whereupon the said William Wingo and Squire McGuire and Francis McKinney all of the County of Tazewell here in Court acknowledged themselves to be indebted to his Excellency James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth of Virginia the said William Wingo in the sum of two thousand dollars and the said Squire McGuire and Francis McKinney in the sum of one thousand dollars each of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said Governor and his successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered. Yet upon this condition that if the said William Wingo shall personally appear before the Judge of the Superior Court of Law for this County at the Courthouse at the next Superior Court to be holden for this County then and there to answer the Commonwealth of and concerning the charge aforesaid and shall not depart thence without the leave of the said Judge, then this recognizance to be void. November 4, 1817 - Samuel Clark and Fanny Clark of this county come into Court and severally acknowledge themselves to be indebted to his Excellency James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of this Commonwealth of Virginia in the sum of one hundred dollars each of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said Governor and his successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered yet upon this condition that if the said Samuel Clark and Fanny Clark shall severally make their personal appearance at the Courthouse of this County before the Judge of the Superior Court of Law for this County at the next term of the said Superior Court to give evidence on behalf of the Commonwealth against William Wingo accused of being accessory before the fact to the murder of Lewis Horton and their recognizance to be void. Zachariah Fugate. November 4, 1817 - Richard Vance committed to the Jail of this County charged with being accessory after the fact to the felonious shooting and wounding of Lewis Horton by Abner Vance with intent to murder and of which shooting the said Lewis Horton shortly thereafter died was brought into Court and thereupon sundry witnesses being sworn and examined as well for and against the said Richard Vance, it is the opinion of the Court that the said Richard Vance for the felony in being accessory as aforesaid ought to be tried in the Superior Court of Law for this County at the next term and thereupon he was removed to jail. November 4, 1817 - John Olinger, John Scaggs and William Elkins all of this county come into Court and severally acknowledge themselves to be indebted to his Excellency James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the sum of one hundred dollars each of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said Governor and his successors to the use of the Commonwealth rendered yet upon this condition that if the said John Olinger, John Scaggs and William Elkins shall severally make their personal appearance before the Judge of the Superior Court of Law for this County at the Courthouse on the second Monday in April next then and there to give evidence on behalf of the Commonwealth against Richard Vance charged with being accessory to a felony then this recognizance to be void. November 5, 1817 - The case of Richard Vance who was yesterday committed for trial as accessory to a felony in the Superior Court of Law for this County as it respects his admission to bail was reconsidered and for reason appearing it is the opinion of the Court that the said Richard Vance be admitted to give security for his personal appearance at the next term of the said Superior Court by entering into recognizance in the sum of three hundred dollars with two securities in the penalty of one hundred fifty dollars each but not finding such security was remanded to jail there to remain till security given or until he be thence discharged by due course of law. December 3, 1817 - On the motion of Daniel Horton who made oath as the law directs and together with James McFarlane his security entered into bond in the penalty of one thousand dollars conditioned according to law, certificate is granted the said Daniel Horton for obtaining administration of the estate of Lewis Horton decd with his Will annexed in due form. Ordered that Harry Smith, Jacob Francisco, Moses Hunt and Simeon Jackson or any three of them being first sworn before a justice of the peace, do appraise in current money the personal estate of Lewis Horton decd and return the appraisement under their hands signed by the administrator to this Court. April 14, 1818 - Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said County, of thereof arraigned and pleaded not guilty of the indictment and for his trial was put himself upon God and his Country; Whereupon came a jury to wit; George Robinson, John Belcher, Stephen Fuller, Larkin Howard, John Wallis Jr., Francis Fuller, William Williams, James Jesse, John Johnson, William Jesse, Thomas D. Fuller, and Jacob Rasnick Jr., who being elected tried and sworn the truth of and upon the premise to speak, and having heard the evidence upon their oath do say that the said Abner Vance is guilty of murder in the first degree in manner and form as in the indictment against him is alledged; and thereupon he is remanded to jail. April 15, 1818 - Present the same Judge as yesterday The Grand Jury appeared according to their adjournment of yesterday __ point out of the Court and after some time returned into Court and further presented. An Indictment against Richard Vance as accessory to a murder a true bill, and An Indictment against Susanna Vance for murder “not a true bill”. They also forwarded John J. Cowan and John McFarland for a breach of the peace, And having nothing further to present the said Grand Jury were discharged. Susanna Vance late of the county of Russell __ spinster, was led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said county, and the Grand Jury having returned the indictment against her for murder not a true bill proclamation was made as the manner is, and nothing further appearing or being alledged against her, it is ordered that she be discharged from her imprisonment. April 16, 1818 - The attorney prosecuting for the Commonwealth by consent of the court saith that he will not prosecute further on behalf of the Commonwealth against Richard Vance accused as accessory to a murder, therefore it is ordered, that the said Richard Vance be discharged from his recognizance. April 17, 1818 (Friday) - Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands convicted of murder in the first degree was once again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said county and thereupon it being demanded of him if anything for himself he had or know to say why the Court here to judgment and execution against him of and upon the premises should not proceed; he said he had nothing but what he had before said. Therefore it is considered by the Court that he be hanged by the neck till he be dead, and execution of the judgment be made and done upon him the said Abner Vance by the Sheriff of Russell County on Friday the 17th day of July next between eleven and the hours of the forenoon and two in the afternoon of the same day at the place of the execution of the said County. Memorandum: At the trial of the cause and before the jury retired from the bar the counsel for the prisoner excepted to two opinions of the Court and a third after the jury retired from the bar to an opinion of the Court, which three exceptions were signed and sealed by the Court and ordered to be made a part of the record in this case. Newspaper Article The American Beacon and Commercial Diary Norfolk, Tuesday Morning June 18, 1818 Extract to the Editor of the Inquirer, dated “Lebanon (Russell County) May 2nd, 1818 At the last session of the Superior Court of law, holden in this place, Abner Vance and Sylvanus Bauer were severally convicted of murder in the first degree. The Counsel for Vance having excepted as to the opinion of the court, his execution was deferred till the law thereupon could be decided in General Court. If the exceptions are overruled, his execution, pursuant to the sentence of the court, will take place the 17th of July next. “Execution of Sylvnaus Bauer “This being the day directed by the judgment of the court for the execution of Sylvanus Bauer, convicted of murder in the first degree, a large concourse of citizens assembled to witness the awful and solemn scene. The prisoner was taken from the jail at about ten o’clock in the forenoon, and conveyed by the Sheriff to the place of execution distance about a half a mile from this village, where the spectators where pathetically addressed by the Rev. Mr. Ashly, and the throne of mercy supplicated on behalf of the criminal. He was then launched into eternity at about half past one o’clock. “This person had been an inmate in the family of 3Samuel Indicot, whom he shot in the woods. The body was not found till four days after Indicot was missing. Suspicion having attached the murder to Bauer, he was arrested forthwith, but did not confess the fact till after conviction; no person saw the murder perpetrated; the evidence was merely circumstantial. The wife of the deceased is in the jail of the county, committed for trial at the September term of the superior court for this county, for advising Bauer to commit the murder; and such was the weight of the testimony against her, the court would not admit her to jail.” May 7, 1818 - John Keen having obtained an attachment against the estate of John Vance who Vc, and the constable having made notice that he had executed the same in the hands of Francis Browning and summoned him as a garnishee; This day came as ordered the plaintiff by his attorney as the said garnishee in his proper person who declared on oath that he owed the defendant $30 due the 15th of the month one half to be paid in silver and the other half in notes; $23 due next fall, $25 payable in skins and ginseng next fall; And on motion of the plaintiff and for reasons appearing to the court ordered that this attachment be continued till next fall September 14, 1818 (Monday) - At a Superior Court of Law held for Russell County at the Courthouse thereof on Monday the 14th day of September 1818. Present Peter Johnston Esquire the Judge assigned to hold a Court in each of the Counties comprising of the 13th Judicial Circuit. William Gilmore foreman, Collin Fugate, Archer Jesse, Charles Carrell, Robert Fugate, James Dickenson, Nathan Hamilton, Zachariah Fugate, Stephen Gose and John Smyth, John Counts Sen., Stephen Gose Jr., James Browning, William Browning, Lee Jesse, James Caldwell, John Jesse, David Muncey, John Johnson, William Nash, Benjamin Johnson, and William Price were sworn a Grand Jury of Inquest for the body of the County and adjourned till tomorrow 10 o’clock. The Commonwealth against Abner Vance defendant - Upon Indictment for Murder A copy of the judgment of the General Court bound awarding a new trial in the cause was produced in Court and ordered to be __ on the records of this court and as in the following words and figures to wit. Virginia - In the General Court June 20th 1818 upon the petition of Abner Vance for a writ of Error to a Judgment rendered against him by the Superior Court of law for Russell County on the 17th day of April 1818 for murder in the first degree, this day came as well the Attorney General as the deft by his attorney who being fully heard, a writ of error is awarded, the said Vance, returnable further wit. And the Attorney General agrees to dispense with the execution and return of the said writ. And to receive the transcript of the record certified by the clerk of the said Superior Court upon inspection whereof the Writ of Error had been awarded, as if it had been duly certified by the Judge on the return of the writ, And he further agreed to receive the error set forth on the Plaintiffs petition instead of a formal assignment of Error, and thereto he pleaded that there is no error on the said record of the proceedings and Judgment of the Superior Court of Law. And this he is ready to certify. & which the Plaintiff replied that there is as or in the said record in manner and form as in the assignment he hath set forth and this he prays may be required of by the Court and the Attorney General likewise. And thereupon the transcript of the record of the Judgment and Proceedings fore with, being soon inspected, and due consideration had thereof, the Court are unanimously of opinion that there is order in this, that the Court rejected the evidence of the witness introduced by the prisoner to prove his insanity before the fact of which he was accused and in deciding that it was improper to introduce such proof until the prisoners insanity was proved on the day he shot the deceased. Wherefore it is considered that the said judgment be answered and annulled and a new trial awarded and in the main time that he be detained in safe custody in the Jail of the Superior Court of Russell County until the next term, and until he be discharged by due course of law. Which is ordered to be certified to the said Superior Court. A copy Teste, Peyton Drew(?) Whereupon a motion of the Attorney for the Commonwealth a venire facias denier is awarded returnable on this day and that said writ being returned ___. The prisoner is led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the Jail of the county and upon his motion and for reasons appearing to the Court it is ordered that this cause be continued till tomorrow and thereupon the said Abner Vance is remanded to jail. September 15, 1818 (Tuesday) - An Indictment against William Wingo as accessory to a murder, a true bill. William Wingo late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted as accessory to the murder of Lewis Horton appeared in Court according to the condition of his recognizance entered into before the Court at the last term, and thereupon the said William Wingo is ordered in Custody of the Sheriff to be committed to the jail of this County & there to be safely kept until he be tried, or otherwise discharged by due cause of law. William Wingo of the County of Russell comes into Court and acknowledges himself to be indebted to James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth in the sum of Five Hundred dollars of this lands & tenements goods & chattels to be levied and to the said Governor & his successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered; yet upon the condition that if Polly Wingo wife of the said William Wingo shall make her personal appearance before the Court on tomorrow to give evidence on behalf of Abner Vance who stands indicted of murder and shall not depart thence without the leave of the Court, there this recognizance to be ordered. Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of Russell County and by consent as well of the Prisoners Counsel as of the Attorney for the Commonwealth the trail of the said Abner Vance is continued till tomorrow & he remanded to jail. Ordered that the Court be adjourned till tomorrow morning 10 o’clock. Peter Johnston. September 16, 1818 (Wednesday) - Abner Vance late of this County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said County and thereupon the prisoner by his Counsel moved the Court to continue the Cause till the next term and filed two affidavits made by the prisoner stating the reason for such motion on argument where of the Court overruled the said motion for as to which opinion of the Court the prisoner by his Counsel filed a ordered to be made a part of the record to which opinion of the court the prisoner by his Counsel files a bill of exception which a continuation, and the prisoner being arraigned upon the said indictment pleaded not guilty and for his trial put himself upon God and the County whereupon the venire men to try this case being all called and every person attending the Court qualified according to law to serve as a juror in such a case, as the Sheriff reported; and that a part of the jury being elected every other such person having been either challenged for cause by the prisoner or the attorney for the Commonwealth as peremptorily by the prisoner, it is ordered that a venire facias be awarded directed to the Sheriff of Russell County commanding him to cause to come before this Court on tomorrow forty eight persons qualified as the law requires for venire men returnable here tomorrow and thereupon the said Abner Vance is remanded to jail. Ordered that the Court be adjourned till tomorrow morning 10 o’clock. Peter Johnston An indictment for Daniel Horton for an assault, a true bill. Others with Indictments for assault that day were, Shadrick Clark, William Irvine, Daniel Horton, Michael Kinser, and Isaac Jackson. Spenser Breeding for retailing liquor, William Owens assault, George Cowan, John Gray, Nimrod Kizer for assault, James Thompson, for assault and challenge for a dual, and then the Grand Jury having nothing further to present were discharged. September 17, 1818 - Present the same Judge as yesterday. Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stand indicted for murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said County and the venire facias awarded on yesterday in this cause being returned executed and all the person attending the Court this day as well as those brought hither by the said Venire Facias qualified according to law to serve as venire men having been exempt from challenge, it is ordered that a new venire facias be awarded to the Sheriff of the said county discharged requiring him to cause to come before the Court on tomorrow forty eight persons qualified as the law directs for venire men, returnable here on tomorrow and thereupon the said Abner Vance was remanded to jail. On the motion to Samuel Ritchie Senior to quash an execution served out of the Court in the name of William McKee & Edward M. Greenway against Samuel Ritchie Jr. the said Samuel Ritchie Senior and George Kendrick’s. This day came as with the plaintiff by her attorney as Rodah Horton for where benefit the said execution is admitted to have been issued by his attorney and it appearing that the said Rodah Horton her Counsel or against has not been notified hereof as the law directs, it is considered that the motion be dismissed at the plaintiffs cost. (This is a separate issue to the trial of Abner) On the motion of William Wingo who has been committed to the jail of the County upon an Indictment charging him as accessory to a murder he is admitted to give bail for his appearance before the Court at the next term to answer for the felony aforesaid, whereupon the said William Wingo and George Wiser of the County of Russell, James Brown and John Brown of the County of Tazewell here in Court severally acknowledged themselves to the indebted to James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth of Virginia the said William Wingo in the sum of One Thousand dollars and the said George Wizer, James Brown and John Brown in the sum of three hundred and fifty dollars each of their respective lands & tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said Governor and his succession for the use of the Commonwealth rendered, yet upon the condition that if the said William Wingo shall personally appear here before the Judge of the Court at the next term to answer the Commonwealth of and concerning the charge aforesaid, and shall not depart thence without the leave of the said Judge, then this recognizance to be void, and this case is continued till the next term. September 18, 1818 - Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said County and it appearing to this court at 35 minutes past two o’clock on the 5th day of the term that only seven persons have been elected to serve as jurors in this case, none of them whom have been sworn, that this prisoner has thirteen preemptory challenges yet to make and that on execution of the order of yesterday to summon 48 persons to serve as jurors only 17 have been found & summoned by the Sheriff and the Counsel as well for the Commonwealth as the prisoner concurring with the Court in opinion that a cannot be made up & the cause tried during this term which will and from necessity at 12 o’clock tomorrow evening. It is ordered that the trial of this cause be put off till the next term, and thereupon the prisoner is remanded to jail. Thomas Bundy keeper of the jail of Russell County presented his account against the Commonwealth amounting to the sum of one hundred and seventeen dollars and seventy seven cents for imprisonment, releasing, maintenance and execution of the Criminals the account of several persons who have served as guards for the safe keeping of prisoners in the jail in the County to wit: Thomas McClure one dollar and fifty cents, Nicholas Lazier seventy two dollars and fifty cents, Euagey Price seventy two dollars, and Mark M Wright seventy four dollars, William Robinson seventy six dollars, George H. Hendrick seventy six dollars and fifty cents, and Jefferson Candler forty eight dollars and fifty cents, and Jesse West one dollar and fifty cents, which several accounts being present either by the oath of the jailer on other persons were allowed by the Court and ordered to be certified to the Auditor of Public Accounts. Ordered that Harry Smith Sheriff of Russell County be allowed eight dollars and eighty seven and a half cents for seeking lodging & other provisions for persons elected to serve on the jury for the trial of Abner Vance and five dollars and seventy five cents for summoning sixty four persons in the country to attend the Court at this term exclusive of the venire in the Case of an Indictment against Abner Vance for murder which are ordered to be certified to the Auditor of the Public Accounts. Judge Johnston - His Letter Abner did get his new trial based on the Cause of Insanity, which the jury did not hear any facts regarding the mind set of Abner, or the insanity defense; which was not allowed in his first trial. Thus, the second trial was held in Washington County as a change in venue was ordered, as it was impossible to find a jury in Russell County, however the records for this second trial are nowhere to be had in Washington County. What we can now derive is that they do or did exist somewhere, as Brockenbrough wrote about the case to include the Washington County records. These records were not found in Richmond or in Abingdon. It is on December 2, 1818; Peter Johnston writes a letter to the House of Delegates pleading for a change of law using the trial of Abner Vance for this basis. Thomas Ritchie, Printer for the Commonwealth included this letter in the Journal of the House of Delegates. In this letter Judge Johnston states the facts, or evidence presented in the trial. Was there any prejudice to this letter, we will never know. Abner Vance and his Counsel secured such evidence, that prejudice by Peter Johnston who anonymously wrote a newspaper article in the 4Political Prospect, of Abingdon on June 13, 1818, noted in a transcript written by William Brockenbrough, Cases of the General Court of Virginia. Judge Johnston wrote that 2 men were tried for murder and noting in this article that Abner Vance was regarded as an “unfeeling savage”. Abner and his Counsel were able to prove that it was Peter Johnston who wrote the article during his first trial in Russell; but did not know the anonymous author until the second trial. Its Cause was heard by the Washington Court, but the Court felt that the jurors had never read or known of the newspaper article, or that it did not inflict harm on the sentencing of Abner. Thus, it was regarded as an unwarrantable issue by the court, as the jurors were asked if the article had any consequence on their judgment of Abner, the jurors said……it did not, then the Judge for Washington County states; “The jury then must be considered as having acted and decided impartially.” From the Brockenbrough rewrite of the case of Abner in the second trial, this was said about the actions of Judge Peter Johnston relative to prejudice sited by Abners defense; “The Court is of opinion that, although the official conduct of the Judge of the 13th Circuit is directly 5inculpated by the nature and character of this motion, and for that reason, a decision therein, by adjourning to the General Court the question which is involved, might be declined, yet that the principles of public justice require that the motion be now decided.” Abner by his Counsel tried in the second trial to include many exceptions, but the Court of Washington in the second trial over-ruled all remaining motions. Peter Johnston’s letter below written December 2, 1818, explains what happen on the day Lewis Horton was murdered. What was added as testimony to the Legislature will be regarded as the truth, as it is the only known document in existence that gives this detail of the murder of Horton. Certainly, it is what was left out of this letter which will be in question for years to come by Vance descendants. The Judges in Washington County found no evidence of prejudice on the behalf of Judge Johnston. JOURNAL OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA Begun and Held AT THE CAPITOL IN THE CITY OF RICHMOND IN THE SEVENTH DAY OF DECEMBER, ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN Printed by Thomas Ritchie for the Commonwealth The Communication of Judge Johnston was read as follows; Sir - A criminal case, attended by peculiar circumstances, and involving difficulties which can be removed by the Legislature only, has occurred in the county of Russell. At the circuit court held for that county in the month of April last. Abner Vance was indicted for the murder of Lewis Horton and by the jury impannelled for his trial convicted of murder in the 1st degree. Sentence of death was pronounced upon him in consideration of this conviction, but his execution was delayed that he might have an opportunity of applying to the General Court for a writ of error, because it was contented that the opinion of the court which tried him in certain points exhibited by a bill of exception for was not correct. The General Court at the last June term decided that the opinion of the Circuit Court on one question presented by the record was erroneous, directed the verdict to be set aside, and awarded a new trial of the case. In the month of September last the Circuit Court for the county of Russell was occupied until the evening of Friday, the fifth day of the term, in efforts which proved ineffectual to bring the prisoner to another trial. So great a concourse of people had attended, heard the evidence and expressed an opinion, on the trial in April, that few individuals in the county were exempt from such objections as rendered them enable to challenge for Cause, and the prisoner availed himself of his right of peremptory challenge to the greater number of those against whom a challenge for cause did not lie: Although the court was numerously attended as long as it continued to sit and the Sheriff every evening was required to go into the country and summon forty-eight jurors to appear on the succeeding day, it was ascertained with perfect certainty, that there is no possibility of making up a jury for the trial of this man in the county of Russell. And as no Court in Virginia passes the power of changing the venue in a criminal case, he cannot under existing laws be brought to trial in another county. For the purpose of exhibiting the character of the offense committed by Vance, give me leave to state in substance, but with precision, the testimony of the witnesses examined in his trial. The prisoner lived near Clinch river and walked down to a ford at no great distance from his dwelling on the morning of September 22, 1817, carrying his rifle, and declaring he had loaded it for the special purpose of shooting Daniel Horton, the brother of the young man afterwards slain; and, that he would not only kill him, but three others whom he named. Lewis Horton soon appeared in view, riding along the road which leads across the river near the place where Vance was waiting, as he said, to shoot Daniel Horton. As soon as the young man came within such a distance that his person was identified, Vance said “yonder comes Lewis Horton, and I have a mind to kill him.” He approached Vance and saluted him with civility. Vance charged him with having sworn his life away; language, which had reference to a deposition given a few days before by Lewis Horton, in a suit in Chancery depending before Chancellor Brown. Horton expressed his astonishment at this charge and inquired what Vance had understood to be the purport of his deposition. Upon hearing Vance’s reply, Horton assured him he was mistaken or misinformed, and proceeded to repeat what he really had stated in the before mentioned deposition. Vance then expressed himself fully satisfied, declared to Lewis Horton he had nothing against him, and asked, “Have you anything against me”…”Nothing,” said the young man, in a mild language and manner, “except that I do not like to see you have drawn your gun upon me,”. “Help yourself as you can, I believe I will shoot you now,” said Vance. Horton and a certain Joseph Fowlkes who was present, observing from the tone and countenance of Vance, the horrid purpose which he meditated, began to implore his mercy; but he raised his gun, leveled it at Horton, while he was endeavoring to make good his flight across the river, and tried when he was not a greater distance than thirty paces, shooting the ball through the body of this victim, near the back bone, and a little below the shoulder blade. As he fell from his horse into the water, Vance poured forth execrations too bitter and horrible for repetition, and threatened with death an old man from the opposite shore, who advanced into the river, hoping that Horton’s life might yet be saved. But in this, he was mistaken. Although the young man was rescued from immediate death by drowning, he survived his wound but a short time expiring on the sixth day after its infliction. It is not only probable, but certain, that other instances will arise under the present judiciary system of this State, requiring the special interference of the Legislature, unless some general law should be enacted, the provisions of which may be adequate to the prevention, of remedy of evils and difficulties, such as have occurred in the case of Abner Vance. I have made this communication from a persuasion, that if the subject appears as important to you, as it does to me, you will lay it before the General Assembly. I have the honor to be, with high consideration and esteem, Sir, Your obedient Servant. Peter Johnston Abingdon, December 2d, 1818 On Motion of Mr. McFarlane, Ordered that the said communication he referred to the Committee on the subject of the revision of the laws, The speaker laid before the House, a letter from Governor, inclosing the Annual Report of the Board of Public Works, and a Report of a Committee of the said Board. On motion of Mr. Alexander of Rockbridge. Ordered that the said letter and reports be laid upon the table; and that 250 copies thereof be printed for the members of the General Assembly. And the House adjourned until tomorrow twelve o’clock. _______________________________________ One could wonder why Judge Johnston fought so hard to convict Abner, to hang Abner in his Court and in the Newspapers, and in the Legislature. But one would ask why. Was Abners case so different than that of any other had in his court? Brockenbrough writes that Abners Counsel declared prejudice in the Russell Court room as Judge Peter Johnston said words of his guilt before his conviction. Brockenbrough wrote; “He also shewed by the Record, that the Judge of the 13th Circuit, in over-ruling a motion for a continuance at September Term, 1818, in Russell Superior Court, gave an opinion unfavorable to the prisoner, on a material question arising in his defense, in relation to his alleged insanity.” With regret one would say after reading Judge Johnston’s letter that Abner killed a man and that Judge Johnston did what he had to do to bring Abner to his sentence of death for what was deemed his punishment by Judge and Jury. Not only was there a letter written to the Legislature by Peter Johnston, but too by James Caswell, Superior Clerk of the County of Russell. Was the Judge and others in this case as alleged in “The Vance Song” out to make good…..we will never know, but it does seem to point in that direction. At least in the eyes of Abner as he writes; 6The judge said he was my friend, though Elliot’s life I saved. A jury man, I did become, that Elliot, he might live. The friendship that I have shown to others has not been shown to me. Humanity, it belongs to the brave and I hope it remains with me. It was by the advice of McFarland that Judge Johnson did me call. I was taken from my native home and placed in yon stonewall. My persecutors have gained their quest, they promised to make good. They swore that they would never rest till they had gained my life’s blood. Remembering that Abner was awarded his new trial based on the lack of testimony which could have been presented by his daughter in court as to his insanity. It seems that others did give testimony of his insanity. To what extent Brockenbrough does not write. What was the testimony of the daughter and which daughter? Tabitha Browning is the only daughter mentioned in the witness list for Abner. And she was married and would not have seen her father for days as was stated by Brockenbrough in his rewrite of the case. Now that we have proof that a daughter wanting to give testimony, we can rule out the Susannah mentioned in the Russell Court records is his daughter. Abner did not have a daughter named Susannah according to Abner Vance researchers. However, Abners wife was named Susannah and their home near the Ford, so she would have been present at the time of the killing of Horton, so she could be deemed an accessory to murder. Thus, pointing to the wife as who is mentioned in the Russell County Court Records; although circumstantial…..it fits. In the Will of Jane Allen, she has in her Inventory of Estate a loom, sheep, wool card, cotton card, flax wheel and cotton wheel. All used for making clothe and linens. Spinning usually a skill passed down from mother to daughter, like cooking. Some women used it in the everyday household, while others much more fortunate, paid women for spinning cloth for them. The word Spinster also can share the connotation of “Spinner”. As Abner was called a “Laborer” in court records Susannah may be called a “Spinster”. Jane Allen Inventory as written - The Property of Jane Allen deceased, three basons, two dishes, ten plates, eight spoons, a case of knives, and forks, two cups, 2 quart cups, one pot, one dutch oven, one kittle, one skillet, two glass tumblers, two water poles, two cotton wheles, two flax wheles, two chest, three beads stads, two beads, and furniture, one mans saddle, one womans saddle, two smoothing irons, two iron pot racks, a half dozen ch?? two tables, one bridle, one currycomb, one pare of cotton cards, one pare of wool cards two iron wedges, one mattick, fore hoes, two shovel, plows, one pare of fire tongs, one fire shovel, two axes, one loome, one set of swingles, trees, two yearlings kids? fore sows, and twelve pigs, three head of sheep five head of cattle, one hundred and fifty acres of woodling land, one flax hackle, two barrels, eight hogs heads, three meet tubs, one cog and powdering tub, one yearling colt. The hole amount of this property was sold and bought for ninety pounds sixteen shillings and ten pents. Charles Howard James Howard Now I leave the door open to interpretation of the word Spinster as it carries many definitions from an unmarried woman to an elderly unmarried woman, a man who spins, to a woman who spins, even used as a title to a surname. It was used in the case of Sarah Indicot wife of Samuel Indicot at the time of her trial in Russell County. She was a widow but known in court documents as a “Spinster”. Yet she was a married woman and recent widow with grown children at the time of her husband’s murder. She was not found guilty in his death. Interpretation of the word is just that of the court clerk. He could have used the word as you and I use Mr. or Mrs. Interpretation is that of the reader until further proof be had. Horton and Caswell Petition December 10, 1818 - James P. Caswell writes a letter for Daniel Horton to the Legislature asking for a change in venue, so that the proceedings of Abners case would be heard in Washington County. What struck me are these words by Horton and Caswell; “That in consequence of the exclusion of some testimony not materially varying his case, he obtained a wit of error and reordered the judgment in the General Court; this awarded him a new trial.” The petition by Horton and Caswell was rejected December 12, 1818. Horton’s letter to the Legislature states: To the Honorable the Legislature of Virginia The petition of Daniel Horton of the County of Russell respectfully represents. That in the year 1817 Abner Vance of the County of Russell, committed a murder upon the person of your petitioners brother, in the said County, that at the Spring Term of the Superior Court of law of the said County he was tried and found guilty of the said offence, and sentenced to undergo capital punishment therefore. That in consequence of the exclusion of some testimony not materially varying his case, he obtained a wit of error and reordered the judgment in the General Court; this awarded him a new trial. That at the last fall term of the said court an attempt was made to empanel a jury to try him which failed because nearly all those summoned had expressed an opinion on the Case. That the Court anxious to procure a trial of the Case, after the original panel had been disposed of and all the bystanders summoned, without enabling the Court to obtain a jury; issued a Venire Facias and directed the Sheriff to produce from day to day, forty eight persons qualified to serve as jurors. That on the fifth day of the term but seven jurors could be obtained; and the Court being convinced the report of the Sheriff that a jury could not be formed at that term, continued the Cause. A copy of the record herewith exhibited; will shew the difficulty to be encountered, in obtaining a jury in the County of Russell to try this Cause. Your petitioner believes, and it is the general belief in his County, as also of the Court and bar, that almost every man in the said County otherwise qualified to serve as a juror, has disqualified himself by the exception of an opinion; so that it is believed to be impossible ever to try the said Vance, unless he can be removed to, or jurors form some other County can be impaneled to try him. Your petitioner is aware of the difficulty of proving a legislature remedy for this Case on account of that clause of the bill of rights, which secures to every man accused of a crime, a speedy and impartial trial by a jury of the Vicinage; but in this Case, so far from a Speedy trial, it is believed no trial is practicable for the Causes above stated. Your petitioner therefore submits the Case to the wisdom of the Legislature, hoping that if any remedy can be applied, it will be promptly afforded, and a way provided in which the justice and laws of the Country can operate upon a Crime ____alled in attrocity. And your petitioner as in duty bound will ever pray Vc. Daniel Horton Accompanying Horton’s letter were 2 pages of the trial transcript for September 16th, 17th and 18th Russell County records rewritten by James P. Caswell C.S.C. (i.e. Clerk Superior Court). They are not included here as you can reference the underlined and dated court records. _________________________________ Last attempt by Judge Johnston in Russell County It is noted in the Russell County records that Judge Peter Johnston did try to give Abner a second and new trial in Russell County Court. However, it was impossible to find a jury of men who could sit in this venire. Abner by his Counsel successfully was able to reject many of the jurors who the Sheriff thought qualified to sit. So the case was transferred to Washington for its second trial. All the witnesses posted their bond for the new trial in Washington including Tabitha Browning. April 12, 1819 - Present Peter Johnston Esquire The Judge assigned to hold the court in each of the counties comprising of the 13th judicial circuit. The court wishing to make another effort for the trial in the County of Russell of Abner Vance late of said county laborer who stands indicted of murder, doth order that a venire facias be issued to the Sheriff of said county directed commanding him to cause to come before this court on tomorrow twelve persons qualified according to law for the trail of said Vance returnable here tomorrow. April 13, 1819 (Tuesday) - Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said County and it appearing thereof arraigned and pleaded not guilty to the said indictment and for his trial put himself upon God and his country and the venire summoned in virtue of the process of this court awarded yesterday in this cause as also every other person attending the court qualified according to the law (as reported by the Sheriff) having been called and but two jurors being selected therefrom upon the motion of the prisoner by his counsel it is ordered that a venire facias be awarded by the Sheriff of Russell County directed commanding him to Cause to come before this court on tomorrow by 10 o’clock in the morning 24 persons qualified according to law to serve as venire men returnable here on tomorrow and that in the mean time the said two selected jurors be kept together by the Sheriff so that they have no communication with any individual whatever accept himself on the subject of their accommodations which by him is to comfortably provided for; and thereupon the said Abner Vance is remanded to jail. Judge Peter Johnston April 14th 1819 - Wednesday April the 14th 1819 - Present the same Judge as yesterday. Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said county and the twenty four men summoned in virtue of the process awarded yesterday in the case as also every other person attending the court qualified according to la, as reported by the sheriff having been called, but one reported by the Sheriff having been called but one additional juror elected therefrom: Whereupon from the number of challenges for cause made by the prisoner of this case as well at the present term as at the last it appears to the satisfaction of the court that an impartial and legally qualified jury cannot be had for the trial of the prisoner in the County of Russell. It is therefore ordered that the venue in this case be changed to the Superior Court of law for the County of Washington, which will commence on the thirty first day of May next, the most convenient Superior Court of law in the thirteenth Circuit; when, in the opinion of this Court the Commonwealth and the prisoner can have a fair and impartial trial; and thereupon the prisoner is remanded to jail. And it is further ordered that the said prisoner be retained in safe custody on the jail of the county of Russell until the Sheriff thereof shall under the authority of a warrant from the judge of this Court to be directed to him for that purpose, remove his body to the place for holding the Superior Court of law for the said County of Washington. William Arden, Catherine Arden, Isaac Arden, John Wilson Jun., Larkin Howard, Ezekiel Daniel, Rhoda Wilson, Harry Smith, George Kendrick, John Scaggs, John Olinger, Andrew Cowan, Joseph Fulks, Oliver Crawford, Travis Kindles, John Harper, Abner Thompson, Daniel Horton, William Horton, James McFarland, and James P. Carrell come into and acknowledge themselves to be indebted to James P. Preston Esquire Governor of Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth in the sum of five hundred dollars each, of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels, to be levied, and to the said Governor and his Successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered: Yet upon the condition that if the said William Arden, Catherine Arden, Isaac Arden, John Wilson Jun., Larkin Howard, Ezekiel Daniel, Rhoda Wilson, Harry Smith, George Kendrick, John Scaggs, John Olinger, Andrew Cowan, Joseph Fulks, Oliver Crawford, Travis Kindles, John Harper, Abner Thompson, Daniel Horton, William Horton, James McFarland, and James P. Carrell shall severally make their personal appearance before the Judge of the Superior Court of law to be holden for Washington County at the Courthouse thereof on the first day of the next term of the said Superior Court of law for Washington County to give evidence on behalf of the Commonwealth against Abner Vance accused of murder and shall not depart thence without the leave of the said Judge then this recognizance to be void. Squire Wingo, Robert Shortridge, Thomas Brown, John Brown, Patrick Kendrick, Elizabeth Kendrick, Daniel Green, John Green, William Green, Shadrick White, William Vance, George Steel, John Prater, James Preter, Frederick Stiltner, Elizabeth Stiltner, Tabitha Browning, Stephen Coleman, James Lester, George Belcher, Thomas Wilson, Francis Davis, Isaac Spratt, Francis Browning, Daniel Clark, Joseph Fulks, Laney Fulks, Andrew Caldwell, Isaac Jackson, Edward Elswick, Jacob Weddington, Daniel Horton, Mary Horton, George Wizer, Henry Wizer, John Stinson, Henry Asbury, William Wingo, Mary Wingo, Johnson Howard come into Court & acknowledged themselves to be indebted to James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of this Commonwealth, in the sum of five hundred dollars each, of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said governor and his Successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered. Yet upon the condition that if the said Squire Wingo, Robert Shortridge, Thomas Brown, John Brown, Patrick Kendrick, Elizabeth Kendrick, Daniel Green, John Green, William Green, Shadrick White, William Vance, George Steel, John Prater, James Prater, Frederick Stiltner, Elizabeth Stiltner, Tabitha Browning wife of the said Frances Browning, Stephen Coleman, James Lester, George Belcher, Thomas Wilson, Francis Davis, Isaac Spratt, Daniel Clark, Laney Fulks wife of said Joseph Fulks, Andrew Caldwell, Isaac Jackson, Edward Elswick, Jacob Weddington, Mary Horton wife of said Daniel Horton, George Wizer, Henry Wizer, John Stinson, Henry Asbury, Mary Wingo wife of said William Wingo, Johnson Howard shall severally make their personal appearance before the Judge of the Superior Court of law to be holden for Washington County at the Courthouse thereof on the first day of the next term of the said Superior Court of law for Washington County to give evidence on behalf of Abner Vance accused of murder, and shall not depart thence without the leave of the said Judge, the this recognizance be void. The First and Second Trial - the conclusion and punishment On April 14, 1819, appears
  Execution	16 Jul 1819	Abingdon, Washington, Virginia, USA
  	20241214GHLn- JoanHallJustice originally shared this on 23 Apr 2009 ABNER VANCE BALLAD taken from the Sweet Bird Songbook Green are the woods where Sandy flows, and peace it dwelleth there. In the valley, the deer, they like secure and the red buck roam everywhere. But Vance no more shall Sandy behold, nor drink of it's crystal wave. The partial judge has pronounced his doom, the hunter has found his grave. The judge said he was my friend, though Elliot's life I saved. A jury man, I did become, that, Elliot, he might live. The friendship that I have shown to others has not been shown to me. Humanity, it belongs to the brave and I hope it remains with me. It was by the advice of McFarland that Judge Johnson did me call. I was taken from my native home and placed in yon stone wall. My persecutors have gained their quest, they promised to make good. They swore that they would never rest till they had gained my life's blood. There are David Horton, Bob and Bill, a lie against me swore, in order to take my life away that I might be no more. But they and I must meet when Gabriel's trump shall blow. Perhaps I shall rest in Abraham's breast while they roll in the gulf below. I killed a man, I don't deny, he threatened to kill me. And for this I am condemned to die, the jury all agree. But, I and they together must meet when all things are made known. And if I have shed innocent blood, I hope mercy will be shown. Bright shines the sun over Clinch's hills, so soft the west wind blows. The valley, it is covered all over with bloom, perfumed by the sweet red rose. But Vance no more shall Sandy behold nor smell it's sweet perfume. This day his eyes must close in death, his body conveyed to the tomb. Farewell, my friends and children, dear. To you I bid farewell. The love I have for your precious souls no mortal tongue can tell. Farewell, my true and loving wife, to you I bid adieu, and when I reach fair Cannan's shore, I'll wait and watch for you. Linked to Abner VANCE, Sr
  sentence	16 Jul 1819	Washington County, Virginia, USA
  	to be hung
  	20241214GHLn-
  Death	16 Jul 1819	Abingdon, Washington, Virginia, USA   [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 18]
  	more ... cf. Hatfield34491Martha.com, downloaded 08.02.00: Abner Vance, The True Story, by Grace Dotson, VFA Historian I had not researched my Vance lines long until I realized much more had been written about my 4th great grandfather, Abner Vance, than could be proven. The things that could be proven did not fit the legend as I had heard it. Listed below are the facts, all from Virginia court records, unless otherwise stated. No birth record has been found for Abner Vance. His parents and place of birth are unknown. His estimated date of birth is 1759/60 from the fact that he and a Matthew Vance swore the Oath of Allegiance in Chatham, Pittsylvania County, Virginia on 29 July 1777. Under Virginia law the requirements for swearing the Oath of Allegiance was: "all white males, over 16 years of age." Many Virginia records were lost or destroyed through the years and tax lists have often been utilized as proof of residency. Abner Vance and Thomas Vance were on the tax lists of 1782-1787 in Montgomery County, Virginia. Abner Vance was enumerated on the 1789, 1791-1799 and the 1802 Russell County Virginia Personal Property tax list. Other Vances who lived in Russell County before 1800 were Matthew, Phillip, Samuel, and John. Russell County records are incomplete. Abner Vance was married to Susannah Howard, she was called Susannah Vance in the will of her father's wife in Surry County NC in 1806. No marriage record has been located. Abner and Susannah Vance were the parents of several children. No birth records have been found for them, dates of birth have been established from census, death or marriage records. In 1784 Abner Vance and James Howard were on the Surry County North Carolina tax list as owning 250 Acres of land. Other than land transactions, Abner Vance is rarely found in Russell County court records prior to I July 1817 when he was ordered to appear in court to answer to a charge of breach of the peace by Daniel Horton. Abner Vance was "solemnly called but came not." His bond had been posted by John and James Vance who were called to court on 6 August 1817 as the court attempted to recover the penalty of a recognizance. The court ordered that the writ be dismissed at the Vance's cost. 16 October 1817, at a court called and held by the justices of Russell County, Virginia Abner Vance, labourer, and Susanna Vance, spinster, were charged with the murder of Lewis Horton who died on 27 Sept 1817 in Russell County Virginia. Susanna Vance was allowed to give security of two thousand dollars for her personal appearance, being unable to procure security she was remanded to jail until she found such security or was released by due course of the law. Abner Vance was remanded to jail with no bond set for his release. The next hearing on the docket in Russell County Court, October 16, 1817, was William Wingo, who was charged as an accessory before the fact to the murder of Lewis Horton. Wingo's bond was posted by the said Wingo, Squire McGuire and Frances McKinney. On November 4, 1817, Richard Vance was committed to the jail of Russell County, Virginia charged with being an accessory after the fact to the felonious shooting and wounding of Lewis Horton by Abner Vance. Richard Vance was remanded to the jail of Russell County, Virginia. The next term of the Court for Russell County Virginia was in April 1817. The Jury heard these cases: Abner Vance was found guilty of murder in the first degree in manner and form as in the indictment against him is alleged; thereupon he is remanded to jail on 14 April 1818. The next day of court, same judge and jury brought forth an indictment against Richard Vance as an accessory to a murder "a true bill" and an indictment against Susanna Vance for murder "not a true bill." Susanna Vance was discharged from imprisonment. On the next day (April 17th) William Wingo was again let go on bond and the Commonwealth Attorney, by comment of the Court, said that he would not prosecute further on behalf of the Commonwealth against Richard Vance and he was released. During the same Court and on the same day, April 17, 1817, Abner Vance was called before the bar for sentencing, when asked if he had anything to say he said he had nothing but what he had already said. Thereupon it was considered by the Court that he be hanged by the neck until he be dead, and that the execution of the judgment be made and done upon him, the said Abner Vance by the Sheriff of Russell County on Friday the 17th of July next between eleven in the forenoon and two in the afternoon of the same day at the place of execution in this county. Memorandum: At the trial of this cause and before the Grand Jury retired from the bar the counsel for the prisoner excepted to two opinions of the Court and a third after the jury retired from the bar to an opinion of the Court, which three exceptions were signed and sealed by the Court and ordered to be made a part of the record of this case. (This amounted to an appeal.) Court was adjourned. September 14, 1818. Superior Court of Law, Russell County Virginia. The Commonwealth against Abner Vance, upon indictment for murder. A copy of the judgement of the General Court awarding a new trial in this cause was produced and ordered to be - ? - on the records of this court. The Writ of error stated "The Court are unaminously of opinion that there is an error in this: that the Court rejected evidence of the witness introduced by the prisoner to prove his insanity before the fact of which he was accused, and in deciding it was improper to introduce such proof until the prisoner's insanity was proven on the day he shot the deceased. Wherefore it is considered that the said judgement be severed and annulled, and a new trial awarded, and in the meantime that he be detained in the safe custody in the jail of the Superior Court of Russell County until the next term, and until he be discharged by due course of the Law. September 15, 1818. William Wingo appeared in court according to the condition of his recognizance entered into before this court at the last term is ordered into custody of the sheriff to be committed into the jail. William Wingo acknowledged himself indebted to the Governor for bond; yet if Polly Wingo, wife of the said William Wingo, shall make her personal appearance before the court on tomorrow to give evidence on behalf of Abner Vance indicted of murder, and shall not depart without leave of the court, then this recognizance be void. The trial of Abner Vance is continued till tomorrow at ten o'clock. September 16, 1817. A 48 man jury pool was called and after two days only 7 men had been selected as jurors, the court decided to postpone Vance's trial until the next term of court. Spring Term of Superior Court Russell County, Virginia. April 12, 1819. Again a jury could not be be seated, after two days only two men had been selected as jurors. A change of venue was ordered by the court, to the Washington County, Virginia Superior Court. (Washington County borders Russell.) I have not located the Washington County Superior Court records for this trial, but I do know that they upheld the Russell County verdict and sentence. Abner Vance was sentenced to be hung on July 16, 1819. Although we know Abner Vance was hung, no optical record has been found. The Lynchburg Press, a newspaper in Lynchburg, Virginia, did print this alleged eyewitness account of the execution: "27 July 1819. On Friday the 16th Instant, Abner Vance was executed at Abingdon, in pursuance of his sentence, for the murder of Lewis Horton. He addressed the spectators, about four thousand, for an hour and a half with considerable ability; he died with the most heroic fortitude. He accused some of giving false evidence against him; and said that if he had obtained a fair trial, and nothing but the truth had been sworn against him, he thought the penitentiary would have been proper punishment for his offense. " I know this is not what has been written in books and is not the tradition that has been passed down for almost two hundred years, but, sadly, this is the way it was. Abner Vance is said to have composed a song or ballad which is called THE VANCE SONG or ABNER VANCE'S DEATH BALLAD, which is recognized, by the Southwest Virginia Folk Lore Society, as the oldest song, still in existence, written west of the Blue Ridge. The Susanna Vance, spinster, who was arrested and incarcerated in the early months of the court record of this case seems to be a daughter of John Vance, son of Abner. John had been living in Floyd Co KY, which was next door to Russell County, VA. On I Feb 1813, John and a Mary Wilson had applied for a marriage license, John was 33 years old and I believe this was John's second marriage. Susanna Vance, spinster, was released from jail in Russell County on April 16, 1818 and on August 17, 1818 in Floyd County, KY a subpoena was issued against John Vance to appear and show why his children shall not be bound out as the law directs and the sheriff is directed that on the service of the same he take possession of the said children, named William and Susanna, and have them here at the next court. Annals of Floyd County Kentucky 1800-1826 by Chas. C. Wells. I believe this was the girl involved in the incident. In 15 years of searching for Abner Vance I have never found anything to document he was a preacher as is often claimed, during the trials he was called Labourer. I have never found him serving in the Revolutionary War, just taking the Oath of Allegiance as stated earlier in this article, which was about like registering for the draft now. I have never found any hint of him owning the thousands of acres of land he is said to have owned in present Logan County WV and he surely did not hide from Virginia law enforcement officers for two years after the shooting, the record plainly shows him sitting in jail for that period of time. I have never found anything to indicate he was half Indian as often claimed, on the Oath of Allegiance papers and on the tax records I've located he was listed as white. I have never found anything to cause me to think he had been married before his marriage to Susannah Howard, I'm still searching for any marriage record for him. And finally, I've never found a pardon, but did find the earlier mentioned newspaper article, it seems to me that if a pardon had been granted him a copy of it would be somewhere and that it would have surely been newsworthy and certainly mentioned in the report of his death and none was. I have searched every nook and cranny within the realm of possibilities for this supposed pardon to hide, it can not be found. If anyone has a copy of Abner Vance's pardon the VFA and I would surely like to see it. Judge Elihu Sutherland of Dickenson County Virginia wrote "William Vance, of Sword's Creek (Russell County, VA), a descendant of Abner Vance, said in 1927: "As I have been told by older people Vance did not kill the Horton he aimed to kill. His mind was to kill Daniel, but Lewis put himself in the way and provoked the old man until he told him to go away or he would kill him, and Horton run and crossed the Clinch (River), a distance of about 200 yards and told the old man to "shoot and be dammed ". The old man fired and Horton rolled off his horse into the river." Abner Vance's court records are in Order Book 5 and 6 at Russell County Virginia Court House, Lebanon, VA. THE VANCE SONG taken from the Sweet Bird Songbook Green are the woods where Sandy flows, and peace it dwelleth there. In the valley, the deer, they like secure and the red buck roam everywhere. But Vance no more shall Sandy behold, nor drink of it's crystal wave. The partial judge has pronounced his doom, the hunter has found his grave. The judge said he was my friend, though Elliot's life I saved. A jury man, I did become, that, Elliot, he might live. The friendship that I have shown to others has not been shown to me. Humanity, it belongs to the brave and I hope it remains with me. It was by the advice of McFarland that Judge Johnson did me call. I was taken from my native home and placed in yon stone wall. My persecutors have gained their quest, they promised to make good. They swore that they would never rest till they had gained my life's blood. There are David Horton, Bob and Bill, a lie against me swore, in order to take my life away that I might be no more. But they and I must meet when Gabriel's trump shall blow. Perhaps I shall rest in Abraham's breast while they roll in the gulf below. I killed a man, I don't deny, he threatened to kill me. And for this I am condemned to die, the jury all agree. But, I and they together must meet when all things are made known. And if I have shed innocent blood, I hope mercy will be shown. Bright shines the sun over Clinch's hills, so soft the west wind blows. The valley, it is covered all over with bloom, perfumed by the sweet red rose. But Vance no more shall Sandy behold nor smell it's sweet perfume. This day his eyes must close in death, his body conveyed to the tomb. Farewell, my friends and children, dear. To you I bid farewell. The love I have for your precious souls no mortal tongue can tell. Farewell, my true and loving wife, to you I bid adieu, and when I reach fair Cannan's shore, I'll wait and watch for you. Abner Vance is said to have sang (sic) this song just before he was executed, I worked with the Southwest Virginia Folk Lore Society at Appalachia, VA to have this formally acknowledged as the oldest song, still in existence which was written west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have both printed and oral copies of the song and will send them to anyone interested. I welcome any corrections or additions, Feel free to contact me at any time. Grace Dotson age 59. Hanged for murder (Lewis Horton); He addressed the spectators, about four thousand, for an hour and a half with considerable ability; he died with the most heroic fortitude.
  Burial	Aft 16 Jul 1819	Hatfield Family Cemetery, Sarah Ann, Logan, West Virginia, USA   [6, 11]
  	Hatfield Cem. Sarah Ann, Logan, WV 91114519
  ancestry indiv	Ephraim Vance is not the father of Abner Vance. Abner is the son of Matthew Vance and Ann Jones. Proven by YDNA  [1]
  	20260203GHLn- Ephraim Vance Male 1715 – 9 March 1791 • LTFW-22Y Sources (5) Collaborate (2) Memories (2) Notes Ephraim Vance Ephraim Vance is not the father of Abner Vance. Someone polluted my family tree by adding all of this Vance line above Abner. Abner is the son of Matthew Vance and Ann Jones. Proven by YDNA. The bad thing is that I cannot correct my own personsal family tree and remove all of the incorrect information. Last Changed: May 29, 2025 R Rita LeighVance1
  ancestry indiv	20 Dec 2020	Logan County, West Virginia, USA
  	Ronnie Vance- Ron Vance, Logan County, WV Genealogical Soiety: - Ronnie Vance 1951; - Mont Vance 1930-2015; - Andrew J. Vance 1895-1973; - Addison Vance 1865-1941; - Addison Anderson Vance 1833-1880; - Abner Vance 1813-1880; - Richard D. Vance 1792-1865; - Abner Vance 1760-1819;
  	20241214GHLn- Peggy Louise Altizer Mynes originally shared this on 31 May 2021 Photo 31 May 2021 Ancestry: Ron Vance, Logan County, WV Genealogical Soiety Dec 20, 2020 - Ronnie Vance 1951; - Mont Vance 1930-2015 - Andrew J. Vance 1895-1973 - Addison Vance 1865-1941 - Addison Anderson Vance 1833-1880 - Abner Vance 1813-1880 - Richard D. Vance 1792-1865 - Abner Vance 1760-1819 Linked to Richard David “Dick” Vance - Ronnie Vance 1951; - Mont Vance 1930-2015; - Andrew J. Vance 1895-1973; - Addison Vance 1865-1941; - Addison Anderson Vance 1833-1880; - Abner Vance 1813-1880; - Richard D. Vance 1792-1865; - Abner Vance 1760-1819;
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  LDS	Ephraim Vance is not the father of Abner Vance. Abner is the son of Matthew Vance and Ann Jones. Proven by YDNA  [1]
  	20260203GHLn- Ephraim Vance Male 1715 – 9 March 1791 • LTFW-22Y Sources (5) Collaborate (2) Memories (2) Notes Ephraim Vance Ephraim Vance is not the father of Abner Vance. Someone polluted my family tree by adding all of this Vance line above Abner. Abner is the son of Matthew Vance and Ann Jones. Proven by YDNA. The bad thing is that I cannot correct my own personsal family tree and remove all of the incorrect information. Last Changed: May 29, 2025 R Rita LeighVance1
  lineage	parents NOT Ephraim & Theodosia Hewlings Vance, per DNA  [19]
  	New DNA testing proves that Ephraim "Vause" Vance and Theodosia "Hewlings" "Vause" Vance IS NOT I repeat IS NOT the parents of Abner Vance! The information on these pages indicating that Ephraim and Theodosia were his parents "All was clearly stated that it wasn't documented" is not correct, and will be removed asap. DO NOT post Ephraim "Vause" Vance and Theodosia "Hewlings" "Vause" Vance as the parents of Abner Vance as recent DNA testing has proven they are not! The story of Abner Vance has been told for years, most of them are relatively the same, and all with the same outcome. New information and insights have came to light. I ask that any decendent of Abner Vance, or anyone interested in this story to have a look at the information that has been found. This puts new ideas, and insight into the legendary story of Abner Vance. I want to thank Barbara Cherep for the many hours she spent looking for information concerning Abner Vance, his life, his trial, and his death. I also want to thank her for sharing her findings with the rest of us, Thank you, Barbara. Read Barbara's findings here: Two Sides To Every Story To Send This Page To Your Family And Friends Click On:
  Settled	Russell County, Virginia, USA   [12]
  	after the war
  War, Revolutionary	Scout, & Pvt, US Army Revolutionary War
  	20260202GHLn- wikiTree (1/2) Abner Vance, September 4, 1782, Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina Revolutionary War Pay Vouchers, 1779-1782 Abner Alexander Vance Sr. (1760-1819) . Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina Before 4 Sep 1782 no 2548 State of North Carolina Salisbury District £7.19 This is to certify that Abner Vanse was allowed -- seven pounds nineteen Shillings -- specific for public claims by the upper Board of Auditors ... _______________ U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 about Abner Sr VANCE Name: Abner Sr Vance Service Info.: PVT US ARMY REVOLUTIONARY WAR Cemetery: Clinch River Cemet Cemetery Address: Russell CO Crab Orchard, WV 25827 Source Information: National Cemetery Administration. U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator Description: This database is a compilation of burial records from a variety of sources and cemeteries. These records provide information on the burials of U.S. veterans and their dependents who were buried in the various Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, or other military cemeteries. Because the information regarding the burials is compiled from multiple sources, the amount of information provided for each burial will vary. Some of the information you may find in this database includes: name of deceased, birth date, death date, interment date, burial location/site, cemetery name, cemetery address, relationship to veteran, veteran service dates, military rank, and military branch. Learn more...
  		Vance, Abner REv War pay voucher 17820904 Salisbury Rowan NC wikiTree 20260202GHLn- wikiTree (1/2) Abner Vance, September 4, 1782, Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina Revolutionary War Pay Vouchers, 1779-1782 Abner Alexander Vance Sr. (1760-1819) . Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina Before 4 Sep 1782 no 2548 State of North Carolina Salisbury District £7.19 This is to certify that Abner Vanse was allowed -- seven…
  War, Revolutionary battles	Kings Mountain, Lincoln, Kentucky, USA   [14]
  	fought in Revolutionary War, probably at King's Mountain (no surviving records of his participation, however) (Mary Ellen, 9/93)./KY? NC? TN?
  	U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 about ABNER Sr Vance Name: ABNER Sr Vance Service Info.: PVT US ARMY REVOLUTIONARY WAR Birth Date: 1759 Death Date: 1819 Cemetery: Clinch River Cemet Cemetery Address: Russell CO Crab Orchard, WV 25827 Source Information: National Cemetery Administration. U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator
  FSID	PSL6-HL5
  Name	Abner VANCE Sr Rev  [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 20, 21, 22]
  Occupation	"An old regular hardshell Baptist preacher"; but:" ...never found anything to document he was a preacher "  [12]
  _DNA	parents NOT Ephraim & Theodosia Hewlings Vance, per DNA  [19]
  	New DNA testing proves that Ephraim "Vause" Vance and Theodosia "Hewlings" "Vause" Vance IS NOT I repeat IS NOT the parents of Abner Vance! The information on these pages indicating that Ephraim and Theodosia were his parents "All was clearly stated that it wasn't documented" is not correct, and will be removed asap. DO NOT post Ephraim "Vause" Vance and Theodosia "Hewlings" "Vause" Vance as the parents of Abner Vance as recent DNA testing has proven they are not! The story of Abner Vance has been told for years, most of them are relatively the same, and all with the same outcome. New information and insights have came to light. I ask that any decendent of Abner Vance, or anyone interested in this story to have a look at the information that has been found. This puts new ideas, and insight into the legendary story of Abner Vance. I want to thank Barbara Cherep for the many hours she spent looking for information concerning Abner Vance, his life, his trial, and his death. I also want to thank her for sharing her findings with the rest of us, Thank you, Barbara. Read Barbara's findings here: Two Sides To Every Story To Send This Page To Your Family And Friends Click On:
  Burial	Crab Orchard, Raleigh, West Virginia, USA
  	U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 about Abner Sr VANCE Name: Abner Sr Vance Service Info.: PVT US ARMY REVOLUTIONARY WAR Cemetery: Clinch River Cemet Cemetery Address: Russell CO Crab Orchard, WV 25827 Source Information: National Cemetery Administration. U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator Description: This database is a compilation of burial records from a variety of sources and cemeteries. These records provide information on the burials of U.S. veterans and their dependents who were buried in the various Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, or other military cemeteries. Because the information regarding the burials is compiled from multiple sources, the amount of information provided for each burial will vary. Some of the information you may find in this database includes: name of deceased, birth date, death date, interment date, burial location/site, cemetery name, cemetery address, relationship to veteran, veteran service dates, military rank, and military branch. Learn more... Clinch River Cemetery/Crab Orchard, Russell, WV
  Person ID	I41193	WETZEL-SPRING

  
  

  Father	VANCE, Matthew
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	JONES, Ann
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F64426	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Father	VANCE, Ephraim,   b. 1718, Isle of Wight, Virginia, USA d. 1790, Russell County, Virginia, USA (Age 72 years)
  Relationship	unknown
  Mother	HEWLINGS, Theodosia HEULINGS,   b. 1715, Burlington, Burlington, New Jersey, USA d. 1760, Washington, Boone, West Virginia, USA (Age 45 years)
  Relationship	unknown
  Marriage	11 Jul 1738	Philadelphia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, USA   [2, 7, 13, 23, 24]
  	U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 about Theodosia Hulings Name: Theodosia Hulings Gender: Female Spouse Name: Ephraim Vause Spouse Birth Year: 1718 Marriage Year: 1738 Marriage State: PA Number Pages: 1 Source Citation: Source number: 142.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: RTW. Source Information: Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases. Originally, the information was derived from an array of materials including pedigree charts, family history articles, querie. Description: This database contains marriage record information for approximately 1,400,000 individuals from across all 50 United States and 32 different countries around the world between 1560 and 1900. These records, which include information on over 500 years of marriages, were extracted from family group sheets, electronic databases, biographies, wills, and other sources
  Family ID	F12544	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	HOWARD, Susannah,   b. 1767, Surry County, North Carolina, USA d. 7 Sep 1860, Sarah Ann, Logan, West Virginia, USA (Age 93 years)
  Marriage	1779	Lebanon, Russell, Virginia, USA
  	The present Russell Co, VA
  Children	1. Vance, James Howard,   b. 1794, Vancebottom, Russell, Virginia, USA d. 3 May 1872, Cherryvale, Montgomery, Kansas, USA (Age 78 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. Vance, Alena Sena,   b. 1791, Russell County, Virginia, USA d. 18 Dec 1865, Logan, Logan, West Virginia, USA (Age 74 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. Vance, William Harvey,   b. 1789, Russell County, Virginia, USA d. 17 May 1853, Richlands, Tazewell, Virginia, USA (Age 64 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. Vance, Abner Alexander Jr,   b. 1796   d. 10 Nov 1888, Logan, Logan, West Virginia, USA (Age 92 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   5. Vance, Richard David,   b. 1792, Russell County, Virginia, USA d. 1850, Breeden, Mingo, West Virginia, USA (Age 58 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   6. Vance, Minerva,   b. 1811  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   7. Vance, Elijah,   b. 1803  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   8. Vance, John,   b. 1780, Vancebottom, Russell, Virginia, USA d. 1855, RichCreek, Magnolia, Mingo, West Virginia, USA (Age 75 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   9. Vance, Asenith P.,   b. 1828, Logan, Logan, West Virginia, USA d. Aft 1900, Logan, Logan, West Virginia, USA (Age > 73 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   10. VANCE, Elizabeth,   b. 1794, Russell County, Virginia, USA d. 7 Apr 1873, Logan County, West Virginia, USA (Age 79 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   11. Vance, Millie Mary,   b. 1796, Russell County, Virginia, USA d. Logan County, West Virginia, USA  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   12. Vance, Sarah,   b. 1811, Russell County, Virginia, USA d. 19 Jul 1867, Logan, Logan, West Virginia, USA (Age 56 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   13. Vance, Isabel Tabitha,   b. 1815, Cabell County, West Virginia, USA d. 1890, Logan County, West Virginia, USA (Age 75 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   14. Vance, Tabitha Mary,   b. 1782, North Carolina, USA d. 16 Mar 1864, Lincoln County, West Virginia, USA (Age 82 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F12514	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 1755 - North Carolina, USA Birth - 1759 - Buncombe County, North Carolina, USA Birth - 1767 - North Carolina, USA Fort - (Old Alexander) Vance's Station & (Jeremiah) Harrison's Fort - 1774 - Shawsville, Montgomery, Virginia, USA Oath of Allegiance - 1777 - Pittsylvania County, Virginia, USA Marriage - 1779 - Lebanon, Russell, Virginia, USA Tax List - Lists him in the area. - 1782 - Montgomery County, Virginia, USA jurisprudence - Abner was ordered to appear in court to answer to a charge of breach of the peace by Daniel Horton. Abner Vance was "solemnly called but came not." His bond had been posted by John and James Vance who were called to court on 6 August 1817 as the court attempted to recover the penalty of a recognizance. The court ordered that the writ be dismissed at the Vance\'s cost. - 1 Jul 1817 - Russell County, Virginia, USA murder - Lewis Horton died on 27 Sept 1817 in Russell County Virginia. - 27 Sep 1817 - Russell County, Virginia, USA murder - a different look at the story - 27 Sep 1817 - Russell County, Virginia, USA Execution - 16 Jul 1819 - Abingdon, Washington, Virginia, USA sentence - to be hung - 16 Jul 1819 - Washington County, Virginia, USA Death - 16 Jul 1819 - Abingdon, Washington, Virginia, USA ancestry indiv - Ronnie Vance- Ron Vance, Logan County, WV Genealogical Soiety: - Ronnie Vance 1951; - Mont Vance 1930-2015; - Andrew J. Vance 1895-1973; - Addison Vance 1865-1941; - Addison Anderson Vance 1833-1880; - Abner Vance 1813-1880; - Richard D. Vance 1792-1865; - Abner Vance 1760-1819; - 20 Dec 2020 - Logan County, West Virginia, USA Settled - after the war - - Russell County, Virginia, USA War, Revolutionary battles - fought in Revolutionary War, probably at King's Mountain (no surviving records of his participation, however) (Mary Ellen, 9/93)./KY? NC? TN? - - Kings Mountain, Lincoln, Kentucky, USA Burial - - Crab Orchard, Raleigh, West Virginia, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		War, Revolutionary- Continental soldier w American flag by Terry Tucker 20260322GHLn- Moses Pelton Male about 1728 – 16 April 1778 • KJWT-8XJ Sources (9) Collaborate (2) Memories (0) Notes 1728-30 Last Changed: August 26, 2013 U UnknownMMMC-YWSB This is the Somers County Connecticut branch. Cause of death was by a British cannon ball while the American Army was retreating from New York. Last Changed: August…
  		Abner Vance, Two Sides to Every Story; by Barbara Cherep http://tgv7.tripod.com/index-12.html
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Vance, Abner ballad anc_ 20241214GHLn- JoanHallJustice originally shared this on 23 Apr 2009 ABNER VANCE BALLAD taken from the Sweet Bird Songbook Green are the woods where Sandy flows, and peace it dwelleth there. In the valley, the deer, they like secure and the red buck roam everywhere. But Vance no more shall Sandy behold, nor drink of it's crystal wave. The partial…
  		Vance, Abner ballad anc_LAltizer 20241214GHLn- Peggy Louise Altizer Mynes originally shared this on 10 Sep 2024 Shared by Chris Haddox 9/10/2024, 11:32?AM Found this in the papers of Louis Watson Chappell at the WV and Regional History Collection. Chappell is the fellow who recorded Kate Toney (and others) from Logan-Mingo area back in 1940. I don't know who Mrs. L. McDonald…
  		Vance, Abner hanging 18190716 The Logan Banner 19791123 20260202GHLn- (2/2) Account Of The Hanging Of Abner Vance Abner Alexander Vance Sr. (1760-1819) . 23 Nov 1979 https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Vance-4 Biography Daughters of the American Revolution Abner Vance Sr. is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A101861. SAR insignia Abner Vance Sr. is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor. NSSAR Ancestor #: P-310104 Rank:…
  		Vance, Abner REv War pay voucher 17820904 Salisbury Rowan NC wikiTree 20260202GHLn- wikiTree (1/2) Abner Vance, September 4, 1782, Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina Revolutionary War Pay Vouchers, 1779-1782 Abner Alexander Vance Sr. (1760-1819) . Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina Before 4 Sep 1782 no 2548 State of North Carolina Salisbury District £7.19 This is to certify that Abner Vanse was allowed -- seven…

  
  

• Notes

  (Mary Ellen, 9/93)- Abner came from North Carolina. No birth date, but it is known that his wife, Susannah, was born in 1767. Abner is supposed to have fought in the Revolutionary War, probably at King's Mountain, however there are no surviving records of his participation. He supposedly met and married Susannah Howard in what is now Russell Co VA. The 1782 Montgomery Co. Tax List places him in that area. Shawnee excursions into that western VA wilderness persisted until the early 1790's. Abner Vance is listed among the Indian fighters who pursued them and helped defend the settlements. Abner was an old regular hardshell Baptist preacher. He and his wife had at least 9 children, probably more. In 1817 occurred the incident that changed his life. His daughter (?) was seduced by Lewis Horton and lived with him for a few months. One afternoon, while the Vance family was seated at the dinner table, Lewis Horton rode up to return the errant daughter. It is said that his language about her then was well nigh unprintable. As he was fording his horse across the Clinch River (the Vance's lived in Russell Co. near the present town of Raven), Abner shot him in the back of the head in a fit of rage. Lewis lingered for 3 days before dying. "According to tradition", Abner left Russell Co as a fugitive to hide out in the wilderness of the Guyandotte and Sandy Rivers. It is certain that he acquired an enormous amount of land in that area. But he grew tired of running and went back where he had his son-in-law turn him in for the reward. There ensued sentencings and appeals and a change of venue. It wasn't until 1819 in Abington, VA that Abner Vance was finally hanged for murder. He preached his own sermon and sang a ballad he'd composed for the occasion, on the scaffold. (Mary Ellen has) at least 4 variant copies of the ballad. It is printed in many American folk song collections, but (she has) heard only one recorded version. After his death, Susannah, and nearly all of the children, left the Clinch River for the area of what is now Logan Co. It is not certain which daughter was involved with Horton. It would appear not to have been Elizabeth, "since her virtue was already in question (her daughter Nancy having been born before 1817)". ____________________________________________________________ more ... cf. Hatfield34491Martha.com, downloaded 08.02.00: Abner Vance, The True Story, by Grace Dotson, VFA Historian I had not researched my Vance lines long until I realized much more had been written about my 4th great grandfather, Abner Vance, than could be proven. The things that could be proven did not fit the legend as I had heard it. Listed below are the facts, all from Virginia court records, unless otherwise stated. No birth record has been found for Abner Vance. His parents and place of birth are unknown. His estimated date of birth is 1759/60 from the fact that he and a Matthew Vance swore the Oath of Allegiance in Chatham, Pittsylvania County, Virginia on 29 July 1777. Under Virginia law the requirements for swearing the Oath of Allegiance was: "all white males, over 16 years of age." Many Virginia records were lost or destroyed through the years and tax lists have often been utilized as proof of residency. Abner Vance and Thomas Vance were on the tax lists of 1782-1787 in Montgomery County, Virginia. Abner Vance was enumerated on the 1789, 1791-1799 and the 1802 Russell County Virginia Personal Property tax list. Other Vances who lived in Russell County before 1800 were Matthew, Phillip, Samuel, and John. Russell County records are incomplete. Abner Vance was married to Susannah Howard, she was called Susannah Vance in the will of her father's wife in Surry County NC in 1806. No marriage record has been located. Abner and Susannah Vance were the parents of several children. No birth records have been found for them, dates of birth have been established from census, death or marriage records. In 1784 Abner Vance and James Howard were on the Surry County North Carolina tax list as owning 250 Acres of land. Other than land transactions, Abner Vance is rarely found in Russell County court records prior to I July 1817 when he was ordered to appear in court to answer to a charge of breach of the peace by Daniel Horton. Abner Vance was "solemnly called but came not." His bond had been posted by John and James Vance who were called to court on 6 August 1817 as the court attempted to recover the penalty of a recognizance. The court ordered that the writ be dismissed at the Vance's cost. 16 October 1817, at a court called and held by the justices of Russell County, Virginia Abner Vance, labourer, and Susanna Vance, spinster, were charged with the murder of Lewis Horton who died on 27 Sept 1817 in Russell County Virginia. Susanna Vance was allowed to give security of two thousand dollars for her personal appearance, being unable to procure security she was remanded to jail until she found such security or was released by due course of the law. Abner Vance was remanded to jail with no bond set for his release. The next hearing on the docket in Russell County Court, October 16, 1817, was William Wingo, who was charged as an accessory before the fact to the murder of Lewis Horton. Wingo's bond was posted by the said Wingo, Squire McGuire and Frances McKinney. On November 4, 1817, Richard Vance was committed to the jail of Russell County, Virginia charged with being an accessory after the fact to the felonious shooting and wounding of Lewis Horton by Abner Vance. Richard Vance was remanded to the jail of Russell County, Virginia. The next term of the Court for Russell County Virginia was in April 1817. The Jury heard these cases: Abner Vance was found guilty of murder in the first degree in manner and form as in the indictment against him is alleged; thereupon he is remanded to jail on 14 April 1818. The next day of court, same judge and jury brought forth an indictment against Richard Vance as an accessory to a murder "a true bill" and an indictment against Susanna Vance for murder "not a true bill." Susanna Vance was discharged from imprisonment. On the next day (April 17th) William Wingo was again let go on bond and the Commonwealth Attorney, by comment of the Court, said that he would not prosecute further on behalf of the Commonwealth against Richard Vance and he was released. During the same Court and on the same day, April 17, 1817, Abner Vance was called before the bar for sentencing, when asked if he had anything to say he said he had nothing but what he had already said. Thereupon it was considered by the Court that he be hanged by the neck until he be dead, and that the execution of the judgment be made and done upon him, the said Abner Vance by the Sheriff of Russell County on Friday the 17th of July next between eleven in the forenoon and two in the afternoon of the same day at the place of execution in this county. Memorandum: At the trial of this cause and before the Grand Jury retired from the bar the counsel for the prisoner excepted to two opinions of the Court and a third after the jury retired from the bar to an opinion of the Court, which three exceptions were signed and sealed by the Court and ordered to be made a part of the record of this case. (This amounted to an appeal.) Court was adjourned. September 14, 1818. Superior Court of Law, Russell County Virginia. The Commonwealth against Abner Vance, upon indictment for murder. A copy of the judgement of the General Court awarding a new trial in this cause was produced and ordered to be - ? - on the records of this court. The Writ of error stated "The Court are unaminously of opinion that there is an error in this: that the Court rejected evidence of the witness introduced by the prisoner to prove his insanity before the fact of which he was accused, and in deciding it was improper to introduce such proof until the prisoner's insanity was proven on the day he shot the deceased. Wherefore it is considered that the said judgement be severed and annulled, and a new trial awarded, and in the meantime that he be detained in the safe custody in the jail of the Superior Court of Russell County until the next term, and until he be discharged by due course of the Law. September 15, 1818. William Wingo appeared in court according to the condition of his recognizance entered into before this court at the last term is ordered into custody of the sheriff to be committed into the jail. William Wingo acknowledged himself indebted to the Governor for bond; yet if Polly Wingo, wife of the said William Wingo, shall make her personal appearance before the court on tomorrow to give evidence on behalf of Abner Vance indicted of murder, and shall not depart without leave of the court, then this recognizance be void. The trial of Abner Vance is continued till tomorrow at ten o'clock. September 16, 1817. A 48 man jury pool was called and after two days only 7 men had been selected as jurors, the court decided to postpone Vance's trial until the next term of court. Spring Term of Superior Court Russell County, Virginia. April 12, 1819. Again a jury could not be be seated, after two days only two men had been selected as jurors. A change of venue was ordered by the court, to the Washington County, Virginia Superior Court. (Washington County borders Russell.) I have not located the Washington County Superior Court records for this trial, but I do know that they upheld the Russell County verdict and sentence. Abner Vance was sentenced to be hung on July 16, 1819. Although we know Abner Vance was hung, no optical record has been found. The Lynchburg Press, a newspaper in Lynchburg, Virginia, did print this alleged eyewitness account of the execution: "27 July 1819. On Friday the 16th Instant, Abner Vance was executed at Abingdon, in pursuance of his sentence, for the murder of Lewis Horton. He addressed the spectators, about four thousand, for an hour and a half with considerable ability; he died with the most heroic fortitude. He accused some of giving false evidence against him; and said that if he had obtained a fair trial, and nothing but the truth had been sworn against him, he thought the penitentiary would have been proper punishment for his offense. " I know this is not what has been written in books and is not the tradition that has been passed down for almost two hundred years, but, sadly, this is the way it was. Abner Vance is said to have composed a song or ballad which is called THE VANCE SONG or ABNER VANCE'S DEATH BALLAD, which is recognized, by the Southwest Virginia Folk Lore Society, as the oldest song, still in existence, written west of the Blue Ridge. The Susanna Vance, spinster, who was arrested and incarcerated in the early months of the court record of this case seems to be a daughter of John Vance, son of Abner. John had been living in Floyd Co KY, which was next door to Russell County, VA. On I Feb 1813, John and a Mary Wilson had applied for a marriage license, John was 33 years old and I believe this was John's second marriage. Susanna Vance, spinster, was released from jail in Russell County on April 16, 1818 and on August 17, 1818 in Floyd County, KY a subpoena was issued against John Vance to appear and show why his children shall not be bound out as the law directs and the sheriff is directed that on the service of the same he take possession of the said children, named William and Susanna, and have them here at the next court. Annals of Floyd County Kentucky 1800-1826 by Chas. C. Wells. I believe this was the girl involved in the incident. In 15 years of searching for Abner Vance I have never found anything to document he was a preacher as is often claimed, during the trials he was called Labourer. I have never found him serving in the Revolutionary War, just taking the Oath of Allegiance as stated earlier in this article, which was about like registering for the draft now. I have never found any hint of him owning the thousands of acres of land he is said to have owned in present Logan County WV and he surely did not hide from Virginia law enforcement officers for two years after the shooting, the record plainly shows him sitting in jail for that period of time. I have never found anything to indicate he was half Indian as often claimed, on the Oath of Allegiance papers and on the tax records I've located he was listed as white. I have never found anything to cause me to think he had been married before his marriage to Susannah Howard, I'm still searching for any marriage record for him. And finally, I've never found a pardon, but did find the earlier mentioned newspaper article, it seems to me that if a pardon had been granted him a copy of it would be somewhere and that it would have surely been newsworthy and certainly mentioned in the report of his death and none was. I have searched every nook and cranny within the realm of possibilities for this supposed pardon to hide, it can not be found. If anyone has a copy of Abner Vance's pardon the VFA and I would surely like to see it. Judge Elihu Sutherland of Dickenson County Virginia wrote "William Vance, of Sword's Creek (Russell County, VA), a descendant of Abner Vance, said in 1927: "As I have been told by older people Vance did not kill the Horton he aimed to kill. His mind was to kill Daniel, but Lewis put himself in the way and provoked the old man until he told him to go away or he would kill him, and Horton run and crossed the Clinch (River), a distance of about 200 yards and told the old man to "shoot and be dammed ". The old man fired and Horton rolled off his horse into the river." Abner Vance's court records are in Order Book 5 and 6 at Russell County Virginia Court House, Lebanon, VA. THE VANCE SONG taken from the Sweet Bird Songbook Green are the woods where Sandy flows, and peace it dwelleth there. In the valley, the deer, they like secure and the red buck roam everywhere. But Vance no more shall Sandy behold, nor drink of it's crystal wave. The partial judge has pronounced his doom, the hunter has found his grave. The judge said he was my friend, though Elliot's life I saved. A jury man, I did become, that, Elliot, he might live. The friendship that I have shown to others has not been shown to me. Humanity, it belongs to the brave and I hope it remains with me. It was by the advice of McFarland that Judge Johnson did me call. I was taken from my native home and placed in yon stone wall. My persecutors have gained their quest, they promised to make good. They swore that they would never rest till they had gained my life's blood. There are David Horton, Bob and Bill, a lie against me swore, in order to take my life away that I might be no more. But they and I must meet when Gabriel's trump shall blow. Perhaps I shall rest in Abraham's breast while they roll in the gulf below. I killed a man, I don't deny, he threatened to kill me. And for this I am condemned to die, the jury all agree. But, I and they together must meet when all things are made known. And if I have shed innocent blood, I hope mercy will be shown. Bright shines the sun over Clinch's hills, so soft the west wind blows. The valley, it is covered all over with bloom, perfumed by the sweet red rose. But Vance no more shall Sandy behold nor smell it's sweet perfume. This day his eyes must close in death, his body conveyed to the tomb. Farewell, my friends and children, dear. To you I bid farewell. The love I have for your precious souls no mortal tongue can tell. Farewell, my true and loving wife, to you I bid adieu, and when I reach fair Cannan's shore, I'll wait and watch for you. Abner Vance is said to have sang (sic) this song just before he was executed, I worked with the Southwest Virginia Folk Lore Society at Appalachia, VA to have this formally acknowledged as the oldest song, still in existence which was written west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have both printed and oral copies of the song and will send them to anyone interested. I welcome any corrections or additions, Feel free to contact me at any time. Grace Dotson Also:Ancestry.com Hatfield Message Board, #368, 22.02.00 Subject: wcwetzl reply Posted by: doug squires Message: In 1826, when he was only sixteen, Big Eaf married fifteen year old Nancy Vance. Nancy was the granddaughter of Abner Vance, Sr., an Indian scout and spy on the frontier who was with the men who drove the Mingo Indians from the Guyandotte Valley in 1792. Vance was an early pioneer of Logan County. His granddaughter's marriage into the Hatfield family brought about a close and lasting affiliation between the Hatfields and the Vances. Nancy and Big Eaf had a large family of eighteen children, eight of whom died in infancy. They raised ten children including six sons. Valentine (Wall) was the oldest son, and the second boy was Anderson Hatfield, later nicknamed and better known as " Devil Anse." He was born on September 9, 1839. He is buried in the Hatfield Cemetery. I found this by typing in a search for Devil Anse Hatfield and then going into "hatfield homepage." 'Hope this helped _______________________________________ 17.04.01- from: http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvlogan/vance.htm : (You can also visit The Vance Family Association) ABNER and SUSANNAH HOWARD VANCE Abner Vance born c 1750 in NC. He migrated into the southwestern part of Virginia (Clinch River Valley, Russell Co) sometime around 1790. He was of the Baptist faith and spent much of his time preaching. One of Abner's daughters (and it is thought to have been Elizabeth) ran off with Lewis HORTON. After several months Lewis Horton returned with the girl and dropped her off at her parent's home. It is said that Abner and Susannah pleaded with Lewis to marry the girl. He refused and turned to ride away. Abner went into the house and returned with his gun and shot Horton as he was riding away. Horton died a few hours later. Abner Vance became a "fugitive". He left Russell County that night, September 17, 1817 and traveled along the Tug and Guyandotte Rivers where he spent the next two years. At the urging of family members Abner returned to Russell County to stand trial for the murder of Lewis Horton. Public opinion was that Abner would be "freed" due to his "reputation as a preacher". On his arrival in Russell County, he was locked in jail and held without bail. The first trial ended in a "hung jury". A second trial was held in Washington County. There Abner Vance was found "guilty" of the murder of Lewis Horton and sentenced to hang. A third trial was held. Abner was again found guilty and sentenced to hang. The case was taken to the court of appeals but the lower courts decision was upheld. Petitions for the release of Abner Vance were circulated but to no avail. The Governor would not interfere. Abner Vance was hanged 16th of July, 1819 in Abington, Washington County VA. A short time afterwards a courier arrived with a pardon from the Governor. Susannah VANCE and her children left Russell County and migrated into the Tug, Big Sandy and Guyandotte River valleys. Susannah HOWARD VANCE born c 1763 NC was the daughter of Abraham and Jane ____ ALLEN HOWARD Children of Abner VANCE and Susannah HOWARD: John born c 1780...married Hannah born c 1794 d/o ---- and ----- RADER Tabitha born c 1782...married Francis BROWNING born c 1781 NC died 29 Dec 1858 Alena born c 1791....married Joseph DEMPSEY born c 1799 s/o John and Rachel SOLOMON DEMPSEY Richard born c 1792...married Mary born c 1792 d/o Mary SIMMS Elizabeth VANCE born c 1794 Milly (Polly) born c 1796...married James BROWN born c 1792 Abner Jr. born c 1796...married Jane PERRY born c 1807 d/o Joseph and Isobel SHIRKEY PERRY Sarah born c 1811...married John MCCLOUD born c 1803 Minerva born c 1811...married John DEMPSEY born c 1797 s/o John and Rachel SOLOMON DEMPSEY Nancy born c 1813...married Ephraim HATFIELD born c 1811 s/o Valentine and Martha WEDDINGTON HATFIELD Isobel born c 1815...married John HATFIELD born c 1813 s/o Valentine and Martha WEDDINGTON HATFIELD James born c .....married Barbara MILLER William born c ....married Nancy BURNSIDE ____________________________________________ 20260202GHLn- 20260202GHLn- for FB Reverend Abner A. Vance, Sr- Father, Patriot, Preacher, Murderer, Executioner, Executed. Grampa. My 5th great grandfather, "an old regular hardshell Baptist preacher," although some say he wasn't a preacher at all.

  
  

• Sources

  [S161] FamilySearch.com, (Name: AFamily Search Ancestral File;). Abner Vance (1) fact 20260203GHLn- 20260203GHLn- Ephraim Vance Male 1715 – 9 March 1791 • LTFW-22Y Sources (5) Collaborate (2) Memories (2) Notes Ephraim Vance Ephraim Vance is not the father of Abner Vance. Someone polluted my family tree by adding all of this Vance line above Abner. Abner is the son of Matthew Vance and Ann Jones. Proven by YDNA. The bad thing is that I cannot correct my own personsal family tree and remove all of the incorrect information. Last Changed: May 29, 2025 R Rita LeighVance1 [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online. Grandstaff-Mays Family Tree, Owner: JANE MAYS Last viewed: Theodosia Hewlings, Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for Theodosia Hewlings [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online., Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for John Vance History of John Vance Logan Circuit Court Fall term 1854 The following paper was presented in court and was ____ Virginia, Logan County , Min of Arracena ___ This day formally appeared before me Thomas Dun English, Mayor of the town of Arracana, and Justice of the peace ex officio. John Vance of the County of Logan aforesaid who in being duly worn on the Evang____ of Almight ___ deposes and says that he knew Mrs. Jane Browning, the widow of Enos Browning, and mother of Henry, Charles, Caleb, Betsey, Frances, Edmund, James, John and Jacob Browning. That she died during or about the month of November 1842. That Caleb and Betsey Browning are dead and Henry and Charles believed to be and that the said Mrs. Jane Browning died at _land Creek in this County and furthermore this diplomat with ___. Mark of John Vance Sworn and subscribed before me, this ____ day of October 1854. This said diplomat being personally well known to me and __ ___ ___ Thomas Dunn English Mayor Wherefore upon prayer of David Robinson the Court ordered the same to be recorded and directed the Clerk of this Court to Certify to the Pension office of the named State that the said Thomas Dunn English where name was ___ annexed and who acknowledges his signature in open Court. We Abner Vance and Hannah Radar Residence of County of Logan & State of Va. Under our oaths declare that the foregoing declaration was signed & acknowledged by Polly Brown in our presence and that we believe that she is the identical person that she represents her self to be for they was were Both present at her marriage to and with aforesaid the aforesaid James Brown at the House of Abner Vance in the County of Russell Va. And that they was married by one Wm Hart a Circuit Preacher in the Methodist Church, and knows that they have lived ever since that time as man and wife to the time of his death and that said Brown died sometime in June about the 5th day 1859, and know that the aforesaid Polly is now a widow and that he died on Huffs Creek in Logan County Virginia at his late residence near the County Line of Wyoming an have frequently heard the aforesaid James Brown say that he was stationed at Norfolk Va. In time of the War and how he suffered and a great many things to tedious to mention. And heard say that he had received 80 acres land warrant and that he ought to have another 80 acres warrant and that he had got Wm Stratton to apply for the last 80 acres an that Straton said he lost the papers & did not get it and that he wished Ulysses Hinchman to get it for him and that now he is dead we have heard his widow Polly Brown desire said Hinchman to make application for said Bounty land given under our hands this 3rd day of Dec 1859. John "Jake" Vance 1. "Marriage Records Wyoming Co, WV...", Vol 1, Haga, page 40. William Grimmett, age 54, widowed, born in Franklin Co, VA, son of John and Deliah Grimmett, married on 2 Jul 1864 Tabitha Vance Hatfield, age 49, a widow, born in Logan Co, WV, daughter of Jake and Hannah Vance. 2. 1850 Census, Logan Co, WV, taken 4 Aug 1850, page 125, Family #99. Listed as John Vance, age 70, head of household, a farmer. 3. "Timothy Vance's Hompage", internet. John Vance, born in 1781 in Russell Co, VA, married Hannah Radar in 1810. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hannah Rader 1. "Marriage Records Wyoming Co, WV...", Vol 1, Haga, page 40. William Grimmett, age 54, widowed, born in Franklin Co, VA, son of John and Deliah Grimmett, married on 2 Jul 1864 Tabitha Vance Hatfield, age 49, a widow, born in Logan Co, WV, daughter of Jake and Hannah Vance. 2. 1850 Census, Logan Co, WV, taken 4 Aug 1850, page 125, Family #99. Listed as Hannah Vance, age 56, in household of husband, John Vance. 3. "Timothy Vance's Hompage", internet. John Vance, born in 1781 in Russell Co, VA, married Hannah Radar in 1810. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Levi Vance 1. 1850 Census, Logan Co, WV, taken 4 Aug 1850, page 125, Family #99. Listed as Levi Vance, age 25, in household of father, John Vance. 2. "Early Logan Co, VA/WV Marriages", transcribed by Vicie Waskey Fowler. Levi Vance, age 27, born in Logan Co, WV, son of John and Hannah Rader Vance, married on 18 Aug 1853 Mary McDonald, age 22, born in Logan Co, WV, daughter of Jonas and Rebecca Clark McDonald. 3. 1870 Census, Logan Co, WV, Tridelphia District, page 544, Family #2. Listed as Levi Vance, age 48, as head of household, a farmer. 4. 1880 Census of Logan Co, WV, compiled by William A. Marsh, Vol 11, page 688. Logan District, page 032. Listed as Levi Vance, age 55, head of household. ______________________________________________ From: "Carole Hammond" Subject: Vances in 1824 Logan Co., VA Tax List ??? Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 11:06:30 -0700 Does anyone know who the 2nd John Vance is...the one without the horse? And who is Sarah Vance. Was she a widow of one of the Vance brothers? I believe that the 1st John Vance and Abner and James were the sons of Abner and Susannah Vance. 1824 Logan Co Tax list http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvlogan/1824taxl.htm Col. 1 White males over 16 yrs Col. 2 Blacks over 12 yrs old Col. 3 Blacks over 16 yrs old Col. 4 Number of horses John Vance 1 0 0 1 Sarah Vance 0 0 0 1 John Vance 1 0 0 0 James Vance 1 0 0 1 Abner Vance 1 0 0 1 The Abner Vance Family by Grace Dotson Recently I was give photocopies of several pages from the old Russell County Virginia Land Entry Book. The book contained the following Vance Information "April 3rd 1806: Abner Vance enters 25 arces of land by virtue of part of a Land Office Treasury Warrant #1855 dated the 18th day of March 1796 lying in Russell County (VA) on both sides of the Lavisa Fork of the Sandy river beginning on the bank of the river about a quarter of a mile above the 12 mile tree andrunning down the river including the house and improvement where the said Vance Lately lived and to include all or so much of the good land as the quantity will admit. January 31st 1816: Wiliam Ratliff, Sen Enters one hundred acres of land by part of a Land Office (Exchange) treasury Warrant #1978 dated December 10th 1808 lying in Russell County on both sides of Lovisa fork of the Sand river to begin at the ford of the river first below where John Vance now lives and to run up the river on both sides to incldue all of the good land and the plantation where John Vance now lives and to run up what is called big Prater creek to indlude the good land on it. February 3rd 1816: Francis Browning (married to Tabitha daughter of Abner Vance of Sandy enters thirty acres of land by part of a Land Office Tresury Warrant No 1078 dated December th 10th 1808 lying in Russell County on each sie of the Levisa fork of he Sandy river beginning at the upper end of the bottom at the 22 mile tree and running down the river and binding on the rive and the hills to include the bottom and all of the good land where the said Browning now lives. Not dated, but follows Francis Browning's entry of 3 Feb 1816: Richard Vance enters twenty two acres of land by part of a Land Office Treasury Warrant No. 4829 dated Feb 3rd, 1812 lying in Russell County on the North East side of the Lovisa fork of Sandy river and a little above the 18 mile tree to begin at the upper end of the bottom where the said Vance now lives." All of this land is locatred in Buchannan County Virginia which ws created from parts of Russell and Tazewell counties in 1858. The land is located from approximately 2 miles below the confluence of the Dismal River and the Levisa River to the upper end of royal City on Rt 460. The Levisa is a tributary of the Big Sandy river and Buchanan is the only virginia in which it flows. In Abner Vance's ballad he sang "no more Sandy to behold:, this land was "Sandy". This land, along with thousands of acres of Buchanon County land, was part a series of law suites which were not settled until well into the 1900's. A Londoner, Richard Smith, obtained immense grants in the area that is now Buchanan County and never settled the land. Numerous people lived on the land and moved on when they could not get deeds from the state. Just below the Breaks, on the Virginia side of the line, my father showed us a place and told us that someone kin to him had shot and killed a man "right there". I think I am very close to proving the place Abner shot Horton was just below the Breaks in what was then Russell County VA but is now Dickenson County Va. From this location it would have been very simple for him (and the relatives) to have gone down river to Pikeville and cross over into present Logan County. To add to these thoughts. Elkhorn City Ky is a small Pike Co town, below the Breaks and above Pikeville. The William Ratliff mentioned in one of the land entries went to Elkhorn City when he left the Levisa and the James Aldridge who was listed by Abner on the 1782 Montgomery Co VA census also lived in Elkhorn City at that time. Grace Dotson 973 Forest Drive Harlem, Ga 30814 From: MDotson973@aol.com Subject: [WVLOGAN] Abner's son John Vance, early 1800s Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007 11:49:40 EST Vance: Floyd Co KY Bond dated 25 Mar 1813 between Richard Vance and Lewis Haver for a marriage beween Richard Vance and Mary Simes. Bond dated 25 Mar 1813 by John Vance and Samuel Allen for a marriage between John Vance and Mary Wilson. Bond dated 21 Mar 1826 by Bryce Hale and William Wilson for a marriage between Brice Hale and Polly Vance . In other documents Mary was Mary Polly. August term 17 Aug 1818. Ordered a subpoena issued against John Vance to appear and show why his children shall not be bound out as the law directs and the sheriff is directed that on the service of the same he take possession of said children, named William and Susanna Vance, and have them here at the next court.. Seems to me that John and Mary must have divorced, I have found no divorce record. Mary married Brice Hale. I do not know what happened with William and Susanna.. No Vances on 1810 or 1820 census in Floyd. Grace Dotson Carol e, I do not know when John married Hannah Radar, but the marriage record mentioned in my article is correct. John and Richard (sons of Abner) and strangely, Lewis Horton, were all in the area of Floyd Co., Ky that became Pike Co., Ky between 1810 and the shooting of Horton. Their exact location was on the Russell Fork River between the Breaks of the Cumberlands and Elkhorn City, Ky.. Grace Dotson Carole, I believe John Vance married 2nd or 3rd Hannah Rader as he is married to a Hannah in the 1850 census. Up until now I had the John Vance that married Mary Wilson separate until I could find some additional proof. So William Vance b. abt. 1811 may be from a first marriage and I now I have the following as children of John and Mary (Wilson) Vance: Susannah 'Susan' Vance b. abt. 1815 in Virginia Isabel Tabitha Vance b. abt. 1815 in Virginia Nancy A. Vance b. abt. 1817 in Virginia Elizabeth Vance b. abt. 1818 in Virginia I have the following children of John and Hannah (Rader) Vance: Abner Vance b. Bef. 1823 and died 13 Sep 1847 in New Orleans, Louisiana Levi Jackson Vance b. 2 Aug 1824 in Rich Creek, Logan County, (West) Virginia Asenith 'Sena' P. b. Apr 1826 in Logan County, (West) Virginia Maybe Vanessa Allen has some thoughts on this. 1850 Logan County, (West) Virginia census, p. 125, #99: John Vance 70 Hannah 56 Levi 25 Sena 22 Joel From: "Jim and Vanessa Allen" Subject: [WVLOGAN] Abner's son John Vance, early 1800s Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007 06:23:23 -0800 The only additional thing I have to add is that John Vance's daughter Tabitha [Isabel Tabitha, born about 1815] named her mother as Hana on her marriage record, when Tabitha married William Grimmett in 1864 after her husband John Hatfield died. So it sounds like Mary Wilson may have died young, then John Vance married Hannah, who was either Tabitha's mother or at least raised Tabitha from an early enough age so that Tabitha considered Hannah her mother. Since John Vance married Mary Wilson in 1813 and Tabitha was born about 1815, it does seem likely that Mary would have been Tabitha's mother, doesn't it? There's a scanned image of an old transcription of the Wyoming County marriage record when Tabitha Vance Hatfield married William Grimmett at http://saulsville.tripod.com/marriages/marriages1_9.html It's down the page quite a ways, marriage record No. 20. The marriage record also says that Tabitha was born in Russell County, Virginia. So it appears that John Vance may have moved back to Russell County from Pike County, before he moved to Logan County before 1820? John, Richard, Abner, and James Vance were on the 1820 Cabell County census (before Logan County was formed). Vanessa mellybelly1414added this on 13 Jul 2012 keithvgolforiginally submitted this to ALL AMERICANS-SOUTHWEST WEST VIRGINIA OUR FAMILY on 17 Sep 2011 Vance, John John Vance mellybelly1414 added this on 17 Apr 2011 Jeannie Whitten Tyler originally submitted this to WHITTEN/HOLLEY TREE on 8 Mar 2008 [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online., Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for Abner Vance A recording of Abner Vance's Execution Song Audio Clip of Abner's Song 1819 Follow this link to hear an audio clip of Abner's Song: http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/brisongs/Vance-Song.mp3 mellybelly1414added this on 28 Dec 2012 mary3mckeeoriginally submitted this to Farrior RoBards Family Tree on 22 Apr 2011 Abner Vance Story and Song 1819, Virginia Abner Vance, The True Story by Grace Dotson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had not researched my Vance lines long until I realized much more had been written about my 4th great grandfather, Abner Vance, than could be proven. The things that could be proven did not fit the legend as I had heard it. Listed below are the facts, all from Virginia court records, unless otherwise stated. No birth record has been found for Abner Vance. His parents and place of birth are unknown. His estimated date of birth is 1759/60 from the fact that he and a Matthew Vance swore the Oath of Allegiance in Chatham, Pittsylvania County, Virginia on 29 July 1777. Under Virginia law the requirements for swearing the Oath of Allegiance was: "all white males, over 16 years of age." Many Virginia records were lost or destroyed through the years and tax lists have often been utilized as proof of residency. Abner Vance and Thomas Vance were on the tax lists of 1782-1787 in Montgomery County, Virginia. Abner Vance was enumerated on the 1789, 1791-1799 and the 1802 Russell County Virginia Personal Property tax list. Other Vances who lived in Russell County before 1800 were Matthew, Phillip, Samuel, and John. Russell County records are incomplete. Abner Vance was married to Susannah Howard, she was called Susannah Vance in the will of her father's wife in Surry County NC in 1806. No marriage record has been located. Abner and Susannah Vance were the parents of several children. No birth records have been found for them, dates of birth have been established from census, death or marriage records. In 1784 Abner Vance and James Howard were on the Surry County North Carolina tax list as owning 250 Acres of land. Other than land transactions, Abner Vance is rarely found in Russell County court records prior to I July 1817 when he was ordered to appear in court to answer to a charge of breach of the peace by Daniel Horton. Abner Vance was "solemnly called but came not." His bond had been posted by John and James Vance who were called to court on 6 August 1817 as the court attempted to recover the penalty of a recognizance. The court ordered that the writ be dismissed at the Vance's cost. 16 October 1817, at a court called and held by the justices of Russell County, Virginia Abner Vance, labourer, and Susanna Vance, spinster, were charged with the murder of Lewis Horton who died on 27 Sept 1817 in Russell County Virginia. Susanna Vance was allowed to give security of two thousand dollars for her personal appearance, being unable to procure security she was remanded to jail until she found such security or was released by due course of the law. Abner Vance was remanded to jail with no bond set for his release. The next hearing on the docket in Russell County Court, October 16, 1817, was William Wingo, who was charged as an accessory before the fact to the murder of Lewis Horton. Wingo's bond was posted by the said Wingo, Squire McGuire and Frances McKinney. On November 4, 1817, Richard Vance was committed to the jail of Russell County, Virginia charged with being an accessory after the fact to the felonious shooting and wounding of Lewis Horton by Abner Vance. Richard Vance was remanded to the jail of Russell County, Virginia. The next term of the Court for Russell County Virginia was in April 1817 (1818? jcw 08.03.2013). The Jury heard these cases: Abner Vance was found guilty of murder in the first degree in manner and form as in the indictment against him is alleged; thereupon he is remanded to jail on 14 April 1818. The next day of court, same judge and jury brought forth an indictment against Richard Vance as an accessory to a murder "a true bill" and an indictment against Susanna Vance for murder "not a true bill." Susanna Vance was discharged from imprisonment. On the next day (April 17th) William Wingo was again let go on bond and the Commonwealth Attorney, by comment of the Court, said that he would not prosecute further on behalf of the Commonwealth against Richard Vance and he was released. During the same Court and on the same day, April 17, 1817, Abner Vance was called before the bar for sentencing, when asked if he had anything to say he said he had nothing but what he had already said. Thereupon it was considered by the Court that he be hanged by the neck until he be dead, and that the execution of the judgment be made and done upon him, the said Abner Vance by the Sheriff of Russell County on Friday the 17th of July next between eleven in the forenoon and two in the afternoon of the same day at the place of execution in this county. Memorandum: At the trial of this cause and before the Grand Jury retired from the bar the counsel for the prisoner excepted to two opinions of the Court and a third after the jury retired from the bar to an opinion of the Court, which three exceptions were signed and sealed by the Court and ordered to be made a part of the record of this case. (This amounted to an appeal.) Court was adjourned. September 14, 1818. Superior Court of Law, Russell County Virginia. The Commonwealth against Abner Vance, upon indictment for murder. A copy of the judgement of the General Court awarding a new trial in this cause was produced and ordered to be - ? - on the records of this court. The Writ of error stated "The Court are unaminously of opinion that there is an error in this: that the Court rejected evidence of the witness introduced by the prisoner to prove his insanity before the fact of which he was accused, and in deciding it was improper to introduce such proof until the prisoner's insanity was proven on the day he shot the deceased. Wherefore it is considered that the said judgement be severed and annulled, and a new trial awarded, and in the meantime that he be detained in the safe custody in the jail of the Superior Court of Russell County until the next term, and until he be discharged by due course of the Law. September 15, 1818. William Wingo appeared in court according to the condition of his recognizance entered into before this court at the last term is ordered into custody of the sheriff to be committed into the jail. William Wingo acknowledged himself indebted to the Governor for bond; yet if Polly Wingo, wife of the said William Wingo, shall make her personal appearance before the court on tomorrow to give evidence on behalf of Abner Vance indicted of murder, and shall not depart without leave of the court, then this recognizance be void. The trial of Abner Vance is continued till tomorrow at ten o'clock. September 16, 1817. A 48 man jury pool was called and after two days only 7 men had been selected as jurors, the court decided to postpone Vance's trial until the next term of court. Spring Term of Superior Court, Russell County, Virginia. April 12, 1819. Again a jury could not be be seated, after two days only two men had been selected as jurors. A change of venue was ordered by the court, to the Washington County, Virginia Superior Court. (Washington County borders Russell.) I have not located the Washington County Superior Court records for this trial, but I do know that they upheld the Russell County verdict and sentence. Abner Vance was sentenced to be hung on July 16, 1819. Although we know Abner Vance was hung, no optical record has been found. The Lynchburg Press a newspaper in Lynchburg, Virginia did print this alleged eyewitness account of the execution: "27 July 1819. On Friday the 16th Instant, Abner Vance was executed at Abingdon, in pursuance of his sentence, for the murder of Lewis Horton. He addressed the spectators, about four thousand, for an hour and a half with considerable ability; he died with the most heroic fortitude. He accused some of giving false evidence against him; and said that if he had obtained a fair trial, and nothing but the truth had been sworn against him, he thought the penitentiary would have been proper punishment for his offense. " I know this is not what has been written in books and is not the tradition that has been passed down for almost two hundred years, but, sadly, this is the way it was. Abner Vance is said to have composed a song or ballad which is called THE VANCE SONG or ABNER VANCE'S DEATH BALLAD, which is recognized, by the Southwest Virginia Folk Lore Society, as the oldest song, still in existence, written west of the Blue Ridge. The Susanna Vance, spinster, who was arrested and incarcerated in the early months of the court record of this case seems to be a daughter of John Vance, son of Abner. John had been living in Floyd Co KY , which was next door to Russell County, VA. On I Feb 1813, John and a Mary Wilson had applied for a marriage license, John was 33 years old and I believe this was John's second marriage. Susanna Vance, spinster, was released from jail in Russell County on April 16, 1818 and on August 17, 1818 in Floyd County, KY a subpoena was issued against John Vance to appear and show why his children shall not be bound out as the law directs and the sheriff is directed that on the service of the same he take possession of the said children, named William and Susanna, and have them here at the next court. Annals of Floyd County Kentucky 1800-1826 by Chas. C. Wells. I believe this was the girl involved in the incident. In 15 years of searching for Abner Vance I have never found anything to document he was a preacher as is often claimed, during the trials he was called Labourer. I have never found him serving in the Revolutionary War, just taking the Oath of Allegiance as stated earlier in this article, which was about like registering for the draft now. I have never found any hint of him owning the thousands of acres of land he is said to have owned in present Logan County WV and he surely did not hide from Virginia law enforcement officers for two years after the shooting, the record plainly shows him sitting in jail for that period of time. I have never found anything to indicate he was half Indian as often claimed, on the Oath of Allegiance papers and on the tax records I've located he was listed as white. I have never found anything to cause me to think he had been married before his marriage to Susannah Howard, I'm still searching for any marriage record for him. And finally, I've never found a pardon, but did find the earlier mentioned newspaper article, it seems to me that if a pardon had been granted him a copy of it would be somewhere and that it would have surely been news worthy and certainly mentioned in the report of his death and none was. I have searched every nook and cranny within the realm of possibilities for this supposed pardon to hide, it can not be found. If anyone has a copy of Abner Vance's pardon the VFA and I would surely like to see it. Judge Elihu Sutherland of Dickenson County Virginia wrote "William Vance, of Sword's Creek (Russell County, VA), a descendant of Abner Vance, said in 1927: "As I have been told by older people Vance did not kill the Horton he aimed to kill. His mind was to kill Daniel, but Lewis put himself in the way and provoked the old man until he told him to go away or he would kill him, and Horton run and crossed the Clinch (River), a distance of about 200 yards and told the old man to "shoot and be dammed ". The old man fired and Horton rolled off his horse into the river." Abner Vance's court records are in Order Book 5 and 6 at Russell County Virginia Court House, Lebanon, VA. THE VANCE SONG taken from the Sweet Bird Songbook Green are the woods where Sandy flows, and peace it dwelleth there. In the valley, the deer, they like secure and the red buck roam everywhere. But Vance no more shall Sandy behold, nor drink of it's crystal wave. The partial judge has pronounced his doom, the hunter has found his grave. The judge said he was my friend, though Elliot's life I saved. A jury man, I did become, that, Elliot, he might live. The friendship that I have shown to others has not been shown to me. Humanity, it belongs to the brave and I hope it remains with me. It was by the advice of McFarland that Judge Johnson did me call. I was taken from my native home and placed in yon stone wall. My persecutors have gained their quest, they promised to make good. They swore that they would never rest till they had gained my life's blood. There are David Horton, Bob and Bill, a lie against me swore, in order to take my life away that I might be no more. But they and I must meet when Gabriel's trump shall blow. Perhaps I shall rest in Abraham's breast while they roll in the gulf below. I killed a man, I don't deny, he threatened to kill me. And for this I am condemned to die, the jury all agree. But, I and they together must meet when all things are made known. And if I have shed innocent blood, I hope mercy will he shown. Bright shines the sun over Clinch's hills, so soft the west wind blows. The valley, it is covered all over with bloom, perfumed by the sweet red rose. But Vance no more shall Sandy behold nor smell it's sweet perfume. This day his eyes must close in death, his body conveyed to the tomb. Farewell, my friends and children, dear. To you I bid farewell. The love I have for your precious souls no mortal tongue can tell. Farewell, my true and loving wife, to you I bid adieu, and when I reach fair Cannan's shore, I'll wait and watch for you. Abner Vance is said to have sang this song just before he was executed, I worked with the Southwest Virginia Folk Lore Society at Appalachia, VA to have this formally acknowledged as the oldest song, still in existence which was written west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have both printed and oral copies of the song and will send them to anyone interested. I welcome any corrections or additions, Feel free to contact me at any time. Grace Dotson mellybelly1414added this on 28 Dec 2012 mary3mckeeoriginally submitted this to Farrior RoBards Family Tree on 22 Apr 2011 The story of Abner Vance's trials and execution with a transcript of the song he wrote and sang at his hanging. Source: http://abnervance.com/ ______________________________________ Abner's Song - a history and transcript 1819 , West Virginia Abner's song is said to be the oldest existing American folk song. Follow this link at amazon.com to see some pages from Folksongs from the South, by John Harrington Cox: http://books.google.com/books?id=65a-L5bqEX4C&pg=PA207&lpg=PA207&dq=Abner+Vance+f olk+song&source=bl&ots=ictT0rx_2u&sig=wHUcanbhd9rEi8_S7vlLEO1SUoA&hl=en&ei=Oc-xT cOmKZTAtgfB5rTwCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAg#v=onepa ge&q&f=false mellybelly1414added this on 28 Dec 2012 mary3mckeeoriginally submitted this to Farrior RoBards Family Tree on 22 Apr 2011 pages from Folksongs from the South, by John Harrington Cox with story and transcripts of Abner's song. _______________________________________ Descendants of Abner Vance 1700s - 1800s , NC/KY/ VA Decendents of Abner Vance (Dau. Elizabeth) DECENDENTS OF ABNER VANCE (1) Abner VANCE was born abt. 1753-63 probably in North Carolina, possibly Buncombe Co. His parents has not definately been proven. There has been some speculation as to his parents., one being Ephraim VAUSE (VANCE) and Theodosia HEWLINGS, but not proven by any official documents or bible records. In 1777 Abner VANCE and Matthew VANCE swore the Oath of Allegiance in Pittsylvania Co. Va. In 1777, a young man had to be 16 years of age before he could take the oath, apparently Abner VANCE was born before 1761. In 1779 Abner VANCE married Susannah HOWARD in Lebanon Va. Russell Co. Susannah was the d/o Abraham HOWARD and Jane (ALLEN). They made their home in Russell Co. Va. and this is where their children were born. Children of Abner VANCE and Susannah HOWARD: (2) John VANCE b. 1781 (2) Tabitha "Tabby" VANCE b. 1782 (2) William VANCE b. 1789 (2) Adina VANCE b. 1791 (2) Richard VANCE b. 1792 (2) James H. VANCE b. 1784 (2) Elizabeth VANCE b. 1794 (2) Abner VANCE Jr. b. 1796 (2) Millie "Mary" VANCE b. 1796 (2) Sarah VANCE b. 1811 (2) Acenthia VANCE b. (2) Minerva VANCE b. 1811 (2) Nancy VANCE b. 1794 (2) Elijah VANCE b. 1803 (2) Isabella VANCE b. 1815 ______________________________________________________________________________ This line continues with Abner's daughter Elizabeth (Betty) VANCE: (2) Elizabeth VANCE (Abner 1) was born 1794 in Russell Co. Va. She died aft. 1850 in Logan Co. WVa. She was never married. Apparently the honor of Elizabeth VANCE was what eventually lead to the hanging of Abner VANCE Sr. on 16-Jul-1819 in Washington Co. Va. Children of Elizabeth VANCE: (3) Mary VANCE b. 1831 (3) Nancy A. VANCE b. 1813 (3) James "Bad Jim" VANCE b. 1832 (3) Richard VANCE b. 1822 (3) Zeb VANCE b. (3) Phoebe VANCE b. 1812 (3) Sarah VANCE b. 1815 -- (3) Mary VANCE (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1831. She married Valentine "River Wall" HATFIELD. Children of Mary VANCE and Valentine "River Wall" HATFIELD: (3) Nancy A. VANCE (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1813. She married Ephraim "Big Eaf" HATFIELD 28-Aug-1828 in Pike Co. Ky. Children of Nancy A. VANCE and Ephraim "Big Eaf" HATFIELD: (4) William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD b. 1839. (4) Ellison HATFIELD b. 1841 (4) Valentine HATFIELD b. 1834 (4) Elizabeth HATFIELD b. 1836 (4) Martha Matilda HATFIELD b. 1838 (4) Elias HATFIELD b. 1845 (4) Emma HATFIELD b. 1847 (4) Biddy HATFIELD b. 1849 (4) Smith HATFIELD b. 1854 (4) Patterson HATFIELD b. 1854 (4) William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 9-Sep-1839. He died 6-Jan-1921 in Logan Co. WVa. He married Levicy CHAFIN. Levicy CHAFIN died 1929. She is the d/o Nathan CHAFIN and Matilda VARNEY. Notes for William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD: William Anderson HATFIELD was the recognized leader of the HATFIELD clan in the feud with the MCCOY'S. Children of William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD and Levicy CHAFIN: (5) Johnson HATFIELD b. 1862. (5) William Anderson HATFIELD Jr. b. 1864 (5) Robert E. Lee HATFIELD b. 1867. (5) Nancy "Nannie" A. HATFIELD b. 1869. (5) Elliott Rutherford HATFIELD "Dr." b. 1872. (5) Mary HATFIELD b. 1873. (5) Elizabeth HATFIELD b. 1875. (5) Elias HATFIELD b. 1878. (5) Detroit HATFIELD b. 1881. (5) Joseph HATFIELD b. 1883. (5) Rosada HATFIELD b. 1885. (5) Emanuel Willis Wilson HATFIELD b. 1888. (5) Tennyson HATFIELD b. 1890. -- (5) Johnson HATFIELD (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1862. -- (5) William Anderson HATFIELD Jr. (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1864. -- (5) Robert E. Lee HATFIELD (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1867. -- (5) Nancy "Nannie" A. HATFIELD (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1869, She married John Totten VANCE on 16-May-1889 in Logan Co. WVa. Notes for John Totten VANCE: He shot and killed a man in 1897 and went to prison for 10 years. Children of Nancy "Nannie" A. HATFIELD and John Totten VANCE: -- (5) Elliott Rutherford HATFIELD "Dr." (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1872. -- (5) Mary HATFIELD (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1873. -- (5) Elizabeth HATFIELD (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1875. -- (5) Elias HATFIELD (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1878. -- (5) Detroit HATFIELD (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1881. -- (5) Joseph HATFIELD (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1883. -- (5) Rosada HATFIELD (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1885. -- (5) Emanuel Willis Wilson HATFIELD (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1888. -- (5) Tennyson HATFIELD (William Anderson "Devil Anse" HATFIELD 4) (Nancy A. "VANCE" HATFIELD 3) (Elizabeth VANCE 2) (Abner VANCE 1) was born 1890. -- (4) Ellison HATFIELD (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1841. He died 9-Aug-1882 in Mingo Co. WVa. He married Sarah Ann STATON. Sarah Ann STATON was born 2-Feb-1844 in Pike Co. Ky. She died 29-Nov-1935 in Mingo Co. WVa. She was the d/o William STATON and Nancy MCCOY. Notes for Ellison HATFIELD: His death was the cause for the ritual killing of the 3 MCCOY boys by the HATFIELD'S in the feud. Children of Ellison HATFIELD and Sarah Ann STATON: (5) Elliott "Indian" HATFIELD b. 1866 (5) Valentine HATFIELD b. 1868 (5) Mary "Polly" HATFIELD b. 1870 (5) Imogene "Emma Jane" HATFIELD b. 1872 (5) Floyd S. HATFIELD b. 1872 (5) Nancy HATFIELD b. 1876 (5) Lydia HATFIELD b. 1878 (5) Louis Wetzel HATFIELD b. 1879 (5) Easter HATFIELD b. 1880 (5) Andrew Kirk HATFIELD b. 1882 -- (5) Elliott "Indian" HATFIELD (Ellison 4) (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 21-Oct-1866 In Logan Co. WVa. He died 23-Oct-1939 in Mingo Co. WVa. He married Matilda Vicie CHRISTIAN 24-Dec-1885 In Logan Co. WVa. Matilda Vicie CHRISTIAN was born 10-May-1865, she died 1-Dec-1939. Children of Elliott "Indian" HATFIELD and Matilda Vicie CHRISTIAN: -- (5) Valentine HATFIELD (Ellison 4) (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born Apr-1868. He died 28-Dec-1950. He married America HATFIELD . America HATFIELD was the d/o James MADISON and Nancy HATFIELD. Children of Valentine HATFIELD and America HATFIELD: -- (5) Mary "Polly" HATFIELD (Ellison 4) (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1870. -- (5) Imogene "Emma Jane" HATFIELD (Ellison 4) (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1872. She married Lionel Preston SMITH. Children of Imogene "Emma Jane" HATFIELD and Lionel Preston SMITH: -- (5) Floyd S. HATFIELD (Ellison 4) (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1872 in Logan Co. WVa. He died 16-May-1949 in Mingo Co. WVa. He married 1st: Chloe SAMSON 7-Mar-1893. Chloe SAMSON was born 1872 in Pike Co. Ky. He married 2nd: Minda Varney FERRELL on 14-Feb-1898 in Mingo Co. WVa. Minda Varney FERRELL was born 24-Dec-1875 in Logan Co. WVa. Children of Floyd S. HATFIELD and Chloe SAMSON: Children of Floyd S. HATFIELD and Minda Varney FERRELL: -- (5) Nancy HATFIELD (Ellison 4) (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1876. -- (5) Lydia HATFIELD (Ellison 4) (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1878. -- (5) Louis Wetzel HATFIELD (Ellison 4) (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born Apr-1879 in Logan Co. WVa. He died 1924. He married Irene Virginia LONG on 14-Jul-1909. Irene Virginia LONG was born 15-Oct-1885 in Va. She died 22-Feb-1970 in Mingo Co. WVa. She was the d/o Jerry LONG. Children of Louis Wetzel HATFIELD and Irene Virginia LONG: -- (5) Easter HATFIELD (Ellison 4) (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1880. -- (5) Andrew Kirk HATFIELD (Ellison 4) (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 21-Mar-1882. He died 26-May-1967 in Mingo Co. WVa. He married 1st: Lizzie WRIGHT in 1904. Lizzie WRIGHT was born in 1883. He married 2nd: Mary J. MURPHY in 1906. Mary J. MURPHY was born 1885. He married 3rd: Agatha BROTHERTON 5-Feb-1917. Agatha BROTHERTON was born 1885, she died 13-Oct-1975. Children of Andrew Kirk HATFIELD and Lizzie WRIGHT: Children of Andrew Kirk HATFIELD and MJary J. MURPHY: Children of Andrew Kirk HATFIELD and Agatha BROTHERTON: -- (4) Valentine HATFIELD (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1834. He married Jane MAYNARD. Children of Valentine HATFIELD and Jane MAYNARD: -- (4) Elizabeth HATFIELD (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1836. -- (4) Martha Matilda HATFIELD (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1838, She married Henderson VARNEY. Children of Martha Matilda HATFIELD and Henderson VARNEY: -- (4) Elias HATFIELD (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1845. he married Elizabeth CHAFIN. Children of Elias HATFIELD and Elizabeth CHAFIN: -- (4) Emma HATFIELD (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) Was born 1847. She married Preston SMITH. Children of Emma HATFIELD and Preston SMITH: -- (4) Biddy HATFIELD (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1849. -- (4) Smith HATFIELD (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1854. -- (4) Patterson HATFIELD (Nancy 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1854. He married Lucretia RICHARDS. Children of Patterson HATFIELD and Lucretia RICHARDS. ______________________________________________________________________________ (3) James "Bad Jim" VANCE (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1832. He died 1888. He married Mary COLLINS. Notes for James VANCE: Listed in 1850 census with Elizabeth age 56, household #370 his wife Mary COLLINS and daughter Jane VANCE. Listed in 1870 Census as age 40, would have been born in 1830. Children of James "Bad Jim" VANCE and Mary COLLINS: (4) Jane VANCE b. 1849 -- (4) Jane VANCE (James "Bad Jim" 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1849. She married Evans FERRELL. Children of Jane VANCE and Evans FERRELL: -- (3) Richard VANCE (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 30-Jan-1822 in Russell Co. Va. He died 21-Jan-1863. He married Mary "Polly" STATON 4-Apr-1839 in Logan Co Va.. Mary "Polly" STATON was born 9-Sep-1823 in Pike Co. Ky. She died 9-Jun-1923. Notes for Mary "Polly" STATON: I have two sets of parents for her: Charles STATON and ?? KESSEE, : William STATON and Nancy MCCOY. Children of Richard VANCE and Mary "Polly" STATON: (4) Elizabeth VANCE b. 1842 (4) Nancy VANCE b. 1843 (4) Elijah VANCE b. 1846 (4) Anna Arminda VANCE b. 1848 (4) Piety VANCE b. 1850 (4) Joseph VANCE b. 1853 (4) Henry G. VANCE b. 1855 (4) Eliza VANCE b. 1860 -- (4) Elizabeth VANCE (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 26-Feb-1842. She married 1st: Mathias H. REED on 3-Jan-1861. She married 2nd: Joseph ROBERTS. Children of Elizabeth VANCE and Mathias H. REED: Children of Elizabeth VANCE and Joseph ROBERTS: -- (4) Nancy VANCE (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 29-Dec-1843 She died 4-Feb-1920. She married John D. CHRISTIAN 19-Mar-1860. John D. CHRISTIAN was born 29-Sep-1841. Children of Nancy VANCE and John D. CHRISTIAN: (5) Richard CHRISTIAN b. 1861 -- (5) Richard CHRISTIAN (Nancy 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 11-Nov-1861, He died 8-Apr-1943. He married Darah BARNES. Dara BARNES was born 6-Dec-1852, She died 30-Jan-1920. Children of Richard CHRISTIAN and Darah BARNES: (6) William CHRISTIAN b. 1883 -- (6) William CHRISTIAN (Richard 5) (Nancy 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 10-Aug-1883, He died 29-Jul-1960. he married Nancy A. COLEMAN. Nancy A. COLEMAN was born Oct-1888, She died 10-Aug-1911. Children of William CHRISTIAN and Nancy A. COLEMAN: (7) Minni CHRISTIAN b. 1910 -- (7) Minni CHRISTIAN (William 6) (Richard 5) (Nancy 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 25-Jan-1910. She married Oran J. DUNCAN. Oran J. DUNCAN was born 5-Jul-1898. Children of Minni CHRISTIAN and Oran J. DUNCAN: (8) Odell G. DUNCAN b. 1930 -- (8) Odell G. DUNCAN (Minni 7) (William 6) (Richard 5) (Nancy 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 4-Mar-1930, She died 31-Dec-1992. She married Raymond BUSHNELL. Raymond BUSHNELL was born 30-Dec-1921, He died 8-Sep-1988. Children of Odell G. DUNCAN and Raymond BUSHNELL: (9) Janice BUSHNELL b. 1947 -- (9) Janice BUSHNELL (Odell 8) (Minni 7) (William 6) (Richard 5) (Nancy 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 10-Nov-1947, She married Niels L. MARTIN. Niels L. MARTIN was born 6-Feb-1943. Children of Janice BUSHNELL and Niels L. MARTIN: -- (4) Elijah VANCE (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 28-Feb-1846 in Iaeger WV., he died 21-Mar-1933. He married 1st: Isabel "Ibby" W. CLINE 14-Apr-1869. Isabel "Ibby" W. CLINE was born 12-Apr-1845, she died 22-Aug-1894. Elijah VANCE married 2nd: Eliza Jane ENGLAND she died 10-May-1921. Children of Elijah VANCE and Isabel "Ibby" W. CLINE: (5) John VANCE b. 1868 (5) James VANCE b. 1871 (5) Johnson VANCE b. 1888 (5) Michael VANCE b. 1873 (5) Elijah (Elias) VANCE b. 187? (5) William A. VANCE b. 1877 (5) Lanty VANCE b. 1882 (5) Leander VANCE b. 1885 (5) Richard VANCE "Dick" b. Children of Elijah VANCE and Eliza Jane ENGLAND: (5) Arthur VANCE b. 1897 (5) Luther VANCE b. 1898 (5) Ella L. VANCE b. 1900 (5) Henry VANCE b. 1901 (5) Willie Oka VANCE b. 1903 (5) J. C. VANCE b. 1905 (5) Ray Alton VANCE b. 1906 -- (5) John VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 19-Mar-1868. -- (5) James VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) Was born 3-May-1871. -- (5) Johnson VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 8-May-1888. -- (5) Michael VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 28-Oct-1873, he died 18-Sep-1901. -- (5) Elijah (Elias) VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 29-Aug-187?. He married Elsie BAILEY. Children of Elijah (Elias) VANCE and Elsie BAILEY: -- (5) William A. VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 3-Aug-1877, he died 24-Sep-1902. -- (5) Lanty VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 3-Mar-1882, he died 29-Dec-1921. -- (5) Leander VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 14-Apr-1885. -- (5) Richard "Dick" VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born. -- (5) Arthur VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 25-Apr-1897. -- (5) Luther VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 8-Oct-1898. -- (5) Ella L. VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 21-Apr-1900. -- (5) Henry VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 6-Oct-1901. -- (5) Willie Oka VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 8-Jan-1903. -- (5) J. C. VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 10-May-1905. -- (5) Ray Alton VANCE (Elijah 4) (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 8-Nov-1906. -- (4) Anna Arminda VANCE (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 12-Mar-1848 in Va. -- (4) Piety VANCE (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 21-Dec-1849. She married Gordon ROBERTS. Gordon Roberts was s/o Joseph ROBERTS that married Piety's sister Elizabeth. Children of Piety VANCE and Gordon ROBERTS: -- (4) Joseph VANCE (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 24-Apr-1853. He married Prisa ROBERTS. Prisa ROBERTS was the d/o Joseph ROBERTS that married Josephs sister Elizabeth. Children of Joseph VANCE and Prisa ROBERTS: --(4) Henry VANCE (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 5-Apr-1855. --(4) Eliza VANCE (Richard 3) (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1859. She married George LAWRENCE. Children of Eliza VANCE and George ROBERTS: -- -- (3) Zeb VANCE (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born. -- (3) Phoebe Easter VANCE (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born abt. 1812, She married Ephraim HATFIELD. Children of Phoebe Easter VANCE and Ephraim HATFIELD: (3) Sarah VANCE (Elizabeth 2) (Abner 1) was born 1815. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This picture was taken somewhere around the turn of the century. This was the Hotel Richlands, located in Richlands, Virginia. At one time it was used as a college, and it was also used as the Mattie Williams Hospital. It is no longer standing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Contact Information E-mail Me At: tinylesmall@yahoo.com Tim Vance "Tim" mellybelly1414added this on 28 Dec 2012 mary3mckeeoriginally submitted this to Farrior RoBards Family Tree on 22 Apr 2011 Descendants of Abner Vance, with ties to the Hatfields. Source: http://timothyv.tripod.com/index-16.html The Vance Song- The first Gallows Pole? The Vance Song This story is a Microsoft Word document. To read this story, you will need to download it to your computer. mellybelly1414added this on 2 Aug 2012 CSands65originally submitted this to Burgess Crawford Lundberg on 10 Apr 2011 I think the history of family is what makes them come alive. This particular song was written… [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online., Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for Ephraim Vance [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online., Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for James Howard Vance History of Logan Co, Va (WV) by Ragland History of Logan County, W.Va by Henry Clay RaglandChapters 13-22 - The Russell County was formed from Washington, in 1788; Wyeth from Montgomery, in 1790; Kanawha from Wythe and Greenbrier (which was formed from Montgomery in 1778), in 1792; Monroe from Montgomery and Greenbrier, in 1799; Tazewell from Wythe and Russell, in 1799; Giles from Montgomery, Tazewell and Monroe in 1898; and Cabell from Kanawha, in 1809. The territory of Logan, as it exists today, was part of Fincastle from 1738 to 1776, then a part of Montgomery until 1790, a part of Wythe until 1792, a part of Kanawha until 1809, when it became a part of Cabell and remained as such until it was organized into a county in 1823.(Logan is beside Wyoming & Mingo Counties, WV, now) Upon the passage of the law in 1792, referred to in our last chapter, the owners of grants made before that time, saw the necessity of seeding and cultivating the lands which had been patented to them before the expiration of the period to which that right had been extended (1799), and at once went to work to get some one to take charge of their lands. In the company of John Breckenridge, at the time of the battle of the Islands, was one James Workman, who in addition to being a gallant soldier, was in every respect a trustworthy gentleman. Breckenridge, as soon as possible, employed him to take charge of his survey at the Islands (Logan C.H.) and in 1794, James Workman with his brothers Joseph and Nimrod, built a cabin on the Island and planted a few acres of corn. They planted the same land again in 1795 and 1796, and in the fall of the latter year. James Workman, who was a man of family, moved his wife and children from their old home in Wythe (now Tazewell), and settled on the Island, where the three brothers continued to live until the year 1800, when they moved upon the farm now occupied by Henry Mitchell. More will be said of this family in a future chapter. Genealogical Section The first permanent settlement of which we have any record was commenced by William Dingess, a son of Peter Dingess, a Montgomery county [?], in the year 1799. Peter Dingess was a German, but just when or under what circumstances he came to America, is shrouded in doubt, which will never be dispelled. One account given us by one of his prominent descendants, is, that he came to this country before the War of the Revolution and settled in Montgomery County, and in evidence of this, furniture etc., brought with him from the "Fader Land," is pointed out; especially a finely finished bureau, which was, for a long time, an heirloom in the family, and a peculiar shaped gourd which was grown in Germany, and used by his son John Dingess as a powder gourd, within the memory of the present generation. Another account given us by William A. Dingess, one of his grandsons, is, that some time between the years 1750 and 1760, that his parents with their family embarked for America, that fell disease carried off his parents on the voyage, that he and a sister landed at Baltimore, neither of whom could speak a word of English, that from some cause they became separated, and that he never saw her or heard of her again. That wandering about the streets, homeless and alone, a merchant from Montgomery County, Virginia, took charge of him and brought him to Montgomery, where he grew up and married a wife, and afterwards served in the War of the Revolution. It is impossible to say which story is correct, but of one thing we are assured, and that is, that he lived in Montgomery County, Virginia, and raised a family of eleven children, four boys and seven girls and died there in 1800. The names of his sons were William, Peter, John and Charles A., and his daughters, Harriet, Betsy, Susan, Nancy, Sallie, Peggy and Polly, who intermarried with Sam Peck, John McClaugherty, William Henderson, David French, (who was, for a long while Clerk of the Courts of Giles County), Ezekiel Smith, William Smith and James Bright, who emigrated to Tennessee, and was the father of John Morgan Bright, who for twelve years represented Tennessee in Congress. Charles A., died unmarried in Mercer County, Col. Napoleon B. French, a son of David French, is still living in Mercer County, aged 96 years. William Dingess, the oldest of the family, was born in Montgomery County in 1776, and married Nancy McNeeley, and purchasing of John Breckenridge the survey of 300 acres which covers the present site of Logan Courthouse, and a portion of the farm across the river where Mrs. J. W. Desking now lives, moved upon it in 1799, and built a residence where J. S. Miller now lives; the old chimney of which is still standing. John Dempsey came with him and build a cabin on the little island, but afterwards moved to Island Creek, near where Sam Jackson now lives. William Dingess was said to be almost a giant in strength, but so peaceable that no one could induce him to fight. While he was born at too late a date to engage in the Indian warfare on the border, he, on one occasion, joined in the pursuit of a band of Indian marauders and followed them as far as the Falls of Guyan, where, killing an Indian, he took off a part of his hide, out of which he made a razor strap, and kept it during his lifetime. He had no children by his wife, but was the reputed father of a child born to Katie McComas, who was always known as Peter Dingess, and was for a long time regarded as the best physician in Logan County. Katie McComas was also the mother of the late John Garrett, of Big Creek, one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Logan County. In the year 1800, Peter Dingess and John Dingess, brothers of William Dingess, joined him and became permanent settlers, of whom more will be said hereafter. Some time in the next year or two Captain Henry Farley, of Montgomery County, who had served with distinction in the War of the Revolution, and who has been heretofore mentioned as the leader of the whites in the pursuit of the Indians in 1792; with Garland Conley, who had married his eldest daughter, Bettie, settled at the mouth of Peach Creek. He brought with him three stalwart sons and five marriageable daughters, and as might have been expected, the big house at the mouth of Peach Creek, and it was said to have been the largest house in the country, was always full. Of what tales that never grow old were told, we have no record, and the man in the moon has never divulged the vows which he witnessed, yet we know that enough was said to divide the happiness of Captain Farley's home among five families. The blushing Sallie became the wife of Peter Dingess during the year 1806, and they set up housekeeping just across the river where Mrs. John W. Deskins now lives, and to the happy couple there was born, on the 30th day of October 1806, William Anderson Dingess, who, during a long and useful life (dying December 13th, 1893, in his eighty-eighth year) bore the proud distinction of being the first white child born in Logan County. The other children born to this marriage were John, who intermarried with Sallie Moore; Guy, who married Rhoda Toney; Charles F., who married Betty Toney, both of these were the daughters of William and Polly (Caperton) Toney; Polly, who married Lewis Lawson; Matilda, who married James Lawson, both sons of Anthony Lawson; Julyantes, who married Charles Smoot; Minerva, who married W. W. McDonald; and Hattlett [Harriett?], who married John Justice. Peter Dingess was a prominent citizen and was for a long while one of the justices of Cabell County. Another one of the blooming daughters of Capt. Farley, (Chloe), intermarried with John Dingess, who then settled near his father-in-law, at the mouth of Peach Creek. His children were William, who married a daughter of Josiah Stollings; Julius, who married a daughter of Ben Smith; Harvey, who married a daughter of Joseph Adams; Henderson, who married a daughter of Joseph Adams; John and Peter, both of whom married daughters of Washington Adams; Sallie, who married James Butcher; Peggy, who married John Gore; and Nancy, who married William Chapman, all of whom are dead except Sallie and Henderson. All of them except David had a large off-spring. The daughters of Captain Henry Farley were Judith, who married Thomas Thompson, and, who, after the death of Thompson, married Robert Hensley; Matilda, who married Carter T. Clark; and Mary, who first married Stephen Hensley, and afterwards married Pryyhus McGinnis. Of his three sons, John and Thomas, both married Miss Pinsons of Kentucky, and William was married four times, first marrying Bettie Phillips, second Phoebe Muncy, third Polly Williams, and fourth, Jane Jones. All of them left large families, and with the Dingesses constituted one of the largest family connections in Logan County, and more will be said of them hereafter. At about the same time that Captain Farley settled at the mouth of Peach Creek, Richard Kezee, another hero of the Revolution, built a cabin near the present residence of Major William Stratton and the branch which flowed past the old homestead still bears the euphonious name of Kezee. His descendants all moved to the State of Kentucky, and many of them are now living in Pike County, of that state. About the same time David McNeeley settled where Floyd Buchanan now lives, and afterwards moved upon the farm now owned by J. E. Robertson. For some reason he was nick-named "Jagger," and the place, to which he removed on Robertson's farm was called "Jaggerstown." His descendants are quite numerous, and the name is familiar not only in Logan, but in all the surrounding counties, and many of them at an early day went with the "Course of Empire" westward. Among his descentants is Rev. John Green McNeeley, the present pastor of the Desciples Church of Aracoma. Richard Elkins, of Montgomery, also came with William Dingess and settled near the big island on Island Creek. The island was covered with a heavy growth of cane, and Elkins leased it from Dingess and cleared it out, and the first year that he cultivated it in corn he raised three thousand bushels, or about one hundred bushels to the acre. (a few acres of the Island had been cleared before that time by the Workman brothers heretofore mentioned, and cultivated in corn.) He was also the father of a large family his wife being a Miss Maguire, of Montgomery. His sons were Archibald, who married a Miss Gillaspie, of Tazewell, James, who married his cousin - a daughter of Zach Elkins, of Hewett; Robert, who married the widow of Edward McDonald and who was formerly a Miss Harvey; Israel, who married a daughter of William Browning; Richard, Jr., who married a Miss May, and Eddie and Harvey, whose wives are unknown. His daughters were Lucretia, who married James White; Martha, who married Elijah Elkins (son of Wm. Elkins, of Newett); Nancy, who married William Walls; Susannah, who married John White, (son of Jack), and Hannah, who married William Moore, of Tazewell. This last mentioned couple joined the Mormons and were with Joe Smith at Nauvoo. Zach and William Elkins, brothers of Richard Elkins, settled on Hewett and, like Richard, had numerous descendants, but we are unable to give their names. From these three brothers, however, are descended the Elkins family of Logan and adjoining counties. [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XVIII William Hinchman settled near the mouth of Rich Creek, on the farm now owned by his son, George Hinchman, about the year 1814. He was the son of William Hinchman, an English sailor, and was born in Dorchester, Maryland, about 1770. He was too young to enter the army at the time of the Revolution, but was in hearing of the guns of Yorktown; and was familiar with the stirring events of the time when America desired to be independent [text missing] county, Virginia, now Monroe County, West Virginia, about the close of the last century, when he married Mary Ann Perry, a daughter of John Perry, who had emigrated from the north of Ireland. After several of his children were born he came, as we have seen, to the mouth of Rich Creek. His sterling worth was seen and appreciated by the people and he was soon made one of the Justices of Cabell County, and upon the organization of Logan County he became a member of its first County Court. His children by his first marriage, were John K., who married the daughter of Ben White; Cyrus, who married a daughter of F. R. Pennell; Hiram, who married a daughter of Thomas Riggins; Milton, who married a daughter of Ben Cary; William, who first married a Miss Seymour, then a Miss Hatfield, and as a third wife a Miss Chapman; Dr. Ulysses, who married a Miss McDonald; James Harvey, who married a Miss Gore; Elizabeth, who married Benjamin Smith; Amanda, who married Robert Clendenin; Sarah, who married Ira Chambers, and Mero, who married Levi Gore. After the death of his first wife William Hinchman, Sr., married Nancy Stollings, and the children of this marriage were Floyd, who married first a Miss Chambers, and after her death a Miss Mangus; Nancy Ann, who married Joseph Scaggs; Penelope, who married George Claypool; Risby, who married Thomas Nelson Ballard, and Edna, who died single. Of the first children of William Hinchman, John K., Cyrus, Hiram and Milton moved to the State of Michigan, William moved to the county of Cabell, Dr. Ulysses was a practicing physician and held many offices of public trust, and was several times elected as a member of the West Virginia Legislature; James Harvey, who is still living, was a successful farmer, a member of the West Virginia Legislature, and at different times held other important offices in the county. F. R. Pinnell was another one of the early settlers. He settled on the farm where James Buchanan now lives and where Dr. Ulysses Hinchman lived and died. He was the first surveyor of Logan County, which position he held for several years. He had a large family of children who went with him to Michigan, where the old man died a few years ago at the ripe old age of ninety-eight years. Archelaus Mitchell, who married a Miss Goodwin, of Montgomery County, Virginia, settled on Buffalo Creek about the year 1812. His sons were Jordan who married a Miss Gore, of Montgomery County, Virginia; Gustavus, who moved to Smyth County, Virginia, and Micajah, who married a daughter of Absalo Elkins, of Huss Creek, and then moved to Kanawha County. Jordan Mitchell had four sons, James, John, Archelaus and Micajah, and four daughters, Mary, who married Patterson Christian; Victoria, who married Curtis Ballard; Isabella, who married Paren Christian, and Emaline, who married Anthony Jarrell. Absalom Elkins settled on Huffs Creek about 1815. His sons were Henry, Thomas, William, Isaiah and Uriah Watson. His daughters were Mahala, who married Eli Trent; Peggy, who married Edward Mason, and Frances, who married Micajah Mitchell. Absalom Elkins died about two years ago, after having just passed his hundreth year. Some time not far from the beginning of 1820, Thomas Christian, a nephew of Col. Wm. Christian, of Montgomery, settled at the mouth of Huffs Creek on the survey made for John Seets. He married a daughter of Alexander Pine, of Montgomery County. His [sic] Alexander Pine took his name from the fact that a gentleman by the name of Alexander found him while an infant of only a few days under a pine tree where he had been left, and his parents were never discovered. Thomas Christian was the father of three sons (James, Thomas and Allen) and several daughters, all of whom, except James, moved with their father to Kentucky about the year 1824. James, who was born in 1800, married a Miss Anne More [sic], and remained in the county. He was a member of the first county court of Logan County, and held many positions of trust, all of which he filled to the satisfaction of the people. He was the last survivor of the first court, and died in 1892 in the 93rd year of his age, leaving an honorable name and numerous descendants, among whom are Patterson Christian, who was for a long while one of the justices of the county, and is at present a member of the county court; Paren Christian, one of the leading citizens of the county, and Rev. Byron Christian, who was for many years a minister of the M. E. Church, South. His daughters married R. P. Spratt and D. P. Ellis. Isaac Spratt, of Tazewell County, first settled at the mouth of Gilbert Creek, on the survey made for Edward Crawford. He married Kate Buchanan, of Tazewell, and to this marriage was born three sons and seven daughters. His sons were John, who married a Miss Perry, of Tazewell; James, who married a Miss Steele, of Tazewell; and Alexander, who married a Miss Rogers, of Tazewell County. His daughters were Jane, who married Francis S. Browning; Amanda, who married Augustus Lecompte; Amelia who married Lewis Lichenett; Kesiah, who married Henry Buchanan; Louisa, who married John Stafford; Kate, who married William Steele, and Flora, who married Lloyd Ellis. Passing up Gilbert Creek, we find, about the year 1806, domiciled in a brand new cabin at the first fork above the mouth, Frederick Trent, of Russell County, Va. He married Agnes Horton of Tazewell County. He had three sons and two daughters. His sons were Humphrey, who married Martha Smith; Eli, who married Mahala Elkins, and Frederick, who married a daughter of Wm Cline. The daughters were Susan, who married Andrew Hatfield, and Sarah, who married Wm. Riffe. The children of Humphrey Trent are Alexander, who married a Miss Mounts; Smith, who married a Miss Cline; Eli, who married a Miss Ellis, and Clarissa, who married Madison Ellis. Some time before Frederick Trent had settled on Gilbert, Thomas Smith, another gentleman from Russell, and a Revolutionary hero, had settled on Horsepen, a creek which had derived its name, as we have seen, from the fact of its having been used as a place to pen the stolen horses of Baker and his Indian allies. The name of the wife of Thomas Smith is not known, but he had a wife and three children where he first settled on Horsepen. His children were John, who first married a Miss Murphy, of Kentucky, and after her death a Miss Charles of Kentucky; Mary who married Peter Cline, and Martha, who married Humphrey Trent. John Smith had by his first wife two sons, viz., Harrington, who married a Miss Mullins, and then moved to Kanawha, and Larkin, who was twice married, and who, having passed his three score and ten years, is still living at the old homestead on Horsepen. His first wife was a Miss Lusk, by whom he had eight children; his second wife was a Miss Trent, by whom he had six children. At what is still known as the Hatfield place on Horsepen, Valentine Hatfield, of Washington County, Va., settled at quite an early day. He was the father of nine sons and three daughters, and from them have sprung many of the Hatfields of the Guyandotte and Sandy Valleys. Valentine Hatfield married a Miss Weddington, and he was a half son of Thomas Smith . His sons were Al, who married a daughter of Ferrell Evans; Joe, who also married a daughter of Ferrell Evans; Ephraim, who married Bette Vance; (This Ephraim Hatfield was one of the quietest men in the county, and was for a long time a justice of the peace, yet he was the father and grandfather of the Hatfields who were engaged in the Hatfield-McCoy feud). Andrew, who married a daughter of Humphrey Trent, and those descendants live in Wyoming county; Thomas, who married a daughter of Frank Evans; John, who married a daughter of Abner Vance; Joseph, who married a daughter of John Toler; (Squire M. Hatfied and James Hatfield are the sons of this marriage.) Jacob who married a daughter of Peter Cline, and Valentine who was never married. Of his three daughters, Phoebe married Alexander Varney; Celia married James Perry, and Jennie married James Justice, who was at one time sheriff of Logan County, and who was the father of John Justice, a prominent merchant in Logan Court House; B. J. Justice, a merchant and timber dealer of Cabell County, and William E. Justice, a merchant at North Spring and at one time a member of the West Virginia Legislature. Joseph Hatfield, a brother of Valentine Hatfield, settled about the same time at Matewan and will be mentioned herefafter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XIX Passing up the Horsepen and on to Island Creek, on the trail used by Baker and his Indians, we find that two brothers and a brother-in-law from North Carolina had made settlements at quite an early date - thought to be about 1812. These brothers were Francis and Edmund Browning and the brother-in-law was Barnabus Curry. Francis Browning, who married a daughter of Abner Vance, of Tazewell County, settled at the mouth of Cow Creek, and was the father of three sons and four daughters. His sons were William E., (known as Buck) who married a Miss Wallace; Jesse, who married a Miss Webb; and Jackson, who went West while a young man. The daughters were Francis, who married John Curry; Rebecca, who married James Browning; Nancy Ann, who married L. D. Hill, and Amy, who married William Ellis. Edmund Browning, who was a Revolutionary soldier, married a Miss Hall, of Washington County, Virginia, and settled where John R. Browning now lives. By his first wife he had two sons and one daughter. His sons were Enoch, who, still a young man, moved to Russell County, Virginia, and Reece, who married a Miss Boyd, of Tennessee. Reece Browning was one of the prominent men of the county, having held, at different time, offices of honor and trust and was a long time major of militia and Sheriff of the county. Reece had but two children - Thomas Edmund, who married a Miss Vance and moved to Missouri, and John Reece, who is still living at the old homestead on Island Creek. Jane, the daughter of Edmund Browning by his first wife, married Thomas Cunningham, of Russell County, Virginia. Edmund Browning married, as a second wife, Miss Robertson, of Russell County. By this marriage he had four sons - Jesse, who married a daughter of Barnabus Curry. He was the father of John L. Kemper, and the late Adam Browning, Mrs. A. H. McDonald and Mrs. Joseph Hatfield and several other sons and daughters. Isaac, who married a daughter of Phillip Ellis; Frank, who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt, of Gilbert; and Edmund, who also married a daughter of Barnabus Curry. Edmund and Frank Browning are still living, aged respectively, 85 and 83. Edmund is the father of George F. Browning, a prominent merchant of Cow Creek, and several other sons and daughters. Barnabus Curry, who as we have already seen, married a Miss Browning, sister of Edmund and Francis Browning, settled on Island Creek, where Thomas Steele now lives. His sons were Robert, who moved to Lincoln County, and is the progenitor of the Currys of that county; John, who married a Miss Browning; Eli, who married a Miss McCoy. After the death of his first wife he married a Miss Pressley, by whom he had several sons and daughters, among whom are Calvin and Victor D. Ralph Steele also from Russell County, Virginia, at an early date, and married a daughter of John Ferrell, of Sandy, and settled where Anderson Hatfield now lives on Island Creek. His sons were Hawkins, who married a Miss Ellis; John, who married a Miss Mounts; William, who married a Miss Spratt; George, who married a Miss Ellis; and Lorenzo D., who married a lady from Tazewell. His daughters were Catherine, who married H. B. Justice and Rebecca, who married Lewis Hinchman. Passing down the creek we find that two brothers - Evans and Phillip Ellis - made settlements about 1811. They were from Monroe County and were descendants of the Evans Ellis who emigrated from Wales in 1730, and settled in the James River Valley. Evans Ellis, who married a Miss Hines, settled near where John T. Vance now lives. His sons were Jacob, who married a daughter of Joseph Gore; Henry, who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt; Lloyd, who also married a daughter of Isaac Spratt; Madison, who married a daughter of Humphrey Trent; and Zatto C., who moved to Roane County. His daughters were Nancy, who married Eli Gore; Catherine, who married Hawkins Steele; Margaret, who married Henderson Bailey; Sallie, who married George, and Evaline, who went to Roane County. Phillip Ellis married a Miss Black and settled where Howard Ellis now lives. His sons were William, who married a daughter of Francis Browning; Squire, who married a daughter of John Vance, and James who married a daughter of William Browning. His daughters were Hannah, who married Thomas Taylor; Christina who married Isaac Browning; Polly who married Thomas Buchanan, who for a long time was Clerk of the Circuit Court of Logan County; and Bettie, who married George Avis, an Englishman, and father of Hugh C., Thomas and Burwell Abis [Avis?] and Mrs. J. E. Robertson, Mrs. Scot Dejarnette, Mrs. Andrew Perry, and the late Mrs. H. S. White. Simpson Ellis, a late member of the County Court, is a son of Lloyd Ellis. Mrs. Martha Straton, of whom mention has been made, settled about the same time, near where Howard Ellis now lives. She married Ben Smith of Buffalo. Joseph Straton was a man of considerable prominence in the county, having represented it in the Legislature of Virginia and Sheriff for a long time. He was the father of William Straton, a prominent lawyer who is still living at Logan Court House, and who was for a long time clerk of the Courts of the county, and for one term, representative of the county in the Legislature of West Virginia and was during the civil war, a major of cavalry in Confederate service. The widow of Joseph Straton moved to Texas where she died a few years ago, leaving their one son, David, and one daughter, Eliza, who married a gentleman named McKean. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XX About the same time that Wm. Hinchman settled at the mouth of Rich Creek, four brothers named Perry came into the county from Monroe. Of these, Jack settled about a mile above Huffs Creek. He was the father of seven sons and two daughters. His sons were Dr. James, who married his cousin, Margaret, a daughter of Joe Perry; Oliber [Oliver?], who married a Miss Haner; Henry, who married a daughter of Jack Chambers; Alexander, who went to Texas and joined the forces of Gen. Houston and was never heard of afterwards; Ephraim, John and Silas, who moved West. Jane married Peter, a son of Conrad Riffe, who was one of the oldest settlers on Upper Tug. Mrs. Riffe is still alive, though about 87 years old, and is the mother of John, Gordon and Patterson Riffe, Mrs. F. M. White and Mrs. Eli Gore. The other daughter of Jack Perry was Mary, who married Richard Chambers. Joe Perry, the next brother settled on Buffalo. He had five sons and four daughters. Of his sons Frank married a Miss Workman; Eli married a Miss Johnson; William and John E., both married Miss Buchanans, and James married a Miss Hatfield. Of his daughters, Margaret married Dr. James Perry, who was at one time Sheriff of the county, and Polly married Rhodes D. Ballard, one of the most prominent and highly esteemed citizens of the county. Mr. Ballard was for years a justice of the peace, and for one term a member of the West Virginia Legislature and was for a long time a member of the county court. He died in 1888, in his 88th year. Jane married Abner Vance and Flora married Amos Workman. Henry Perry, the next brother, settled on Guyandotte River near the mouth of what is now known as Henry's Branch. He moved West and nothing is known of his family. James Perry, the fourth brother, settled at what is still known as the Perry place. He was the Colonel of the Logan County militia for a long while and was among the most prominent men in the county. His sons were Dow, who married a Miss Elkins; Granville, who married a daughter of Carter T. Clark; Preston, who married a daughter of Pyrrhus McGinnis; John A., who married a daughter of John Farley; Oliver, who married a daughter of W. W. McDonald; James, who went West, and Andrew, who enlisted in 1846, in the company of Capt. Elisha McComas, and went to Mexico, and died while still in the service near Vera Cruz. James Perry had two daughters - Mary, who married Maj. Wm. Straton, and Elba, who died unmarried. Jack Perry married a Miss Dixon, of Monroe County; Joe Perry married a Miss Shirkey [?], of Greenbrier County, and James Perry married a Miss Roach, of Monroe County. It is not known who Henry Perry married. They were the sons of John Perry, a native of the north of Ireland, and who has already been mentioned as the father of Mrs. Wm. Hinchman. John Perry had two other daughters, who moved to this county, viz, Bettie, who married Issac [Isaac?] Stollings, of the mouth of Crawley, and Flora, sho married Samuel Canterberry, who afterwards moved to Boone County. John Perry was said to be quite a learned man, and was the author of an arithmetic which was for a long time a text book in the schools of Virginia and North Carolina. Near the same time the Perrys settled here, several other families from North Carolina made settlements on Buffalo and the waters of Spruce, among whom were William Browning, William, John, Tandy and Meredith Burgess and Ben White. William Browning brought with him, in addition to his own family, which consisted of a wife and several daughters, two nephews - Nathaniel and Simeon Browning. He first settled on Buffalo, and while he had no sons to perpetuate his name, he had four daughters. Sarah, who married James Madison White; Lucinda, who married Griffin Canterbury, Peggy, who married Nathaniel Browning and Polly, who married Simeon Browning. Tandy Burgess settled on Buffalo. His sons were Calvin, Hiram and Cornelius. William Burgess moved in Kanawha at an early date. His daughter, Araminia, who married Harrison Chambers, is still living, however, in this county. John Burgess settled on Spruce. His sons were Milton, John A., and Lewis. He had one daughter, (Peggy) who married Russell Trump, of Raleigh County. Meredith Burgess also settled on Spruce. His sons were Fernandus, Jackson, James, George and John W., and his daughters were Polly, who married William McCreeley, and Martha, who married Lewis McDonald. Ben White, who, to distinguish him from Ben White, son of John, who has already been spoken of was known as "Chickawaw Ben." He settled on the farm now owned by Stephen Browning, and was the father of a large family. His sons were Gradon, who married a daughter of William Browning; Russell, who married a Miss Coon; Benjamin Wesley, who married a daughter of Tandy Burgess, and Andrew, who married a daughter of George Ferrell. His daughters were Amanda, who married Oliver Browning; Elizabeth, who married Byron Christian; Nancy, who married a Ferrell, and Paulina, who married Chapman Miller, of Boone County. As has been before stated, James Mitchell and John Miller settled on Turtle Creek about the year 1815. They were brothers-in-law and both were soldiers in the War of 1812. Mitchell was the son of Joshua Mitchell (or Michel,) who came from France with Rochambeau, and served under him at the battle of Yorktown. He married Elizabeth Miller, a daughter of Michael Miller, and his children were Michael, Joshua, a well-known Baptist preacher, and Dr. James, who is living and practicing his profession. John Miller was the son of Michael Miller, a Hessian who deserted his command and joined the American forces, and after the war settled in Montgomery County, Va. John, who married a daughter of Joshua Mitchell, settled where Riland Ballard now lives. He had two sons - Benjamin and Ezekiel. Ezekiel married a daughter of Joshua Mitchell and is the grandfather of C. M. Turley, a prominent attorney of Logan. Last but not least among the men who left their impress upon the people of the Guyandotte Valley was Anthony Lawson, who settled where J. S. Miller now lives, about the year 1823. Anthony Lawson was a native of Northumberland, England, and was born about 1780. Some time about the year 1815 he emigrated to America with his wife and four sons, John, Lewis H., James and Anthony. He remained for a while at Alexandria, Va., where his brother, John, who had preceded him to America, lived. Col. Andrew Bierne, of Lewisburg, soo History of Logan Co, Va (WV) by Ragland History of Logan County, W.Va by Henry Clay RaglandChapters 13-22 - The Russell County was formed from Washington, in 1788; Wyeth from Montgomery, in 1790; Kanawha from Wythe and Greenbrier (which was formed from Montgomery in 1778), in 1792; Monroe from Montgomery and Greenbrier, in 1799; Tazewell from Wythe and Russell, in 1799; Giles from Montgomery, Tazewell and Monroe in 1898; and Cabell from Kanawha, in 1809. The territory of Logan, as it exists today, was part of Fincastle from 1738 to 1776, then a part of Montgomery until 1790, a part of Wythe until 1792, a part of Kanawha until 1809, when it became a part of Cabell and remained as such until it was organized into a county in 1823.(Logan is beside Wyoming & Mingo Counties, WV, now) Upon the passage of the law in 1792, referred to in our last chapter, the owners of grants made before that time, saw the necessity of seeding and cultivating the lands which had been patented to them before the expiration of the period to which that right had been extended (1799), and at once went to work to get some one to take charge of their lands. In the company of John Breckenridge, at the time of the battle of the Islands, was one James Workman, who in addition to being a gallant soldier, was in every respect a trustworthy gentleman. Breckenridge, as soon as possible, employed him to take charge of his survey at the Islands (Logan C.H.) and in 1794, James Workman with his brothers Joseph and Nimrod, built a cabin on the Island and planted a few acres of corn. They planted the same land again in 1795 and 1796, and in the fall of the latter year. James Workman, who was a man of family, moved his wife and children from their old home in Wythe (now Tazewell), and settled on the Island, where the three brothers continued to live until the year 1800, when they moved upon the farm now occupied by Henry Mitchell. More will be said of this family in a future chapter. Genealogical Section The first permanent settlement of which we have any record was commenced by William Dingess, a son of Peter Dingess, a Montgomery county [?], in the year 1799. Peter Dingess was a German, but just when or under what circumstances he came to America, is shrouded in doubt, which will never be dispelled. One account given us by one of his prominent descendants, is, that he came to this country before the War of the Revolution and settled in Montgomery County, and in evidence of this, furniture etc., brought with him from the "Fader Land," is pointed out; especially a finely finished bureau, which was, for a long time, an heirloom in the family, and a peculiar shaped gourd which was grown in Germany, and used by his son John Dingess as a powder gourd, within the memory of the present generation. Another account given us by William A. Dingess, one of his grandsons, is, that some time between the years 1750 and 1760, that his parents with their family embarked for America, that fell disease carried off his parents on the voyage, that he and a sister landed at Baltimore, neither of whom could speak a word of English, that from some cause they became separated, and that he never saw her or heard of her again. That wandering about the streets, homeless and alone, a merchant from Montgomery County, Virginia, took charge of him and brought him to Montgomery, where he grew up and married a wife, and afterwards served in the War of the Revolution. It is impossible to say which story is correct, but of one thing we are assured, and that is, that he lived in Montgomery County, Virginia, and raised a family of eleven children, four boys and seven girls and died there in 1800. The names of his sons were William, Peter, John and Charles A., and his daughters, Harriet, Betsy, Susan, Nancy, Sallie, Peggy and Polly, who intermarried with Sam Peck, John McClaugherty, William Henderson, David French, (who was, for a long while Clerk of the Courts of Giles County), Ezekiel Smith, William Smith and James Bright, who emigrated to Tennessee, and was the father of John Morgan Bright, who for twelve years represented Tennessee in Congress. Charles A., died unmarried in Mercer County, Col. Napoleon B. French, a son of David French, is still living in Mercer County, aged 96 years. William Dingess, the oldest of the family, was born in Montgomery County in 1776, and married Nancy McNeeley, and purchasing of John Breckenridge the survey of 300 acres which covers the present site of Logan Courthouse, and a portion of the farm across the river where Mrs. J. W. Desking now lives, moved upon it in 1799, and built a residence where J. S. Miller now lives; the old chimney of which is still standing. John Dempsey came with him and build a cabin on the little island, but afterwards moved to Island Creek, near where Sam Jackson now lives. William Dingess was said to be almost a giant in strength, but so peaceable that no one could induce him to fight. While he was born at too late a date to engage in the Indian warfare on the border, he, on one occasion, joined in the pursuit of a band of Indian marauders and followed them as far as the Falls of Guyan, where, killing an Indian, he took off a part of his hide, out of which he made a razor strap, and kept it during his lifetime. He had no children by his wife, but was the reputed father of a child born to Katie McComas, who was always known as Peter Dingess, and was for a long time regarded as the best physician in Logan County. Katie McComas was also the mother of the late John Garrett, of Big Creek, one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Logan County. In the year 1800, Peter Dingess and John Dingess, brothers of William Dingess, joined him and became permanent settlers, of whom more will be said hereafter. Some time in the next year or two Captain Henry Farley, of Montgomery County, who had served with distinction in the War of the Revolution, and who has been heretofore mentioned as the leader of the whites in the pursuit of the Indians in 1792; with Garland Conley, who had married his eldest daughter, Bettie, settled at the mouth of Peach Creek. He brought with him three stalwart sons and five marriageable daughters, and as might have been expected, the big house at the mouth of Peach Creek, and it was said to have been the largest house in the country, was always full. Of what tales that never grow old were told, we have no record, and the man in the moon has never divulged the vows which he witnessed, yet we know that enough was said to divide the happiness of Captain Farley's home among five families. The blushing Sallie became the wife of Peter Dingess during the year 1806, and they set up housekeeping just across the river where Mrs. John W. Deskins now lives, and to the happy couple there was born, on the 30th day of October 1806, William Anderson Dingess, who, during a long and useful life (dying December 13th, 1893, in his eighty-eighth year) bore the proud distinction of being the first white child born in Logan County. The other children born to this marriage were John, who intermarried with Sallie Moore; Guy, who married Rhoda Toney; Charles F., who married Betty Toney, both of these were the daughters of William and Polly (Caperton) Toney; Polly, who married Lewis Lawson; Matilda, who married James Lawson, both sons of Anthony Lawson; Julyantes, who married Charles Smoot; Minerva, who married W. W. McDonald; and Hattlett [Harriett?], who married John Justice. Peter Dingess was a prominent citizen and was for a long while one of the justices of Cabell County. Another one of the blooming daughters of Capt. Farley, (Chloe), intermarried with John Dingess, who then settled near his father-in-law, at the mouth of Peach Creek. His children were William, who married a daughter of Josiah Stollings; Julius, who married a daughter of Ben Smith; Harvey, who married a daughter of Joseph Adams; Henderson, who married a daughter of Joseph Adams; John and Peter, both of whom married daughters of Washington Adams; Sallie, who married James Butcher; Peggy, who married John Gore; and Nancy, who married William Chapman, all of whom are dead except Sallie and Henderson. All of them except David had a large off-spring. The daughters of Captain Henry Farley were Judith, who married Thomas Thompson, and, who, after the death of Thompson, married Robert Hensley; Matilda, who married Carter T. Clark; and Mary, who first married Stephen Hensley, and afterwards married Pryyhus McGinnis. Of his three sons, John and Thomas, both married Miss Pinsons of Kentucky, and William was married four times, first marrying Bettie Phillips, second Phoebe Muncy, third Polly Williams, and fourth, Jane Jones. All of them left large families, and with the Dingesses constituted one of the largest family connections in Logan County, and more will be said of them hereafter. At about the same time that Captain Farley settled at the mouth of Peach Creek, Richard Kezee, another hero of the Revolution, built a cabin near the present residence of Major William Stratton and the branch which flowed past the old homestead still bears the euphonious name of Kezee. His descendants all moved to the State of Kentucky, and many of them are now living in Pike County, of that state. About the same time David McNeeley settled where Floyd Buchanan now lives, and afterwards moved upon the farm now owned by J. E. Robertson. For some reason he was nick-named "Jagger," and the place, to which he removed on Robertson's farm was called "Jaggerstown." His descendants are quite numerous, and the name is familiar not only in Logan, but in all the surrounding counties, and many of them at an early day went with the "Course of Empire" westward. Among his descentants is Rev. John Green McNeeley, the present pastor of the Desciples Church of Aracoma. Richard Elkins, of Montgomery, also came with William Dingess and settled near the big island on Island Creek. The island was covered with a heavy growth of cane, and Elkins leased it from Dingess and cleared it out, and the first year that he cultivated it in corn he raised three thousand bushels, or about one hundred bushels to the acre. (a few acres of the Island had been cleared before that time by the Workman brothers heretofore mentioned, and cultivated in corn.) He was also the father of a large family his wife being a Miss Maguire, of Montgomery. His sons were Archibald, who married a Miss Gillaspie, of Tazewell, James, who married his cousin - a daughter of Zach Elkins, of Hewett; Robert, who married the widow of Edward McDonald and who was formerly a Miss Harvey; Israel, who married a daughter of William Browning; Richard, Jr., who married a Miss May, and Eddie and Harvey, whose wives are unknown. His daughters were Lucretia, who married James White; Martha, who married Elijah Elkins (son of Wm. Elkins, of Newett); Nancy, who married William Walls; Susannah, who married John White, (son of Jack), and Hannah, who married William Moore, of Tazewell. This last mentioned couple joined the Mormons and were with Joe Smith at Nauvoo. Zach and William Elkins, brothers of Richard Elkins, settled on Hewett and, like Richard, had numerous descendants, but we are unable to give their names. From these three brothers, however, are descended the Elkins family of Logan and adjoining counties. [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XVIII William Hinchman settled near the mouth of Rich Creek, on the farm now owned by his son, George Hinchman, about the year 1814. He was the son of William Hinchman, an English sailor, and was born in Dorchester, Maryland, about 1770. He was too young to enter the army at the time of the Revolution, but was in hearing of the guns of Yorktown; and was familiar with the stirring events of the time when America desired to be independent [text missing] county, Virginia, now Monroe County, West Virginia, about the close of the last century, when he married Mary Ann Perry, a daughter of John Perry, who had emigrated from the north of Ireland. After several of his children were born he came, as we have seen, to the mouth of Rich Creek. His sterling worth was seen and appreciated by the people and he was soon made one of the Justices of Cabell County, and upon the organization of Logan County he became a member of its first County Court. His children by his first marriage, were John K., who married the daughter of Ben White; Cyrus, who married a daughter of F. R. Pennell; Hiram, who married a daughter of Thomas Riggins; Milton, who married a daughter of Ben Cary; William, who first married a Miss Seymour, then a Miss Hatfield, and as a third wife a Miss Chapman; Dr. Ulysses, who married a Miss McDonald; James Harvey, who married a Miss Gore; Elizabeth, who married Benjamin Smith; Amanda, who married Robert Clendenin; Sarah, who married Ira Chambers, and Mero, who married Levi Gore. After the death of his first wife William Hinchman, Sr., married Nancy Stollings, and the children of this marriage were Floyd, who married first a Miss Chambers, and after her death a Miss Mangus; Nancy Ann, who married Joseph Scaggs; Penelope, who married George Claypool; Risby, who married Thomas Nelson Ballard, and Edna, who died single. Of the first children of William Hinchman, John K., Cyrus, Hiram and Milton moved to the State of Michigan, William moved to the county of Cabell, Dr. Ulysses was a practicing physician and held many offices of public trust, and was several times elected as a member of the West Virginia Legislature; James Harvey, who is still living, was a successful farmer, a member of the West Virginia Legislature, and at different times held other important offices in the county. F. R. Pinnell was another one of the early settlers. He settled on the farm where James Buchanan now lives and where Dr. Ulysses Hinchman lived and died. He was the first surveyor of Logan County, which position he held for several years. He had a large family of children who went with him to Michigan, where the old man died a few years ago at the ripe old age of ninety-eight years. Archelaus Mitchell, who married a Miss Goodwin, of Montgomery County, Virginia, settled on Buffalo Creek about the year 1812. His sons were Jordan who married a Miss Gore, of Montgomery County, Virginia; Gustavus, who moved to Smyth County, Virginia, and Micajah, who married a daughter of Absalo Elkins, of Huss Creek, and then moved to Kanawha County. Jordan Mitchell had four sons, James, John, Archelaus and Micajah, and four daughters, Mary, who married Patterson Christian; Victoria, who married Curtis Ballard; Isabella, who married Paren Christian, and Emaline, who married Anthony Jarrell. Absalom Elkins settled on Huffs Creek about 1815. His sons were Henry, Thomas, William, Isaiah and Uriah Watson. His daughters were Mahala, who married Eli Trent; Peggy, who married Edward Mason, and Frances, who married Micajah Mitchell. Absalom Elkins died about two years ago, after having just passed his hundreth year. Some time not far from the beginning of 1820, Thomas Christian, a nephew of Col. Wm. Christian, of Montgomery, settled at the mouth of Huffs Creek on the survey made for John Seets. He married a daughter of Alexander Pine, of Montgomery County. His [sic] Alexander Pine took his name from the fact that a gentleman by the name of Alexander found him while an infant of only a few days under a pine tree where he had been left, and his parents were never discovered. Thomas Christian was the father of three sons (James, Thomas and Allen) and several daughters, all of whom, except James, moved with their father to Kentucky about the year 1824. James, who was born in 1800, married a Miss Anne More [sic], and remained in the county. He was a member of the first county court of Logan County, and held many positions of trust, all of which he filled to the satisfaction of the people. He was the last survivor of the first court, and died in 1892 in the 93rd year of his age, leaving an honorable name and numerous descendants, among whom are Patterson Christian, who was for a long while one of the justices of the county, and is at present a member of the county court; Paren Christian, one of the leading citizens of the county, and Rev. Byron Christian, who was for many years a minister of the M. E. Church, South. His daughters married R. P. Spratt and D. P. Ellis. Isaac Spratt, of Tazewell County, first settled at the mouth of Gilbert Creek, on the survey made for Edward Crawford. He married Kate Buchanan, of Tazewell, and to this marriage was born three sons and seven daughters. His sons were John, who married a Miss Perry, of Tazewell; James, who married a Miss Steele, of Tazewell; and Alexander, who married a Miss Rogers, of Tazewell County. His daughters were Jane, who married Francis S. Browning; Amanda, who married Augustus Lecompte; Amelia who married Lewis Lichenett; Kesiah, who married Henry Buchanan; Louisa, who married John Stafford; Kate, who married William Steele, and Flora, who married Lloyd Ellis. Passing up Gilbert Creek, we find, about the year 1806, domiciled in a brand new cabin at the first fork above the mouth, Frederick Trent, of Russell County, Va. He married Agnes Horton of Tazewell County. He had three sons and two daughters. His sons were Humphrey, who married Martha Smith; Eli, who married Mahala Elkins, and Frederick, who married a daughter of Wm Cline. The daughters were Susan, who married Andrew Hatfield, and Sarah, who married Wm. Riffe. The children of Humphrey Trent are Alexander, who married a Miss Mounts; Smith, who married a Miss Cline; Eli, who married a Miss Ellis, and Clarissa, who married Madison Ellis. Some time before Frederick Trent had settled on Gilbert, Thomas Smith, another gentleman from Russell, and a Revolutionary hero, had settled on Horsepen, a creek which had derived its name, as we have seen, from the fact of its having been used as a place to pen the stolen horses of Baker and his Indian allies. The name of the wife of Thomas Smith is not known, but he had a wife and three children where he first settled on Horsepen. His children were John, who first married a Miss Murphy, of Kentucky, and after her death a Miss Charles of Kentucky; Mary who married Peter Cline, and Martha, who married Humphrey Trent. John Smith had by his first wife two sons, viz., Harrington, who married a Miss Mullins, and then moved to Kanawha, and Larkin, who was twice married, and who, having passed his three score and ten years, is still living at the old homestead on Horsepen. His first wife was a Miss Lusk, by whom he had eight children; his second wife was a Miss Trent, by whom he had six children. At what is still known as the Hatfield place on Horsepen, Valentine Hatfield, of Washington County, Va., settled at quite an early day. He was the father of nine sons and three daughters, and from them have sprung many of the Hatfields of the Guyandotte and Sandy Valleys. Valentine Hatfield married a Miss Weddington, and he was a half son of Thomas Smith . His sons were Al, who married a daughter of Ferrell Evans; Joe, who also married a daughter of Ferrell Evans; Ephraim, who married Bette Vance; (This Ephraim Hatfield was one of the quietest men in the county, and was for a long time a justice of the peace, yet he was the father and grandfather of the Hatfields who were engaged in the Hatfield-McCoy feud). Andrew, who married a daughter of Humphrey Trent, and those descendants live in Wyoming county; Thomas, who married a daughter of Frank Evans; John, who married a daughter of Abner Vance; Joseph, who married a daughter of John Toler; (Squire M. Hatfied and James Hatfield are the sons of this marriage.) Jacob who married a daughter of Peter Cline, and Valentine who was never married. Of his three daughters, Phoebe married Alexander Varney; Celia married James Perry, and Jennie married James Justice, who was at one time sheriff of Logan County, and who was the father of John Justice, a prominent merchant in Logan Court House; B. J. Justice, a merchant and timber dealer of Cabell County, and William E. Justice, a merchant at North Spring and at one time a member of the West Virginia Legislature. Joseph Hatfield, a brother of Valentine Hatfield, settled about the same time at Matewan and will be mentioned herefafter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XIX Passing up the Horsepen and on to Island Creek, on the trail used by Baker and his Indians, we find that two brothers and a brother-in-law from North Carolina had made settlements at quite an early date - thought to be about 1812. These brothers were Francis and Edmund Browning and the brother-in-law was Barnabus Curry. Francis Browning, who married a daughter of Abner Vance, of Tazewell County, settled at the mouth of Cow Creek, and was the father of three sons and four daughters. His sons were William E., (known as Buck) who married a Miss Wallace; Jesse, who married a Miss Webb; and Jackson, who went West while a young man. The daughters were Francis, who married John Curry; Rebecca, who married James Browning; Nancy Ann, who married L. D. Hill, and Amy, who married William Ellis. Edmund Browning, who was a Revolutionary soldier, married a Miss Hall, of Washington County, Virginia, and settled where John R. Browning now lives. By his first wife he had two sons and one daughter. His sons were Enoch, who, still a young man, moved to Russell County, Virginia, and Reece, who married a Miss Boyd, of Tennessee. Reece Browning was one of the prominent men of the county, having held, at different time, offices of honor and trust and was a long time major of militia and Sheriff of the county. Reece had but two children - Thomas Edmund, who married a Miss Vance and moved to Missouri, and John Reece, who is still living at the old homestead on Island Creek. Jane, the daughter of Edmund Browning by his first wife, married Thomas Cunningham, of Russell County, Virginia. Edmund Browning married, as a second wife, Miss Robertson, of Russell County. By this marriage he had four sons - Jesse, who married a daughter of Barnabus Curry. He was the father of John L. Kemper, and the late Adam Browning, Mrs. A. H. McDonald and Mrs. Joseph Hatfield and several other sons and daughters. Isaac, who married a daughter of Phillip Ellis; Frank, who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt, of Gilbert; and Edmund, who also married a daughter of Barnabus Curry. Edmund and Frank Browning are still living, aged respectively, 85 and 83. Edmund is the father of George F. Browning, a prominent merchant of Cow Creek, and several other sons and daughters. Barnabus Curry, who as we have already seen, married a Miss Browning, sister of Edmund and Francis Browning, settled on Island Creek, where Thomas Steele now lives. His sons were Robert, who moved to Lincoln County, and is the progenitor of the Currys of that county; John, who married a Miss Browning; Eli, who married a Miss McCoy. After the death of his first wife he married a Miss Pressley, by whom he had several sons and daughters, among whom are Calvin and Victor D. Ralph Steele also from Russell County, Virginia, at an early date, and married a daughter of John Ferrell, of Sandy, and settled where Anderson Hatfield now lives on Island Creek. His sons were Hawkins, who married a Miss Ellis; John, who married a Miss Mounts; William, who married a Miss Spratt; George, who married a Miss Ellis; and Lorenzo D., who married a lady from Tazewell. His daughters were Catherine, who married H. B. Justice and Rebecca, who married Lewis Hinchman. Passing down the creek we find that two brothers - Evans and Phillip Ellis - made settlements about 1811. They were from Monroe County and were descendants of the Evans Ellis who emigrated from Wales in 1730, and settled in the James River Valley. Evans Ellis, who married a Miss Hines, settled near where John T. Vance now lives. His sons were Jacob, who married a daughter of Joseph Gore; Henry, who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt; Lloyd, who also married a daughter of Isaac Spratt; Madison, who married a daughter of Humphrey Trent; and Zatto C., who moved to Roane County. His daughters were Nancy, who married Eli Gore; Catherine, who married Hawkins Steele; Margaret, who married Henderson Bailey; Sallie, who married George, and Evaline, who went to Roane County. Phillip Ellis married a Miss Black and settled where Howard Ellis now lives. His sons were William, who married a daughter of Francis Browning; Squire, who married a daughter of John Vance, and James who married a daughter of William Browning. His daughters were Hannah, who married Thomas Taylor; Christina who married Isaac Browning; Polly who married Thomas Buchanan, who for a long time was Clerk of the Circuit Court of Logan County; and Bettie, who married George Avis, an Englishman, and father of Hugh C., Thomas and Burwell Abis [Avis?] and Mrs. J. E. Robertson, Mrs. Scot Dejarnette, Mrs. Andrew Perry, and the late Mrs. H. S. White. Simpson Ellis, a late member of the County Court, is a son of Lloyd Ellis. Mrs. Martha Straton, of whom mention has been made, settled about the same time, near where Howard Ellis now lives. She married Ben Smith of Buffalo. Joseph Straton was a man of considerable prominence in the county, having represented it in the Legislature of Virginia and Sheriff for a long time. He was the father of William Straton, a prominent lawyer who is still living at Logan Court House, and who was for a long time clerk of the Courts of the county, and for one term, representative of the county in the Legislature of West Virginia and was during the civil war, a major of cavalry in Confederate service. The widow of Joseph Straton moved to Texas where she died a few years ago, leaving their one son, David, and one daughter, Eliza, who married a gentleman named McKean. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XX About the same time that Wm. Hinchman settled at the mouth of Rich Creek, four brothers named Perry came into the county from Monroe. Of these, Jack settled about a mile above Huffs Creek. He was the father of seven sons and two daughters. His sons were Dr. James, who married his cousin, Margaret, a daughter of Joe Perry; Oliber [Oliver?], who married a Miss Haner; Henry, who married a daughter of Jack Chambers; Alexander, who went to Texas and joined the forces of Gen. Houston and was never heard of afterwards; Ephraim, John and Silas, who moved West. Jane married Peter, a son of Conrad Riffe, who was one of the oldest settlers on Upper Tug. Mrs. Riffe is still alive, though about 87 years old, and is the mother of John, Gordon and Patterson Riffe, Mrs. F. M. White and Mrs. Eli Gore. The other daughter of Jack Perry was Mary, who married Richard Chambers. Joe Perry, the next brother settled on Buffalo. He had five sons and four daughters. Of his sons Frank married a Miss Workman; Eli married a Miss Johnson; William and John E., both married Miss Buchanans, and James married a Miss Hatfield. Of his daughters, Margaret married Dr. James Perry, who was at one time Sheriff of the county, and Polly married Rhodes D. Ballard, one of the most prominent and highly esteemed citizens of the county. Mr. Ballard was for years a justice of the peace, and for one term a member of the West Virginia Legislature and was for a long time a member of the county court. He died in 1888, in his 88th year. Jane married Abner Vance and Flora married Amos Workman. Henry Perry, the next brother, settled on Guyandotte River near the mouth of what is now known as Henry's Branch. He moved West and nothing is known of his family. James Perry, the fourth brother, settled at what is still known as the Perry place. He was the Colonel of the Logan County militia for a long while and was among the most prominent men in the county. His sons were Dow, who married a Miss Elkins; Granville, who married a daughter of Carter T. Clark; Preston, who married a daughter of Pyrrhus McGinnis; John A., who married a daughter of John Farley; Oliver, who married a daughter of W. W. McDonald; James, who went West, and Andrew, who enlisted in 1846, in the company of Capt. Elisha McComas, and went to Mexico, and died while still in the service near Vera Cruz. James Perry had two daughters - Mary, who married Maj. Wm. Straton, and Elba, who died unmarried. Jack Perry married a Miss Dixon, of Monroe County; Joe Perry married a Miss Shirkey [?], of Greenbrier County, and James Perry married a Miss Roach, of Monroe County. It is not known who Henry Perry married. They were the sons of John Perry, a native of the north of Ireland, and who has already been mentioned as the father of Mrs. Wm. Hinchman. John Perry had two other daughters, who moved to this county, viz, Bettie, who married Issac [Isaac?] Stollings, of the mouth of Crawley, and Flora, sho married Samuel Canterberry, who afterwards moved to Boone County. John Perry was said to be quite a learned man, and was the author of an arithmetic which was for a long time a text book in the schools of Virginia and North Carolina. Near the same time the Perrys settled here, several other families from North Carolina made settlements on Buffalo and the waters of Spruce, among whom were William Browning, William, John, Tandy and Meredith Burgess and Ben White. William Browning brought with him, in addition to his own family, which consisted of a wife and several daughters, two nephews - Nathaniel and Simeon Browning. He first settled on Buffalo, and while he had no sons to perpetuate his name, he had four daughters. Sarah, who married James Madison White; Lucinda, who married Griffin Canterbury, Peggy, who married Nathaniel Browning and Polly, who married Simeon Browning. Tandy Burgess settled on Buffalo. His sons were Calvin, Hiram and Cornelius. William Burgess moved in Kanawha at an early date. His daughter, Araminia, who married Harrison Chambers, is still living, however, in this county. John Burgess settled on Spruce. His sons were Milton, John A., and Lewis. He had one daughter, (Peggy) who married Russell Trump, of Raleigh County. Meredith Burgess also settled on Spruce. His sons were Fernandus, Jackson, James, George and John W., and his daughters were Polly, who married William McCreeley, and Martha, who married Lewis McDonald. Ben White, who, to distinguish him from Ben White, son of John, who has already been spoken of was known as "Chickawaw Ben." He settled on the farm now owned by Stephen Browning, and was the father of a large family. His sons were Gradon, who married a daughter of William Browning; Russell, who married a Miss Coon; Benjamin Wesley, who married a daughter of Tandy Burgess, and Andrew, who married a daughter of George Ferrell. His daughters were Amanda, who married Oliver Browning; Elizabeth, who married Byron Christian; Nancy, who married a Ferrell, and Paulina, who married Chapman Miller, of Boone County. As has been before stated, James Mitchell and John Miller settled on Turtle Creek about the year 1815. They were brothers-in-law and both were soldiers in the War of 1812. Mitchell was the son of Joshua Mitchell (or Michel,) who came from France with Rochambeau, and served under him at the battle of Yorktown. He married Elizabeth Miller, a daughter of Michael Miller, and his children were Michael, Joshua, a well-known Baptist preacher, and Dr. James, who is living and practicing his profession. John Miller was the son of Michael Miller, a Hessian who deserted his command and joined the American forces, and after the war settled in Montgomery County, Va. John, who married a daughter of Joshua Mitchell, settled where Riland Ballard now lives. He had two sons - Benjamin and Ezekiel. Ezekiel married a daughter of Joshua Mitchell and is the grandfather of C. M. Turley, a prominent attorney of Logan. Last but not least among the men who left their impress upon the people of the Guyandotte Valley was Anthony Lawson, who settled where J. S. Miller now lives, about the year 1823. Anthony Lawson was a native of Northumberland, England, and was born about 1780. Some time about the year 1815 he emigrated to America with his wife and four sons, John, Lewis H., James and Anthony. He remained for a while at Alexandria, Va., where his brother, John, who had preceded him to America, lived. Col. Andrew Bierne, of Lewisburg, soon made his acquaintance, and induced him to come in the wilds of the Guyandotte River and engage in the fur and ginseng trade. Mr. Lawson first settled near the present site of Oceana, where he remained about four years and then moved to the present site of Logan C. H., where he remained until his death, which occurred in Guyandotte in 1846, while he was returning from Philadelphia, where he had been to purchase goods. The state of trade in Logan at that time and the difficulty of getting goods and of taking produce to market will be treated of hereafter. Mr. Lawson was a member of the first county court and was during his life a leading citizen. His wife survived him for something over a year, when she was murdered by two of her slaves. Her tombstone in our cemetery had the following inscription: "Ann Lawson, wife of Anthony Lawson, of Logan County, Va., who was born in the Parish of Longhorsby, in the county of Northumberland, England, on the 17th day of March, A.D. 1783. Murdered on the night of the 17th of December, 1847, by two of her own Negroes." The sons of Anthony Lawson were all prominent men in the county, and will be noticed more fully in some future chapters. John married Emily Butcher, daughter of Joshua and Sarah (Clarke) Butcher, and was killed by a falling tree in 1844; Lewis B. married Polly Dingess, James married Matilda Dingess, both daughters of Peter and Sallie (Farley) Dingess, and Anthony, the youngest son, married Ann Brooke Robertson, the daughter of Edwin and Mary (Minnie) Robertson. While the Guyandotte Valley was being settled with hardy pioneers from Montgomery and the territory which formerly belonged in that ancient county, the Tug Fork of Sandy was being peopled by those who had for awhile paused in their march to the wilderness on the waters of the Clinch and the Holsten. From the time of the building of the old Block House at the forks of Sandy, about the year 1789, frequent visits were made from the cabins on the frontier by daring hunters to their friends in the old fort, but there is no account of any settlement being made on the West Virginia side of the river below the McDowell County line, or even above that line, until the year 1800, when Richard and John Ferrell, sons of Richard Ferrell, who was killed by the Indians in Thompson's Valley in 1780, settled on the farm where M.A. Ferrell now lives. Richard Ferrell, the youngest brother, married a Miss Romaines, of Russell County, Virginia, and was the father of ten children - six sons and four daughters. His sons were William, who married Mahala Tiller; John R., who married Elizabeth Coleman; Elizah, who married Barbara Jackson; Richard, who married Letitia Eskew; Evans, who married Martha Duty, and Moses, who married Jane Lockhart. His daughters were Rachel, who married William Tiller; Rebecca, who married Green Justice; Elizabeth, who married Joab Justice, and Nancy, who married Cummings Musie [?]. John Ferrell married Nancy Jackson of Russell County, Virginia. He was the father of three sons and two daughters. His sons were William, who moved to Roane County; Andrew, who married Polly Slater, and then moved to Missouri; and John, who married Jane Taylor, and was through a long life, a prominent Baptist preacher, and was greatly beloved by all who knew him. His daughters were Jennie, who married John Murphy, ( John has been proven to be the father of Bad Jim Vance and Nancy Vance who married Eph. Hatfield, by DNA, by Abner Vance's daughter, Elizabeth Vance, never married) and Levisa, who married Ralph Steel, of Island Creek. Reuben Thacker made the first settlement at what is now known as Thacker. He came from the James River Valley, remained for a few years, giving to the creek its name, and then moved further west. Peter Cline, who was of German origin, settled about the year 1802 just below the mouth of Peter Creek on the West Virginia side of the river. It is claimed that he had settled on the Kentucky side, on Peter Creek, some eight years before that time, and that the creek took its name from him, and that he came direct from Montgomery County, Va. Be this as it may, it is well known that he lived and died at a ripe old age on Tug River, and that he was the father of four sons and one daughter, from whom has sprung the Clines and Mounts of the Tug and Guyandotte Valleys. His sons were Michael, who married a Miss Hinkle, of Kentucky; Jacob, who married a Miss Fuller, of Kentucky; William, who married a daughter of Thomas Smith, of Horsepen. This Peter Cline Jr., died on Gilbert's Creek in 1893, aged something over one hundred years. The daughter of Peter Cline, Sr., whose name was Margaret, married David Mounts, a young man who came to the Tug Valley a short time after Clines had settled there. It is not known where he came from, but it is believed from the name that he is a descendant of a Portugese family by the name of Mountz, which settled in South Carolina about 1750, some of whom served under Sumpter in the War of the Revolution. Mounts settled just above Cline, on the river, and was the father of six sons and four daughters. His sons were William, who married Mary Blankenship; Charles who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt; Peter, who married a daughter of William Cline; Michael, who married a daughter of Peter Cline; Jackson, who married a daughter of William Cline, and Alexander, who married a Miss Charles. His daughters were Nancy, who married Asbury Hurley; Patsy, who married John Steel; Elizabeth, who married Alexander Trent, and Sarah, who married Daniel Christian. (There is a Peter Cline abt his age listed in 1830, Pike, Ky.) ( He also had a daughter, Sarah who married Abraham Honaker) As was stated in our last chapter, Francis Browning married a daughter of Abner Vance, of Tazewell. This Abner Vance was hung for killing a man named Horton - a justifiable killing, as was afterwards shown - had four sons and four daughters who came to Logan early in the century and settled on the waters of Tug, and who are the progenitors of the Vance family of this county. Abner Vance, the father spoken of, was a native of North Carolina, and, after serving through the Revolutionary War, settled in Russell County, Va., and married a Miss Howard. His sons spoken of above were James, who married a Miss Miller; John, who married a Miss Rader; Richard, who married a Miss Sutherland; and Abner, who married a Miss Perry. His daughters married respectively, Francis Browning, Jos. Dempsey, James Brown and John McCloud. There was another daughter - Bettie - who was never married but had two children of whom John Ferrell was the reputed father. These were Mrs. Ephriam Hatfield and the late James Vance.( she married Big Eaf, Ephraim Hatfield, the son of Valentine Hatfield of Horsepen) Joseph Hatfield, who has already been mentioned as the brother of Valentine Hatfield, and a half-brother of Thomas Smith of Horsepen, settled at what is now Matewan, at about the same time that his brother settled on Horsepen. He married a Miss Evans, of Russell County, and was the father of ten sons and one daughter. His sons were Joseph, William, Ferrell, Ephriam, John, Valentine, Richard Thomas, James, Seth and McGinnis, and the name of his daughter was Phoebe. All of them moved across the river into Kentucky, where Richard and McGinnis are still living, both being olg [old?] and highly respected citizens. The settlement at the mouth of Spruce, where Lewis Rutherford now lives, was made by Benjamin Sprouse. At just what time he settled there is not known, but he raised a large family of boys and girls, and with Reuben Thacker, a brother-in-law, moved further to the west, selling his place to William Davis, who came from Albermarle County, and claimed to be a first cousin of Thomas Jefferson. Davis married a Mrs. Hensley, of Russell County, who was the mother by her former marriage of four sons and one daughter. Three of the sons - William, Robert and John - and the daughter, whose name is forgotten. There was another son - Daniel - who had been captured by the Indians in 1790, and who remained with the Indians until 1807, when he joined the family and married a daughter of Thomas Davis, of Albermarle County, and niece of the William Davis above mentioned, settled at the mouth of Rockhouse Fork of Pigeon. Of the other Hensley boys, Robert married a daughter of Capt. Henry Farley, and settled at the mouth of Sugar-tree; William married a Miss Brewster, and settled opposite the mouth of Pond, on what is now known as the Lawson farm, and John married a Miss Davis and settled lower down the river. The daughter above mentioned married William Davis, a son of Thomas Davis of Albermarle, and nephew of the William Davis above mentioned, who settled near the mouth of Pigeon. William Davis, Sr., had one daughter by his first wife. William Davis, Sr., married a Miss Runyon, by whom he had two daughters, one of whom married Jess Stratredge and the other Jacob Runyon. William Davis, Jr., above mentioned, from whom descended all of the Davis' of the Tug Valley, had four sons and two daughters. His sons were George, who married a Miss Dillon; Henry, who married a Miss Stotts, and William and Joseph, who married Miss Dillons. His two daughters married respectively, Daniel Hensley, Jr., and Jas. Bailey. The Dillon girls above mentioned, were the daughters of Christopher Dillon, who settled on the waters of Pigeon at quite an early day, and had a large family of boys and girls from whom sprung the large Dillon family. Vinson Grant, a mulatto, settled at the mouth of Sycamore. He had a white woman with him by whom he raised a large family. He moved to Ohio about 1820, and settled near Haverhill, Lawrence County. Moses Parsley, of Russell County, who married a Miss Loving, of the same county, settled at the mouth of the Rockokse [?] Fork of Pigeon. He was the father of five sons and four daughters. His sons were John, who married a Murphy, and settled at the mouth of Upper Burning Creek; William, who married a Miss Chafin, and settled on Lower Burning Creek; Alexander, who married a Miss Smith, and settled near Warfield, Ky.; Jesse, who married a Miss Marcum, and settled at the mouth of Jennie's Creek, and Riburn, who married a Miss Muncey, and settled near the mouth of Jennie's Creek, but becoming involved in the Marcum-Muncey feud he moved to Mississippi, and became a brigadier-general of the Confederate States in the late unpleasantness. His daughters were Sallie, who married William Starr, and Polly, who married William Muncey. The other daughters were never married and their names are not known. Christopher Chafin who came from Montgomery County, Va., settled near the mouth of the Elk Fork of Pigeon. He married a Miss Roberts and first settled near Burlington, Lawrence County, Ohio, where several of his children were born. He then moved to the Elk Fork of Pigeon, where he lived for many years and then mysteriously disappeared. His sons were Stanley, who died unmarried; William, who married Sarah Deskins; Joshua who married Sarah Collins; Nathan, who married Matilda Varney; Pleasant, who married Nancy White, and Thomas, who married Jennie Horn. His daughters were Bettie, who married Harrison Blair; Alafair, who married ____ Nelson, and Margaret, who married James Copley. John Chafin, who was for a long time clerk of the circuit and county courts of this county, and Francis M. Chafin, who was sheriff of the county, were sons of William Chafin, and John B. Wilkinson, the present prosecuting attorney of the counties of Logan and Mingo, is his grandson. John Stafford, of Tazewell, settled at the mouth of Lick Creek. Just at what time he settled there or who he married is not known. He had three sons and several daughters. His sons were John, who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt, and settled at the mouth of Gilbert; Compton, who married a daughter of Isaac Brewer, and settled at the mouth of Breeding, and Fleming, who married a daughter of Frank Evans, and went to Mercer County. Of his daughters, Sarah married Andrew Varney, and Phoebe married Smith Trent. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XXII Emile Millard, usually called Miller, a Frenchman, who had served under Lafayette in the Revolutionary War, made the first settlement near the town of Nolan. He settled after the war in what is now Tazewell County, and married Sallie Roark, of Roark's Gap. Sallie had two children by former husbands a the time of her marriage with Millard, both of whom came with Millard to his new settlement. They were John Deskins and Isaac Brewer, who will be spoken of again. Millard, and his brother Charles, the grandfather of Ben and A.J. Millard, were in the county as early as 1792, at which time Charles was drowned in Johns Creek, Ky., near the mouth of the creek now known as Miller's Creek. Emile Millard had three children - one son and two daughters. His son, whose name was Timothy, married Polly Boreman; and his daughters were Rachel, who married James Starr, and Rebecca, who married Arter White. This James Starr was one of the prominent men of the Tug Valley, who, after the death of his first wife married Rebecca Hensly, and after her death married a Miss McCoy. He died about ten years ago at the age of 91, after having built the first Methodist Church in the valley, which is of stone and will long remain as a monument to his memory. He had no children. John Deskins, spoken of above, married a Miss Holt and settled near the Millard place. He was the father of five sons and four daughters. His sons were John, who married a Miss Bevins, of Kentucky; James, who married a Miss Hibbard; Jackson, who married a Miss Lieslie; Nathan, who married a Miss Phillips, and Lewis, who married a Kentucky lady whose name is forgotten. His daughters were Esther, who married Benjamin Williamson; Sarah, who married William Chafin; Bettie, who married Benjamin Maynard, and Nancy, who married Wm. Taylor. William Farley, a brother of Capt. Henry Farley, of Peach Creek, settled near the mouth of Buffalo. He married a Miss Thompson of Albemarle County, Va., and was the father of four sons and one daughter. His sons were William - known as "Punch Bill" - who married a Miss Allen, of Boone; Thompson, who married a Miss Chapman; Nimrod (Father of the late Senator Farley, of California), married a Miss Slater, and Henry, who married a Miss Starr. Henry was quite a prominent citizen, and represented the county in the Virginia Legislature. Adam Runyon settled on Pigeon. His sons were Alexander, who married a Miss Starr; Adam, who married a Miss Harris; James, who married a Miss Simpkins; William, who went West, and John, who married a Miss Mead, and [was?] murdered by George Aldredge. He had two daughters, Chrisina and Anna, who were never married. Joseph Clark, of Culpepper County, settled at what is known as the Floyd place, on the Trace Fork of Pigeon. He married a Miss Briton, of Pittsylvania County, and had six sons and four daughters. His sons were John B., who married Mary McDonald; Thomas K., who married a Miss Clay; Carter T., who married a daughter of Capt. Henry Farley; Joseph M., who went to Tennessee in 1812; Henry who went to Texas, and George, who went to Kentucky. His daughters were Nancy, who married Jonathan B. Bailey of Mercer; Polly, who married James Suthers; Rebecca, who married Jonas McDonald, and Sallie who married Roland Dillon. Of these sons, John B., settled at the mouth of Pigeon, and had one son; Thomas K., had three sons, one of whom (Charles) was a soldier in the Mexican War, and Carter T. had four sons - Henry P., Ira H., Joseph M., and Guy, and from these have sprung the Clarks of the Tug Valley. Thomas Evans was an early settler in the valley. He married a Miss Closser, and was the father of Richard Evans, who married a Miss Thompson. The names of his other children are not known, but they are the progenitors of a large Evans family. Alden Williamson was the first person to settle at the mouth of Laurel Fork of Pigeon. He was a descendant of Hugh Williamson, who came from Wales about 1720 and first settled in New Kent County, Va., and then moved with the tide of emigration to Western Pennsylvania. Alden Williamson had three sons - John, who married a Miss Hibbard and moved to Kentucky; Richard, who married a Miss Wiley, daughter of Jennie Wiley, and settled on Twelve Pole, and Benjamin, who married a Miss Porter, and settled near the present site of the town of Williamson. By his marriage with Miss Porter, Ben Williamson had two sons (Benjamin, who married Esther Deskins, and John, who moved to Kentucky), and three daughters, who married respectively Abraham Millard, Joseph Porter and James Taylor. By a second marriage he had two sons - Hammond, who married a Miss Maynard, and Julius who married a Miss Butcher, and who is still living. Jean Schmidt Baisden was another early settler at the mouth of Laurel. He came with Lafayette to America and served under him during the Revolution. After the war was over he located at Richmond, Va., and then moved to Reeds Island of New River, where he married a Miss Braham, and about the beginning of the present century, settled at the mouth of Laurel. He had three sons and two daughters. His sons were Joseph, who married Lucinda Osborne, Solomon, who married Mary Chafin, and Edward, who married Susan Barnett. His daughters were Polly, who married John Blair, and Frances, who married Thomas Copley. John Blair, who came from Powells Valley, first settled just above the present site of the town of Williamson, but after marrying Polly, the daughter of Jean Schmidt Baisden, he settled near his father-in-law at the mouth of Laurel, where he died in 1860. His sons were Harrison, who first married a Miss Chafin and then a Miss Johnson, and who was Logan's first Democratic Sheriff after the war; Anderson, who married a Miss McCoy, and Joe, who also married a Miss McCoy. His daughters were Mahulda, who married Anderson Dempsey; Chlorina, who married John McCoy, and Rhoda, who married Moses Parsley. Josiah Marcum was also an early settler on Laurel. He came from Franklin County, and brought with him eight sons, from whom has sprung the large and influential house of Marcum. These sons were Moses, who first married a Miss Elswick and then a Christina Wiley, daughter of Jennie Wiley; Stephen, who married a Miss Sperry, and was the grandfather of Wm. W., Jno. S., and Lace Marcum, prominent lawyers of West Virginia. J.M. Marcum, the late state senator from Cabell, and Thos. D., and Penbroke Marcum, of Catlettsburg, Ky.; William, who married a Miss Sutherland; John, who married a Miss Copley, and was a Baptist Preacher; James, who married a Miss Chapman, and Jacob and Randall, who married ladies from Franklin County, Va., whose names are not known. Alexander Sutherland settled at the mouth of Marrowbone, and is spoken of as the first settler in that locality. He had two daughters, one of whom married William Marcum and the other a Wellman. William Bingham Meade, who married Mildred Esther Davis, came from Virginia about 1790, and settled at the old Vancouver settlement at the block house at the forks of Sandy. In the early part of the present century - about 1801 - he moved with his family to Marrowbone Creek. He had three sons and five daughters. His sons sere Wm. B., Jr., who married Jane Ellen Rutherford; Samuel, who married Isaac Brewer; Margaret, who married Thomas Watts; Frances, who married Theodore Gooding; Anna, who married Perry Burruss, and Keziah, who married John Cline [editor's note - the above doesn't seem correct, and was possibly transcribed incorrectly in 1977]. Wm. B., Jr., had seven boys and four girls. His sons were James, who married a Miss Lowe; Reuben, who married a Miss Rose; John, who married a Miss Dingess; Lewis, who married a Miss Spaulding; Thomas B., who married a Miss Sartin; Wm. B., who married a Miss Brewer and Pyrrhus who married a Miss Messer. The daughters were Mary, who married John Field; Priscilla, who married Hiram Rose; Lydia, who married Silas Damron, and Ellen, who married G.R.C. Floyd, and who was the mother of Hon. J.B. Floyd, Mrs. S.P. Kelly, and several other children. Isaac Brewer, who married the oldest daughter of W. B. Meade Sr., was of English stock. Among the soldiers who came with Braddock to America, in 1755, were two brothers by the name of Brewer: one of them was was killed at Fort Duquesne, on July 9th, 1755, and the other survived the war and settled in Southwestern Virginia, where he had several sons and daughters. One of these sons, after serving in the Revolution, married Sallie Roark, who afterwards became the wife of Emile Millard. To this former marriage of Sallie Roark was born Isaac Brewer, who came with Millard to the Tug Valley, and after his marriage was born eight sons and three daughters. His sons were Lewis, who married a Miss Marcum; William, who moved to Kanawha; Isaac, who married a Miss Spaulding; Samuel who married a Miss Kirk; Johnson, who married a Miss Clark, Calvin, who married a Miss Messer, James, who married a Miss Newsom; Aaron, who married a Miss Mead, and Anthony, who married a Miss James. His daughters were Eliza, who first married Jacob Marcum and then Compton Stafford; Evaline, who married another Jacob Marcum, and Matilda, who married Moses Ferrell, who was for a long time a member of the County Court of Logan. Transcribed by Tom Steele, June 30, 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted By Cheri Fox Smith, 2012 maksiccaradded this on 26 Nov 2012 gerryw4655originally submitted this to Cheri's Family Tree on 15 May 2012 [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online. Kirkpatrick Family Tree, Owner: maksiccar Last viewed: Ephraim Vance, Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for Ephraim Vance History of Logan Co, Va (WV) by Ragland History of Logan County, W.Va by Henry Clay Ragland Chapters 13-22 - The Russell County was formed from Washington, in 1788; Wyeth from Montgomery, in 1790; Kanawha from Wythe and Greenbrier (which was formed from Montgomery in 1778), in 1792; Monroe from Montgomery and Greenbrier, in 1799; Tazewell from Wythe and Russell, in 1799; Giles from Montgomery, Tazewell and Monroe in 1898; and Cabell from Kanawha, in 1809. The territory of Logan, as it exists today, was part of Fincastle from 1738 to 1776, then a part of Montgomery until 1790, a part of Wythe until 1792, a part of Kanawha until 1809, when it became a part of Cabell and remained as such until it was organized into a county in 1823.(Logan is beside Wyoming & Mingo Counties, WV, now) Upon the passage of the law in 1792, referred to in our last chapter, the owners of grants made before that time, saw the necessity of seeding and cultivating the lands which had been patented to them before the expiration of the period to which that right had been extended (1799), and at once went to work to get some one to take charge of their lands. In the company of John Breckenridge, at the time of the battle of the Islands, was one James Workman, who in addition to being a gallant soldier, was in every respect a trustworthy gentleman. Breckenridge, as soon as possible, employed him to take charge of his survey at the Islands (Logan C.H.) and in 1794, James Workman with his brothers Joseph and Nimrod, built a cabin on the Island and planted a few acres of corn. They planted the same land again in 1795 and 1796, and in the fall of the latter year. James Workman, who was a man of family, moved his wife and children from their old home in Wythe (now Tazewell), and settled on the Island, where the three brothers continued to live until the year 1800, when they moved upon the farm now occupied by Henry Mitchell. More will be said of this family in a future chapter. Genealogical Section The first permanent settlement of which we have any record was commenced by William Dingess, a son of Peter Dingess, a Montgomery county [?], in the year 1799. Peter Dingess was a German, but just when or under what circumstances he came to America, is shrouded in doubt, which will never be dispelled. One account given us by one of his prominent descendants, is, that he came to this country before the War of the Revolution and settled in Montgomery County, and in evidence of this, furniture etc., brought with him from the "Fader Land," is pointed out; especially a finely finished bureau, which was, for a long time, an heirloom in the family, and a peculiar shaped gourd which was grown in Germany, and used by his son John Dingess as a powder gourd, within the memory of the present generation. Another account given us by William A. Dingess, one of his grandsons, is, that some time between the years 1750 and 1760, that his parents with their family embarked for America, that fell disease carried off his parents on the voyage, that he and a sister landed at Baltimore, neither of whom could speak a word of English, that from some cause they became separated, and that he never saw her or heard of her again. That wandering about the streets, homeless and alone, a merchant from Montgomery County, Virginia, took charge of him and brought him to Montgomery, where he grew up and married a wife, and afterwards served in the War of the Revolution. It is impossible to say which story is correct, but of one thing we are assured, and that is, that he lived in Montgomery County, Virginia, and raised a family of eleven children, four boys and seven girls and died there in 1800. The names of his sons were William, Peter, John and Charles A., and his daughters, Harriet, Betsy, Susan, Nancy, Sallie, Peggy and Polly, who intermarried with Sam Peck, John McClaugherty, William Henderson, David French, (who was, for a long while Clerk of the Courts of Giles County), Ezekiel Smith, William Smith and James Bright, who emigrated to Tennessee, and was the father of John Morgan Bright, who for twelve years represented Tennessee in Congress. Charles A., died unmarried in Mercer County, Col. Napoleon B. French, a son of David French, is still living in Mercer County, aged 96 years. William Dingess, the oldest of the family, was born in Montgomery County in 1776, and married Nancy McNeeley, and purchasing of John Breckenridge the survey of 300 acres which covers the present site of Logan Courthouse, and a portion of the farm across the river where Mrs. J. W. Desking now lives, moved upon it in 1799, and built a residence where J. S. Miller now lives; the old chimney of which is still standing. John Dempsey came with him and build a cabin on the little island, but afterwards moved to Island Creek, near where Sam Jackson now lives. William Dingess was said to be almost a giant in strength, but so peaceable that no one could induce him to fight. While he was born at too late a date to engage in the Indian warfare on the border, he, on one occasion, joined in the pursuit of a band of Indian marauders and followed them as far as the Falls of Guyan, where, killing an Indian, he took off a part of his hide, out of which he made a razor strap, and kept it during his lifetime. He had no children by his wife, but was the reputed father of a child born to Katie McComas, who was always known as Peter Dingess, and was for a long time regarded as the best physician in Logan County. Katie McComas was also the mother of the late John Garrett, of Big Creek, one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Logan County. In the year 1800, Peter Dingess and John Dingess, brothers of William Dingess, joined him and became permanent settlers, of whom more will be said hereafter. Some time in the next year or two Captain Henry Farley, of Montgomery County, who had served with distinction in the War of the Revolution, and who has been heretofore mentioned as the leader of the whites in the pursuit of the Indians in 1792; with Garland Conley, who had married his eldest daughter, Bettie, settled at the mouth of Peach Creek. He brought with him three stalwart sons and five marriageable daughters, and as might have been expected, the big house at the mouth of Peach Creek, and it was said to have been the largest house in the country, was always full. Of what tales that never grow old were told, we have no record, and the man in the moon has never divulged the vows which he witnessed, yet we know that enough was said to divide the happiness of Captain Farley's home among five families. The blushing Sallie became the wife of Peter Dingess during the year 1806, and they set up housekeeping just across the river where Mrs. John W. Deskins now lives, and to the happy couple there was born, on the 30th day of October 1806, William Anderson Dingess, who, during a long and useful life (dying December 13th, 1893, in his eighty-eighth year) bore the proud distinction of being the first white child born in Logan County. The other children born to this marriage were John, who intermarried with Sallie Moore; Guy, who married Rhoda Toney; Charles F., who married Betty Toney, both of these were the daughters of William and Polly (Caperton) Toney; Polly, who married Lewis Lawson; Matilda, who married James Lawson, both sons of Anthony Lawson; Julyantes, who married Charles Smoot; Minerva, who married W. W. McDonald; and Hattlett [Harriett?], who married John Justice. Peter Dingess was a prominent citizen and was for a long while one of the justices of Cabell County. Another one of the blooming daughters of Capt. Farley, (Chloe), intermarried with John Dingess, who then settled near his father-in-law, at the mouth of Peach Creek. His children were William, who married a daughter of Josiah Stollings; Julius, who married a daughter of Ben Smith; Harvey, who married a daughter of Joseph Adams; Henderson, who married a daughter of Joseph Adams; John and Peter, both of whom married daughters of Washington Adams; Sallie, who married James Butcher; Peggy, who married John Gore; and Nancy, who married William Chapman, all of whom are dead except Sallie and Henderson. All of them except David had a large off-spring. The daughters of Captain Henry Farley were Judith, who married Thomas Thompson, and, who, after the death of Thompson, married Robert Hensley; Matilda, who married Carter T. Clark; and Mary, who first married Stephen Hensley, and afterwards married Pryyhus McGinnis. Of his three sons, John and Thomas, both married Miss Pinsons of Kentucky, and William was married four times, first marrying Bettie Phillips, second Phoebe Muncy, third Polly Williams, and fourth, Jane Jones. All of them left large families, and with the Dingesses constituted one of the largest family connections in Logan County, and more will be said of them hereafter. At about the same time that Captain Farley settled at the mouth of Peach Creek, Richard Kezee, another hero of the Revolution, built a cabin near the present residence of Major William Stratton and the branch which flowed past the old homestead still bears the euphonious name of Kezee. His descendants all moved to the State of Kentucky, and many of them are now living in Pike County, of that state. About the same time David McNeeley settled where Floyd Buchanan now lives, and afterwards moved upon the farm now owned by J. E. Robertson. For some reason he was nick-named "Jagger," and the place, to which he removed on Robertson's farm was called "Jaggerstown." His descendants are quite numerous, and the name is familiar not only in Logan, but in all the surrounding counties, and many of them at an early day went with the "Course of Empire" westward. Among his descentants is Rev. John Green McNeeley, the present pastor of the Desciples Church of Aracoma. Richard Elkins, of Montgomery, also came with William Dingess and settled near the big island on Island Creek. The island was covered with a heavy growth of cane, and Elkins leased it from Dingess and cleared it out, and the first year that he cultivated it in corn he raised three thousand bushels, or about one hundred bushels to the acre. (a few acres of the Island had been cleared before that time by the Workman brothers heretofore mentioned, and cultivated in corn.) He was also the father of a large family his wife being a Miss Maguire, of Montgomery. His sons were Archibald, who married a Miss Gillaspie, of Tazewell, James, who married his cousin - a daughter of Zach Elkins, of Hewett; Robert, who married the widow of Edward McDonald and who was formerly a Miss Harvey; Israel, who married a daughter of William Browning; Richard, Jr., who married a Miss May, and Eddie and Harvey, whose wives are unknown. His daughters were Lucretia, who married James White; Martha, who married Elijah Elkins (son of Wm. Elkins, of Newett); Nancy, who married William Walls; Susannah, who married John White, (son of Jack), and Hannah, who married William Moore, of Tazewell. This last mentioned couple joined the Mormons and were with Joe Smith at Nauvoo. Zach and William Elkins, brothers of Richard Elkins, settled on Hewett and, like Richard, had numerous descendants, but we are unable to give their names. From these three brothers, however, are descended the Elkins family of Logan and adjoining counties. [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XVIII William Hinchman settled near the mouth of Rich Creek, on the farm now owned by his son, George Hinchman, about the year 1814. He was the son of William Hinchman, an English sailor, and was born in Dorchester, Maryland, about 1770. He was too young to enter the army at the time of the Revolution, but was in hearing of the guns of Yorktown; and was familiar with the stirring events of the time when America desired to be independent [text missing] county, Virginia, now Monroe County, West Virginia, about the close of the last century, when he married Mary Ann Perry, a daughter of John Perry, who had emigrated from the north of Ireland. After several of his children were born he came, as we have seen, to the mouth of Rich Creek. His sterling worth was seen and appreciated by the people and he was soon made one of the Justices of Cabell County, and upon the organization of Logan County he became a member of its first County Court. His children by his first marriage, were John K., who married the daughter of Ben White; Cyrus, who married a daughter of F. R. Pennell; Hiram, who married a daughter of Thomas Riggins; Milton, who married a daughter of Ben Cary; William, who first married a Miss Seymour, then a Miss Hatfield, and as a third wife a Miss Chapman; Dr. Ulysses, who married a Miss McDonald; James Harvey, who married a Miss Gore; Elizabeth, who married Benjamin Smith; Amanda, who married Robert Clendenin; Sarah, who married Ira Chambers, and Mero, who married Levi Gore. After the death of his first wife William Hinchman, Sr., married Nancy Stollings, and the children of this marriage were Floyd, who married first a Miss Chambers, and after her death a Miss Mangus; Nancy Ann, who married Joseph Scaggs; Penelope, who married George Claypool; Risby, who married Thomas Nelson Ballard, and Edna, who died single. Of the first children of William Hinchman, John K., Cyrus, Hiram and Milton moved to the State of Michigan, William moved to the county of Cabell, Dr. Ulysses was a practicing physician and held many offices of public trust, and was several times elected as a member of the West Virginia Legislature; James Harvey, who is still living, was a successful farmer, a member of the West Virginia Legislature, and at different times held other important offices in the county. F. R. Pinnell was another one of the early settlers. He settled on the farm where James Buchanan now lives and where Dr. Ulysses Hinchman lived and died. He was the first surveyor of Logan County, which position he held for several years. He had a large family of children who went with him to Michigan, where the old man died a few years ago at the ripe old age of ninety-eight years. Archelaus Mitchell, who married a Miss Goodwin, of Montgomery County, Virginia, settled on Buffalo Creek about the year 1812. His sons were Jordan who married a Miss Gore, of Montgomery County, Virginia; Gustavus, who moved to Smyth County, Virginia, and Micajah, who married a daughter of Absalo Elkins, of Huss Creek, and then moved to Kanawha County. Jordan Mitchell had four sons, James, John, Archelaus and Micajah, and four daughters, Mary, who married Patterson Christian; Victoria, who married Curtis Ballard; Isabella, who married Paren Christian, and Emaline, who married Anthony Jarrell. Absalom Elkins settled on Huffs Creek about 1815. His sons were Henry, Thomas, William, Isaiah and Uriah Watson. His daughters were Mahala, who married Eli Trent; Peggy, who married Edward Mason, and Frances, who married Micajah Mitchell. Absalom Elkins died about two years ago, after having just passed his hundreth year. Some time not far from the beginning of 1820, Thomas Christian, a nephew of Col. Wm. Christian, of Montgomery, settled at the mouth of Huffs Creek on the survey made for John Seets. He married a daughter of Alexander Pine, of Montgomery County. His [sic] Alexander Pine took his name from the fact that a gentleman by the name of Alexander found him while an infant of only a few days under a pine tree where he had been left, and his parents were never discovered. Thomas Christian was the father of three sons (James, Thomas and Allen) and several daughters, all of whom, except James, moved with their father to Kentucky about the year 1824. James, who was born in 1800, married a Miss Anne More [sic], and remained in the county. He was a member of the first county court of Logan County, and held many positions of trust, all of which he filled to the satisfaction of the people. He was the last survivor of the first court, and died in 1892 in the 93rd year of his age, leaving an honorable name and numerous descendants, among whom are Patterson Christian, who was for a long while one of the justices of the county, and is at present a member of the county court; Paren Christian, one of the leading citizens of the county, and Rev. Byron Christian, who was for many years a minister of the M. E. Church, South. His daughters married R. P. Spratt and D. P. Ellis. Isaac Spratt, of Tazewell County, first settled at the mouth of Gilbert Creek, on the survey made for Edward Crawford. He married Kate Buchanan, of Tazewell, and to this marriage was born three sons and seven daughters. His sons were John, who married a Miss Perry, of Tazewell; James, who married a Miss Steele, of Tazewell; and Alexander, who married a Miss Rogers, of Tazewell County. His daughters were Jane, who married Francis S. Browning; Amanda, who married Augustus Lecompte; Amelia who married Lewis Lichenett; Kesiah, who married Henry Buchanan; Louisa, who married John Stafford; Kate, who married William Steele, and Flora, who married Lloyd Ellis. Passing up Gilbert Creek, we find, about the year 1806, domiciled in a brand new cabin at the first fork above the mouth, Frederick Trent, of Russell County, Va. He married Agnes Horton of Tazewell County. He had three sons and two daughters. His sons were Humphrey, who married Martha Smith; Eli, who married Mahala Elkins, and Frederick, who married a daughter of Wm Cline. The daughters were Susan, who married Andrew Hatfield, and Sarah, who married Wm. Riffe. The children of Humphrey Trent are Alexander, who married a Miss Mounts; Smith, who married a Miss Cline; Eli, who married a Miss Ellis, and Clarissa, who married Madison Ellis. Some time before Frederick Trent had settled on Gilbert, Thomas Smith, another gentleman from Russell, and a Revolutionary hero, had settled on Horsepen, a creek which had derived its name, as we have seen, from the fact of its having been used as a place to pen the stolen horses of Baker and his Indian allies. The name of the wife of Thomas Smith is not known, but he had a wife and three children where he first settled on Horsepen. His children were John, who first married a Miss Murphy, of Kentucky, and after her death a Miss Charles of Kentucky; Mary who married Peter Cline, and Martha, who married Humphrey Trent. John Smith had by his first wife two sons, viz., Harrington, who married a Miss Mullins, and then moved to Kanawha, and Larkin, who was twice married, and who, having passed his three score and ten years, is still living at the old homestead on Horsepen. His first wife was a Miss Lusk, by whom he had eight children; his second wife was a Miss Trent, by whom he had six children. At what is still known as the Hatfield place on Horsepen, Valentine Hatfield, of Washington County, Va., settled at quite an early day. He was the father of nine sons and three daughters, and from them have sprung many of the Hatfields of the Guyandotte and Sandy Valleys. Valentine Hatfield married a Miss Weddington, and he was a half son of Thomas Smith . His sons were Al, who married a daughter of Ferrell Evans; Joe, who also married a daughter of Ferrell Evans; Ephraim, who married Bette Vance; (This Ephraim Hatfield was one of the quietest men in the county, and was for a long time a justice of the peace, yet he was the father and grandfather of the Hatfields who were engaged in the Hatfield-McCoy feud). Andrew, who married a daughter of Humphrey Trent, and those descendants live in Wyoming county; Thomas, who married a daughter of Frank Evans; John, who married a daughter of Abner Vance; Joseph, who married a daughter of John Toler; (Squire M. Hatfied and James Hatfield are the sons of this marriage.) Jacob who married a daughter of Peter Cline, and Valentine who was never married. Of his three daughters, Phoebe married Alexander Varney; Celia married James Perry, and Jennie married James Justice, who was at one time sheriff of Logan County, and who was the father of John Justice, a prominent merchant in Logan Court House; B. J. Justice, a merchant and timber dealer of Cabell County, and William E. Justice, a merchant at North Spring and at one time a member of the West Virginia Legislature. Joseph Hatfield, a brother of Valentine Hatfield, settled about the same time at Matewan and will be mentioned herefafter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XIX Passing up the Horsepen and on to Island Creek, on the trail used by Baker and his Indians, we find that two brothers and a brother-in-law from North Carolina had made settlements at quite an early date - thought to be about 1812. These brothers were Francis and Edmund Browning and the brother-in-law was Barnabus Curry. Francis Browning, who married a daughter of Abner Vance, of Tazewell County, settled at the mouth of Cow Creek, and was the father of three sons and four daughters. His sons were William E., (known as Buck) who married a Miss Wallace; Jesse, who married a Miss Webb; and Jackson, who went West while a young man. The daughters were Francis, who married John Curry; Rebecca, who married James Browning; Nancy Ann, who married L. D. Hill, and Amy, who married William Ellis. Edmund Browning, who was a Revolutionary soldier, married a Miss Hall, of Washington County, Virginia, and settled where John R. Browning now lives. By his first wife he had two sons and one daughter. His sons were Enoch, who, still a young man, moved to Russell County, Virginia, and Reece, who married a Miss Boyd, of Tennessee. Reece Browning was one of the prominent men of the county, having held, at different time, offices of honor and trust and was a long time major of militia and Sheriff of the county. Reece had but two children - Thomas Edmund, who married a Miss Vance and moved to Missouri, and John Reece, who is still living at the old homestead on Island Creek. Jane, the daughter of Edmund Browning by his first wife, married Thomas Cunningham, of Russell County, Virginia. Edmund Browning married, as a second wife, Miss Robertson, of Russell County. By this marriage he had four sons - Jesse, who married a daughter of Barnabus Curry. He was the father of John L. Kemper, and the late Adam Browning, Mrs. A. H. McDonald and Mrs. Joseph Hatfield and several other sons and daughters. Isaac, who married a daughter of Phillip Ellis; Frank, who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt, of Gilbert; and Edmund, who also married a daughter of Barnabus Curry. Edmund and Frank Browning are still living, aged respectively, 85 and 83. Edmund is the father of George F. Browning, a prominent merchant of Cow Creek, and several other sons and daughters. Barnabus Curry, who as we have already seen, married a Miss Browning, sister of Edmund and Francis Browning, settled on Island Creek, where Thomas Steele now lives. His sons were Robert, who moved to Lincoln County, and is the progenitor of the Currys of that county; John, who married a Miss Browning; Eli, who married a Miss McCoy. After the death of his first wife he married a Miss Pressley, by whom he had several sons and daughters, among whom are Calvin and Victor D. Ralph Steele also from Russell County, Virginia, at an early date, and married a daughter of John Ferrell, of Sandy, and settled where Anderson Hatfield now lives on Island Creek. His sons were Hawkins, who married a Miss Ellis; John, who married a Miss Mounts; William, who married a Miss Spratt; George, who married a Miss Ellis; and Lorenzo D., who married a lady from Tazewell. His daughters were Catherine, who married H. B. Justice and Rebecca, who married Lewis Hinchman. Passing down the creek we find that two brothers - Evans and Phillip Ellis - made settlements about 1811. They were from Monroe County and were descendants of the Evans Ellis who emigrated from Wales in 1730, and settled in the James River Valley. Evans Ellis, who married a Miss Hines, settled near where John T. Vance now lives. His sons were Jacob, who married a daughter of Joseph Gore; Henry, who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt; Lloyd, who also married a daughter of Isaac Spratt; Madison, who married a daughter of Humphrey Trent; and Zatto C., who moved to Roane County. His daughters were Nancy, who married Eli Gore; Catherine, who married Hawkins Steele; Margaret, who married Henderson Bailey; Sallie, who married George, and Evaline, who went to Roane County. Phillip Ellis married a Miss Black and settled where Howard Ellis now lives. His sons were William, who married a daughter of Francis Browning; Squire, who married a daughter of John Vance, and James who married a daughter of William Browning. His daughters were Hannah, who married Thomas Taylor; Christina who married Isaac Browning; Polly who married Thomas Buchanan, who for a long time was Clerk of the Circuit Court of Logan County; and Bettie, who married George Avis, an Englishman, and father of Hugh C., Thomas and Burwell Abis [Avis?] and Mrs. J. E. Robertson, Mrs. Scot Dejarnette, Mrs. Andrew Perry, and the late Mrs. H. S. White. Simpson Ellis, a late member of the County Court, is a son of Lloyd Ellis. Mrs. Martha Straton, of whom mention has been made, settled about the same time, near where Howard Ellis now lives. She married Ben Smith of Buffalo. Joseph Straton was a man of considerable prominence in the county, having represented it in the Legislature of Virginia and Sheriff for a long time. He was the father of William Straton, a prominent lawyer who is still living at Logan Court House, and who was for a long time clerk of the Courts of the county, and for one term, representative of the county in the Legislature of West Virginia and was during the civil war, a major of cavalry in Confederate service. The widow of Joseph Straton moved to Texas where she died a few years ago, leaving their one son, David, and one daughter, Eliza, who married a gentleman named McKean. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XX About the same time that Wm. Hinchman settled at the mouth of Rich Creek, four brothers named Perry came into the county from Monroe. Of these, Jack settled about a mile above Huffs Creek. He was the father of seven sons and two daughters. His sons were Dr. James, who married his cousin, Margaret, a daughter of Joe Perry; Oliber [Oliver?], who married a Miss Haner; Henry, who married a daughter of Jack Chambers; Alexander, who went to Texas and joined the forces of Gen. Houston and was never heard of afterwards; Ephraim, John and Silas, who moved West. Jane married Peter, a son of Conrad Riffe, who was one of the oldest settlers on Upper Tug. Mrs. Riffe is still alive, though about 87 years old, and is the mother of John, Gordon and Patterson Riffe, Mrs. F. M. White and Mrs. Eli Gore. The other daughter of Jack Perry was Mary, who married Richard Chambers. Joe Perry, the next brother settled on Buffalo. He had five sons and four daughters. Of his sons Frank married a Miss Workman; Eli married a Miss Johnson; William and John E., both married Miss Buchanans, and James married a Miss Hatfield. Of his daughters, Margaret married Dr. James Perry, who was at one time Sheriff of the county, and Polly married Rhodes D. Ballard, one of the most prominent and highly esteemed citizens of the county. Mr. Ballard was for years a justice of the peace, and for one term a member of the West Virginia Legislature and was for a long time a member of the county court. He died in 1888, in his 88th year. Jane married Abner Vance and Flora married Amos Workman. Henry Perry, the next brother, settled on Guyandotte River near the mouth of what is now known as Henry's Branch. He moved West and nothing is known of his family. James Perry, the fourth brother, settled at what is still known as the Perry place. He was the Colonel of the Logan County militia for a long while and was among the most prominent men in the county. His sons were Dow, who married a Miss Elkins; Granville, who married a daughter of Carter T. Clark; Preston, who married a daughter of Pyrrhus McGinnis; John A., who married a daughter of John Farley; Oliver, who married a daughter of W. W. McDonald; James, who went West, and Andrew, who enlisted in 1846, in the company of Capt. Elisha McComas, and went to Mexico, and died while still in the service near Vera Cruz. James Perry had two daughters - Mary, who married Maj. Wm. Straton, and Elba, who died unmarried. Jack Perry married a Miss Dixon, of Monroe County; Joe Perry married a Miss Shirkey [?], of Greenbrier County, and James Perry married a Miss Roach, of Monroe County. It is not known who Henry Perry married. They were the sons of John Perry, a native of the north of Ireland, and who has already been mentioned as the father of Mrs. Wm. Hinchman. John Perry had two other daughters, who moved to this county, viz, Bettie, who married Issac [Isaac?] Stollings, of the mouth of Crawley, and Flora, sho married Samuel Canterberry, who afterwards moved to Boone County. John Perry was said to be quite a learned man, and was the author of an arithmetic which was for a long time a text book in the schools of Virginia and North Carolina. Near the same time the Perrys settled here, several other families from North Carolina made settlements on Buffalo and the waters of Spruce, among whom were William Browning, William, John, Tandy and Meredith Burgess and Ben White. William Browning brought with him, in addition to his own family, which consisted of a wife and several daughters, two nephews - Nathaniel and Simeon Browning. He first settled on Buffalo, and while he had no sons to perpetuate his name, he had four daughters. Sarah, who married James Madison White; Lucinda, who married Griffin Canterbury, Peggy, who married Nathaniel Browning and Polly, who married Simeon Browning. Tandy Burgess settled on Buffalo. His sons were Calvin, Hiram and Cornelius. William Burgess moved in Kanawha at an early date. His daughter, Araminia, who married Harrison Chambers, is still living, however, in this county. John Burgess settled on Spruce. His sons were Milton, John A., and Lewis. He had one daughter, (Peggy) who married Russell Trump, of Raleigh County. Meredith Burgess also settled on Spruce. His sons were Fernandus, Jackson, James, George and John W., and his daughters were Polly, who married William McCreeley, and Martha, who married Lewis McDonald. Ben White, who, to distinguish him from Ben White, son of John, who has already been spoken of was known as "Chickawaw Ben." He settled on the farm now owned by Stephen Browning, and was the father of a large family. His sons were Gradon, who married a daughter of William Browning; Russell, who married a Miss Coon; Benjamin Wesley, who married a daughter of Tandy Burgess, and Andrew, who married a daughter of George Ferrell. His daughters were Amanda, who married Oliver Browning; Elizabeth, who married Byron Christian; Nancy, who married a Ferrell, and Paulina, who married Chapman Miller, of Boone County. As has been before stated, James Mitchell and John Miller settled on Turtle Creek about the year 1815. They were brothers-in-law and both were soldiers in the War of 1812. Mitchell was the son of Joshua Mitchell (or Michel,) who came from France with Rochambeau, and served under him at the battle of Yorktown. He married Elizabeth Miller, a daughter of Michael Miller, and his children were Michael, Joshua, a well-known Baptist preacher, and Dr. James, who is living and practicing his profession. John Miller was the son of Michael Miller, a Hessian who deserted his command and joined the American forces, and after the war settled in Montgomery County, Va. John, who married a daughter of Joshua Mitchell, settled where Riland Ballard now lives. He had two sons - Benjamin and Ezekiel. Ezekiel married a daughter of Joshua Mitchell and is the grandfather of C. M. Turley, a prominent attorney of Logan. Last but not least among the men who left their impress upon the people of the Guyandotte Valley was Anthony Lawson, who settled where J. S. Miller now lives, about the year 1823. Anthony Lawson was a native of Northumberland, England, and was born about 1780. Some time about the year 1815 he emigrated to America with his wife and four sons, John, Lewis H., James and Anthony. He remained for a while at Alexandria, Va., where his brother, John, who had preceded him to America, lived. Col. Andrew Bierne, of Lewisburg, soon ma History of Logan Co, Va (WV) by Ragland History of Logan County, W.Va by Henry Clay Ragland Chapters 13-22 - The Russell County was formed from Washington, in 1788; Wyeth from Montgomery, in 1790; Kanawha from Wythe and Greenbrier (which was formed from Montgomery in 1778), in 1792; Monroe from Montgomery and Greenbrier, in 1799; Tazewell from Wythe and Russell, in 1799; Giles from Montgomery, Tazewell and Monroe in 1898; and Cabell from Kanawha, in 1809. The territory of Logan, as it exists today, was part of Fincastle from 1738 to 1776, then a part of Montgomery until 1790, a part of Wythe until 1792, a part of Kanawha until 1809, when it became a part of Cabell and remained as such until it was organized into a county in 1823.(Logan is beside Wyoming & Mingo Counties, WV, now) Upon the passage of the law in 1792, referred to in our last chapter, the owners of grants made before that time, saw the necessity of seeding and cultivating the lands which had been patented to them before the expiration of the period to which that right had been extended (1799), and at once went to work to get some one to take charge of their lands. In the company of John Breckenridge, at the time of the battle of the Islands, was one James Workman, who in addition to being a gallant soldier, was in every respect a trustworthy gentleman. Breckenridge, as soon as possible, employed him to take charge of his survey at the Islands (Logan C.H.) and in 1794, James Workman with his brothers Joseph and Nimrod, built a cabin on the Island and planted a few acres of corn. They planted the same land again in 1795 and 1796, and in the fall of the latter year. James Workman, who was a man of family, moved his wife and children from their old home in Wythe (now Tazewell), and settled on the Island, where the three brothers continued to live until the year 1800, when they moved upon the farm now occupied by Henry Mitchell. More will be said of this family in a future chapter. Genealogical Section The first permanent settlement of which we have any record was commenced by William Dingess, a son of Peter Dingess, a Montgomery county [?], in the year 1799. Peter Dingess was a German, but just when or under what circumstances he came to America, is shrouded in doubt, which will never be dispelled. One account given us by one of his prominent descendants, is, that he came to this country before the War of the Revolution and settled in Montgomery County, and in evidence of this, furniture etc., brought with him from the "Fader Land," is pointed out; especially a finely finished bureau, which was, for a long time, an heirloom in the family, and a peculiar shaped gourd which was grown in Germany, and used by his son John Dingess as a powder gourd, within the memory of the present generation. Another account given us by William A. Dingess, one of his grandsons, is, that some time between the years 1750 and 1760, that his parents with their family embarked for America, that fell disease carried off his parents on the voyage, that he and a sister landed at Baltimore, neither of whom could speak a word of English, that from some cause they became separated, and that he never saw her or heard of her again. That wandering about the streets, homeless and alone, a merchant from Montgomery County, Virginia, took charge of him and brought him to Montgomery, where he grew up and married a wife, and afterwards served in the War of the Revolution. It is impossible to say which story is correct, but of one thing we are assured, and that is, that he lived in Montgomery County, Virginia, and raised a family of eleven children, four boys and seven girls and died there in 1800. The names of his sons were William, Peter, John and Charles A., and his daughters, Harriet, Betsy, Susan, Nancy, Sallie, Peggy and Polly, who intermarried with Sam Peck, John McClaugherty, William Henderson, David French, (who was, for a long while Clerk of the Courts of Giles County), Ezekiel Smith, William Smith and James Bright, who emigrated to Tennessee, and was the father of John Morgan Bright, who for twelve years represented Tennessee in Congress. Charles A., died unmarried in Mercer County, Col. Napoleon B. French, a son of David French, is still living in Mercer County, aged 96 years. William Dingess, the oldest of the family, was born in Montgomery County in 1776, and married Nancy McNeeley, and purchasing of John Breckenridge the survey of 300 acres which covers the present site of Logan Courthouse, and a portion of the farm across the river where Mrs. J. W. Desking now lives, moved upon it in 1799, and built a residence where J. S. Miller now lives; the old chimney of which is still standing. John Dempsey came with him and build a cabin on the little island, but afterwards moved to Island Creek, near where Sam Jackson now lives. William Dingess was said to be almost a giant in strength, but so peaceable that no one could induce him to fight. While he was born at too late a date to engage in the Indian warfare on the border, he, on one occasion, joined in the pursuit of a band of Indian marauders and followed them as far as the Falls of Guyan, where, killing an Indian, he took off a part of his hide, out of which he made a razor strap, and kept it during his lifetime. He had no children by his wife, but was the reputed father of a child born to Katie McComas, who was always known as Peter Dingess, and was for a long time regarded as the best physician in Logan County. Katie McComas was also the mother of the late John Garrett, of Big Creek, one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Logan County. In the year 1800, Peter Dingess and John Dingess, brothers of William Dingess, joined him and became permanent settlers, of whom more will be said hereafter. Some time in the next year or two Captain Henry Farley, of Montgomery County, who had served with distinction in the War of the Revolution, and who has been heretofore mentioned as the leader of the whites in the pursuit of the Indians in 1792; with Garland Conley, who had married his eldest daughter, Bettie, settled at the mouth of Peach Creek. He brought with him three stalwart sons and five marriageable daughters, and as might have been expected, the big house at the mouth of Peach Creek, and it was said to have been the largest house in the country, was always full. Of what tales that never grow old were told, we have no record, and the man in the moon has never divulged the vows which he witnessed, yet we know that enough was said to divide the happiness of Captain Farley's home among five families. The blushing Sallie became the wife of Peter Dingess during the year 1806, and they set up housekeeping just across the river where Mrs. John W. Deskins now lives, and to the happy couple there was born, on the 30th day of October 1806, William Anderson Dingess, who, during a long and useful life (dying December 13th, 1893, in his eighty-eighth year) bore the proud distinction of being the first white child born in Logan County. The other children born to this marriage were John, who intermarried with Sallie Moore; Guy, who married Rhoda Toney; Charles F., who married Betty Toney, both of these were the daughters of William and Polly (Caperton) Toney; Polly, who married Lewis Lawson; Matilda, who married James Lawson, both sons of Anthony Lawson; Julyantes, who married Charles Smoot; Minerva, who married W. W. McDonald; and Hattlett [Harriett?], who married John Justice. Peter Dingess was a prominent citizen and was for a long while one of the justices of Cabell County. Another one of the blooming daughters of Capt. Farley, (Chloe), intermarried with John Dingess, who then settled near his father-in-law, at the mouth of Peach Creek. His children were William, who married a daughter of Josiah Stollings; Julius, who married a daughter of Ben Smith; Harvey, who married a daughter of Joseph Adams; Henderson, who married a daughter of Joseph Adams; John and Peter, both of whom married daughters of Washington Adams; Sallie, who married James Butcher; Peggy, who married John Gore; and Nancy, who married William Chapman, all of whom are dead except Sallie and Henderson. All of them except David had a large off-spring. The daughters of Captain Henry Farley were Judith, who married Thomas Thompson, and, who, after the death of Thompson, married Robert Hensley; Matilda, who married Carter T. Clark; and Mary, who first married Stephen Hensley, and afterwards married Pryyhus McGinnis. Of his three sons, John and Thomas, both married Miss Pinsons of Kentucky, and William was married four times, first marrying Bettie Phillips, second Phoebe Muncy, third Polly Williams, and fourth, Jane Jones. All of them left large families, and with the Dingesses constituted one of the largest family connections in Logan County, and more will be said of them hereafter. At about the same time that Captain Farley settled at the mouth of Peach Creek, Richard Kezee, another hero of the Revolution, built a cabin near the present residence of Major William Stratton and the branch which flowed past the old homestead still bears the euphonious name of Kezee. His descendants all moved to the State of Kentucky, and many of them are now living in Pike County, of that state. About the same time David McNeeley settled where Floyd Buchanan now lives, and afterwards moved upon the farm now owned by J. E. Robertson. For some reason he was nick-named "Jagger," and the place, to which he removed on Robertson's farm was called "Jaggerstown." His descendants are quite numerous, and the name is familiar not only in Logan, but in all the surrounding counties, and many of them at an early day went with the "Course of Empire" westward. Among his descentants is Rev. John Green McNeeley, the present pastor of the Desciples Church of Aracoma. Richard Elkins, of Montgomery, also came with William Dingess and settled near the big island on Island Creek. The island was covered with a heavy growth of cane, and Elkins leased it from Dingess and cleared it out, and the first year that he cultivated it in corn he raised three thousand bushels, or about one hundred bushels to the acre. (a few acres of the Island had been cleared before that time by the Workman brothers heretofore mentioned, and cultivated in corn.) He was also the father of a large family his wife being a Miss Maguire, of Montgomery. His sons were Archibald, who married a Miss Gillaspie, of Tazewell, James, who married his cousin - a daughter of Zach Elkins, of Hewett; Robert, who married the widow of Edward McDonald and who was formerly a Miss Harvey; Israel, who married a daughter of William Browning; Richard, Jr., who married a Miss May, and Eddie and Harvey, whose wives are unknown. His daughters were Lucretia, who married James White; Martha, who married Elijah Elkins (son of Wm. Elkins, of Newett); Nancy, who married William Walls; Susannah, who married John White, (son of Jack), and Hannah, who married William Moore, of Tazewell. This last mentioned couple joined the Mormons and were with Joe Smith at Nauvoo. Zach and William Elkins, brothers of Richard Elkins, settled on Hewett and, like Richard, had numerous descendants, but we are unable to give their names. From these three brothers, however, are descended the Elkins family of Logan and adjoining counties. [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XVIII William Hinchman settled near the mouth of Rich Creek, on the farm now owned by his son, George Hinchman, about the year 1814. He was the son of William Hinchman, an English sailor, and was born in Dorchester, Maryland, about 1770. He was too young to enter the army at the time of the Revolution, but was in hearing of the guns of Yorktown; and was familiar with the stirring events of the time when America desired to be independent [text missing] county, Virginia, now Monroe County, West Virginia, about the close of the last century, when he married Mary Ann Perry, a daughter of John Perry, who had emigrated from the north of Ireland. After several of his children were born he came, as we have seen, to the mouth of Rich Creek. His sterling worth was seen and appreciated by the people and he was soon made one of the Justices of Cabell County, and upon the organization of Logan County he became a member of its first County Court. His children by his first marriage, were John K., who married the daughter of Ben White; Cyrus, who married a daughter of F. R. Pennell; Hiram, who married a daughter of Thomas Riggins; Milton, who married a daughter of Ben Cary; William, who first married a Miss Seymour, then a Miss Hatfield, and as a third wife a Miss Chapman; Dr. Ulysses, who married a Miss McDonald; James Harvey, who married a Miss Gore; Elizabeth, who married Benjamin Smith; Amanda, who married Robert Clendenin; Sarah, who married Ira Chambers, and Mero, who married Levi Gore. After the death of his first wife William Hinchman, Sr., married Nancy Stollings, and the children of this marriage were Floyd, who married first a Miss Chambers, and after her death a Miss Mangus; Nancy Ann, who married Joseph Scaggs; Penelope, who married George Claypool; Risby, who married Thomas Nelson Ballard, and Edna, who died single. Of the first children of William Hinchman, John K., Cyrus, Hiram and Milton moved to the State of Michigan, William moved to the county of Cabell, Dr. Ulysses was a practicing physician and held many offices of public trust, and was several times elected as a member of the West Virginia Legislature; James Harvey, who is still living, was a successful farmer, a member of the West Virginia Legislature, and at different times held other important offices in the county. F. R. Pinnell was another one of the early settlers. He settled on the farm where James Buchanan now lives and where Dr. Ulysses Hinchman lived and died. He was the first surveyor of Logan County, which position he held for several years. He had a large family of children who went with him to Michigan, where the old man died a few years ago at the ripe old age of ninety-eight years. Archelaus Mitchell, who married a Miss Goodwin, of Montgomery County, Virginia, settled on Buffalo Creek about the year 1812. His sons were Jordan who married a Miss Gore, of Montgomery County, Virginia; Gustavus, who moved to Smyth County, Virginia, and Micajah, who married a daughter of Absalo Elkins, of Huss Creek, and then moved to Kanawha County. Jordan Mitchell had four sons, James, John, Archelaus and Micajah, and four daughters, Mary, who married Patterson Christian; Victoria, who married Curtis Ballard; Isabella, who married Paren Christian, and Emaline, who married Anthony Jarrell. Absalom Elkins settled on Huffs Creek about 1815. His sons were Henry, Thomas, William, Isaiah and Uriah Watson. His daughters were Mahala, who married Eli Trent; Peggy, who married Edward Mason, and Frances, who married Micajah Mitchell. Absalom Elkins died about two years ago, after having just passed his hundreth year. Some time not far from the beginning of 1820, Thomas Christian, a nephew of Col. Wm. Christian, of Montgomery, settled at the mouth of Huffs Creek on the survey made for John Seets. He married a daughter of Alexander Pine, of Montgomery County. His [sic] Alexander Pine took his name from the fact that a gentleman by the name of Alexander found him while an infant of only a few days under a pine tree where he had been left, and his parents were never discovered. Thomas Christian was the father of three sons (James, Thomas and Allen) and several daughters, all of whom, except James, moved with their father to Kentucky about the year 1824. James, who was born in 1800, married a Miss Anne More [sic], and remained in the county. He was a member of the first county court of Logan County, and held many positions of trust, all of which he filled to the satisfaction of the people. He was the last survivor of the first court, and died in 1892 in the 93rd year of his age, leaving an honorable name and numerous descendants, among whom are Patterson Christian, who was for a long while one of the justices of the county, and is at present a member of the county court; Paren Christian, one of the leading citizens of the county, and Rev. Byron Christian, who was for many years a minister of the M. E. Church, South. His daughters married R. P. Spratt and D. P. Ellis. Isaac Spratt, of Tazewell County, first settled at the mouth of Gilbert Creek, on the survey made for Edward Crawford. He married Kate Buchanan, of Tazewell, and to this marriage was born three sons and seven daughters. His sons were John, who married a Miss Perry, of Tazewell; James, who married a Miss Steele, of Tazewell; and Alexander, who married a Miss Rogers, of Tazewell County. His daughters were Jane, who married Francis S. Browning; Amanda, who married Augustus Lecompte; Amelia who married Lewis Lichenett; Kesiah, who married Henry Buchanan; Louisa, who married John Stafford; Kate, who married William Steele, and Flora, who married Lloyd Ellis. Passing up Gilbert Creek, we find, about the year 1806, domiciled in a brand new cabin at the first fork above the mouth, Frederick Trent, of Russell County, Va. He married Agnes Horton of Tazewell County. He had three sons and two daughters. His sons were Humphrey, who married Martha Smith; Eli, who married Mahala Elkins, and Frederick, who married a daughter of Wm Cline. The daughters were Susan, who married Andrew Hatfield, and Sarah, who married Wm. Riffe. The children of Humphrey Trent are Alexander, who married a Miss Mounts; Smith, who married a Miss Cline; Eli, who married a Miss Ellis, and Clarissa, who married Madison Ellis. Some time before Frederick Trent had settled on Gilbert, Thomas Smith, another gentleman from Russell, and a Revolutionary hero, had settled on Horsepen, a creek which had derived its name, as we have seen, from the fact of its having been used as a place to pen the stolen horses of Baker and his Indian allies. The name of the wife of Thomas Smith is not known, but he had a wife and three children where he first settled on Horsepen. His children were John, who first married a Miss Murphy, of Kentucky, and after her death a Miss Charles of Kentucky; Mary who married Peter Cline, and Martha, who married Humphrey Trent. John Smith had by his first wife two sons, viz., Harrington, who married a Miss Mullins, and then moved to Kanawha, and Larkin, who was twice married, and who, having passed his three score and ten years, is still living at the old homestead on Horsepen. His first wife was a Miss Lusk, by whom he had eight children; his second wife was a Miss Trent, by whom he had six children. At what is still known as the Hatfield place on Horsepen, Valentine Hatfield, of Washington County, Va., settled at quite an early day. He was the father of nine sons and three daughters, and from them have sprung many of the Hatfields of the Guyandotte and Sandy Valleys. Valentine Hatfield married a Miss Weddington, and he was a half son of Thomas Smith . His sons were Al, who married a daughter of Ferrell Evans; Joe, who also married a daughter of Ferrell Evans; Ephraim, who married Bette Vance; (This Ephraim Hatfield was one of the quietest men in the county, and was for a long time a justice of the peace, yet he was the father and grandfather of the Hatfields who were engaged in the Hatfield-McCoy feud). Andrew, who married a daughter of Humphrey Trent, and those descendants live in Wyoming county; Thomas, who married a daughter of Frank Evans; John, who married a daughter of Abner Vance; Joseph, who married a daughter of John Toler; (Squire M. Hatfied and James Hatfield are the sons of this marriage.) Jacob who married a daughter of Peter Cline, and Valentine who was never married. Of his three daughters, Phoebe married Alexander Varney; Celia married James Perry, and Jennie married James Justice, who was at one time sheriff of Logan County, and who was the father of John Justice, a prominent merchant in Logan Court House; B. J. Justice, a merchant and timber dealer of Cabell County, and William E. Justice, a merchant at North Spring and at one time a member of the West Virginia Legislature. Joseph Hatfield, a brother of Valentine Hatfield, settled about the same time at Matewan and will be mentioned herefafter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XIX Passing up the Horsepen and on to Island Creek, on the trail used by Baker and his Indians, we find that two brothers and a brother-in-law from North Carolina had made settlements at quite an early date - thought to be about 1812. These brothers were Francis and Edmund Browning and the brother-in-law was Barnabus Curry. Francis Browning, who married a daughter of Abner Vance, of Tazewell County, settled at the mouth of Cow Creek, and was the father of three sons and four daughters. His sons were William E., (known as Buck) who married a Miss Wallace; Jesse, who married a Miss Webb; and Jackson, who went West while a young man. The daughters were Francis, who married John Curry; Rebecca, who married James Browning; Nancy Ann, who married L. D. Hill, and Amy, who married William Ellis. Edmund Browning, who was a Revolutionary soldier, married a Miss Hall, of Washington County, Virginia, and settled where John R. Browning now lives. By his first wife he had two sons and one daughter. His sons were Enoch, who, still a young man, moved to Russell County, Virginia, and Reece, who married a Miss Boyd, of Tennessee. Reece Browning was one of the prominent men of the county, having held, at different time, offices of honor and trust and was a long time major of militia and Sheriff of the county. Reece had but two children - Thomas Edmund, who married a Miss Vance and moved to Missouri, and John Reece, who is still living at the old homestead on Island Creek. Jane, the daughter of Edmund Browning by his first wife, married Thomas Cunningham, of Russell County, Virginia. Edmund Browning married, as a second wife, Miss Robertson, of Russell County. By this marriage he had four sons - Jesse, who married a daughter of Barnabus Curry. He was the father of John L. Kemper, and the late Adam Browning, Mrs. A. H. McDonald and Mrs. Joseph Hatfield and several other sons and daughters. Isaac, who married a daughter of Phillip Ellis; Frank, who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt, of Gilbert; and Edmund, who also married a daughter of Barnabus Curry. Edmund and Frank Browning are still living, aged respectively, 85 and 83. Edmund is the father of George F. Browning, a prominent merchant of Cow Creek, and several other sons and daughters. Barnabus Curry, who as we have already seen, married a Miss Browning, sister of Edmund and Francis Browning, settled on Island Creek, where Thomas Steele now lives. His sons were Robert, who moved to Lincoln County, and is the progenitor of the Currys of that county; John, who married a Miss Browning; Eli, who married a Miss McCoy. After the death of his first wife he married a Miss Pressley, by whom he had several sons and daughters, among whom are Calvin and Victor D. Ralph Steele also from Russell County, Virginia, at an early date, and married a daughter of John Ferrell, of Sandy, and settled where Anderson Hatfield now lives on Island Creek. His sons were Hawkins, who married a Miss Ellis; John, who married a Miss Mounts; William, who married a Miss Spratt; George, who married a Miss Ellis; and Lorenzo D., who married a lady from Tazewell. His daughters were Catherine, who married H. B. Justice and Rebecca, who married Lewis Hinchman. Passing down the creek we find that two brothers - Evans and Phillip Ellis - made settlements about 1811. They were from Monroe County and were descendants of the Evans Ellis who emigrated from Wales in 1730, and settled in the James River Valley. Evans Ellis, who married a Miss Hines, settled near where John T. Vance now lives. His sons were Jacob, who married a daughter of Joseph Gore; Henry, who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt; Lloyd, who also married a daughter of Isaac Spratt; Madison, who married a daughter of Humphrey Trent; and Zatto C., who moved to Roane County. His daughters were Nancy, who married Eli Gore; Catherine, who married Hawkins Steele; Margaret, who married Henderson Bailey; Sallie, who married George, and Evaline, who went to Roane County. Phillip Ellis married a Miss Black and settled where Howard Ellis now lives. His sons were William, who married a daughter of Francis Browning; Squire, who married a daughter of John Vance, and James who married a daughter of William Browning. His daughters were Hannah, who married Thomas Taylor; Christina who married Isaac Browning; Polly who married Thomas Buchanan, who for a long time was Clerk of the Circuit Court of Logan County; and Bettie, who married George Avis, an Englishman, and father of Hugh C., Thomas and Burwell Abis [Avis?] and Mrs. J. E. Robertson, Mrs. Scot Dejarnette, Mrs. Andrew Perry, and the late Mrs. H. S. White. Simpson Ellis, a late member of the County Court, is a son of Lloyd Ellis. Mrs. Martha Straton, of whom mention has been made, settled about the same time, near where Howard Ellis now lives. She married Ben Smith of Buffalo. Joseph Straton was a man of considerable prominence in the county, having represented it in the Legislature of Virginia and Sheriff for a long time. He was the father of William Straton, a prominent lawyer who is still living at Logan Court House, and who was for a long time clerk of the Courts of the county, and for one term, representative of the county in the Legislature of West Virginia and was during the civil war, a major of cavalry in Confederate service. The widow of Joseph Straton moved to Texas where she died a few years ago, leaving their one son, David, and one daughter, Eliza, who married a gentleman named McKean. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XX About the same time that Wm. Hinchman settled at the mouth of Rich Creek, four brothers named Perry came into the county from Monroe. Of these, Jack settled about a mile above Huffs Creek. He was the father of seven sons and two daughters. His sons were Dr. James, who married his cousin, Margaret, a daughter of Joe Perry; Oliber [Oliver?], who married a Miss Haner; Henry, who married a daughter of Jack Chambers; Alexander, who went to Texas and joined the forces of Gen. Houston and was never heard of afterwards; Ephraim, John and Silas, who moved West. Jane married Peter, a son of Conrad Riffe, who was one of the oldest settlers on Upper Tug. Mrs. Riffe is still alive, though about 87 years old, and is the mother of John, Gordon and Patterson Riffe, Mrs. F. M. White and Mrs. Eli Gore. The other daughter of Jack Perry was Mary, who married Richard Chambers. Joe Perry, the next brother settled on Buffalo. He had five sons and four daughters. Of his sons Frank married a Miss Workman; Eli married a Miss Johnson; William and John E., both married Miss Buchanans, and James married a Miss Hatfield. Of his daughters, Margaret married Dr. James Perry, who was at one time Sheriff of the county, and Polly married Rhodes D. Ballard, one of the most prominent and highly esteemed citizens of the county. Mr. Ballard was for years a justice of the peace, and for one term a member of the West Virginia Legislature and was for a long time a member of the county court. He died in 1888, in his 88th year. Jane married Abner Vance and Flora married Amos Workman. Henry Perry, the next brother, settled on Guyandotte River near the mouth of what is now known as Henry's Branch. He moved West and nothing is known of his family. James Perry, the fourth brother, settled at what is still known as the Perry place. He was the Colonel of the Logan County militia for a long while and was among the most prominent men in the county. His sons were Dow, who married a Miss Elkins; Granville, who married a daughter of Carter T. Clark; Preston, who married a daughter of Pyrrhus McGinnis; John A., who married a daughter of John Farley; Oliver, who married a daughter of W. W. McDonald; James, who went West, and Andrew, who enlisted in 1846, in the company of Capt. Elisha McComas, and went to Mexico, and died while still in the service near Vera Cruz. James Perry had two daughters - Mary, who married Maj. Wm. Straton, and Elba, who died unmarried. Jack Perry married a Miss Dixon, of Monroe County; Joe Perry married a Miss Shirkey [?], of Greenbrier County, and James Perry married a Miss Roach, of Monroe County. It is not known who Henry Perry married. They were the sons of John Perry, a native of the north of Ireland, and who has already been mentioned as the father of Mrs. Wm. Hinchman. John Perry had two other daughters, who moved to this county, viz, Bettie, who married Issac [Isaac?] Stollings, of the mouth of Crawley, and Flora, sho married Samuel Canterberry, who afterwards moved to Boone County. John Perry was said to be quite a learned man, and was the author of an arithmetic which was for a long time a text book in the schools of Virginia and North Carolina. Near the same time the Perrys settled here, several other families from North Carolina made settlements on Buffalo and the waters of Spruce, among whom were William Browning, William, John, Tandy and Meredith Burgess and Ben White. William Browning brought with him, in addition to his own family, which consisted of a wife and several daughters, two nephews - Nathaniel and Simeon Browning. He first settled on Buffalo, and while he had no sons to perpetuate his name, he had four daughters. Sarah, who married James Madison White; Lucinda, who married Griffin Canterbury, Peggy, who married Nathaniel Browning and Polly, who married Simeon Browning. Tandy Burgess settled on Buffalo. His sons were Calvin, Hiram and Cornelius. William Burgess moved in Kanawha at an early date. His daughter, Araminia, who married Harrison Chambers, is still living, however, in this county. John Burgess settled on Spruce. His sons were Milton, John A., and Lewis. He had one daughter, (Peggy) who married Russell Trump, of Raleigh County. Meredith Burgess also settled on Spruce. His sons were Fernandus, Jackson, James, George and John W., and his daughters were Polly, who married William McCreeley, and Martha, who married Lewis McDonald. Ben White, who, to distinguish him from Ben White, son of John, who has already been spoken of was known as "Chickawaw Ben." He settled on the farm now owned by Stephen Browning, and was the father of a large family. His sons were Gradon, who married a daughter of William Browning; Russell, who married a Miss Coon; Benjamin Wesley, who married a daughter of Tandy Burgess, and Andrew, who married a daughter of George Ferrell. His daughters were Amanda, who married Oliver Browning; Elizabeth, who married Byron Christian; Nancy, who married a Ferrell, and Paulina, who married Chapman Miller, of Boone County. As has been before stated, James Mitchell and John Miller settled on Turtle Creek about the year 1815. They were brothers-in-law and both were soldiers in the War of 1812. Mitchell was the son of Joshua Mitchell (or Michel,) who came from France with Rochambeau, and served under him at the battle of Yorktown. He married Elizabeth Miller, a daughter of Michael Miller, and his children were Michael, Joshua, a well-known Baptist preacher, and Dr. James, who is living and practicing his profession. John Miller was the son of Michael Miller, a Hessian who deserted his command and joined the American forces, and after the war settled in Montgomery County, Va. John, who married a daughter of Joshua Mitchell, settled where Riland Ballard now lives. He had two sons - Benjamin and Ezekiel. Ezekiel married a daughter of Joshua Mitchell and is the grandfather of C. M. Turley, a prominent attorney of Logan. Last but not least among the men who left their impress upon the people of the Guyandotte Valley was Anthony Lawson, who settled where J. S. Miller now lives, about the year 1823. Anthony Lawson was a native of Northumberland, England, and was born about 1780. Some time about the year 1815 he emigrated to America with his wife and four sons, John, Lewis H., James and Anthony. He remained for a while at Alexandria, Va., where his brother, John, who had preceded him to America, lived. Col. Andrew Bierne, of Lewisburg, soon made his acquaintance, and induced him to come in the wilds of the Guyandotte River and engage in the fur and ginseng trade. Mr. Lawson first settled near the present site of Oceana, where he remained about four years and then moved to the present site of Logan C. H., where he remained until his death, which occurred in Guyandotte in 1846, while he was returning from Philadelphia, where he had been to purchase goods. The state of trade in Logan at that time and the difficulty of getting goods and of taking produce to market will be treated of hereafter. Mr. Lawson was a member of the first county court and was during his life a leading citizen. His wife survived him for something over a year, when she was murdered by two of her slaves. Her tombstone in our cemetery had the following inscription: "Ann Lawson, wife of Anthony Lawson, of Logan County, Va., who was born in the Parish of Longhorsby, in the county of Northumberland, England, on the 17th day of March, A.D. 1783. Murdered on the night of the 17th of December, 1847, by two of her own Negroes." The sons of Anthony Lawson were all prominent men in the county, and will be noticed more fully in some future chapters. John married Emily Butcher, daughter of Joshua and Sarah (Clarke) Butcher, and was killed by a falling tree in 1844; Lewis B. married Polly Dingess, James married Matilda Dingess, both daughters of Peter and Sallie (Farley) Dingess, and Anthony, the youngest son, married Ann Brooke Robertson, the daughter of Edwin and Mary (Minnie) Robertson. While the Guyandotte Valley was being settled with hardy pioneers from Montgomery and the territory which formerly belonged in that ancient county, the Tug Fork of Sandy was being peopled by those who had for awhile paused in their march to the wilderness on the waters of the Clinch and the Holsten. From the time of the building of the old Block House at the forks of Sandy, about the year 1789, frequent visits were made from the cabins on the frontier by daring hunters to their friends in the old fort, but there is no account of any settlement being made on the West Virginia side of the river below the McDowell County line, or even above that line, until the year 1800, when Richard and John Ferrell, sons of Richard Ferrell, who was killed by the Indians in Thompson's Valley in 1780, settled on the farm where M.A. Ferrell now lives. Richard Ferrell, the youngest brother, married a Miss Romaines, of Russell County, Virginia, and was the father of ten children - six sons and four daughters. His sons were William, who married Mahala Tiller; John R., who married Elizabeth Coleman; Elizah, who married Barbara Jackson; Richard, who married Letitia Eskew; Evans, who married Martha Duty, and Moses, who married Jane Lockhart. His daughters were Rachel, who married William Tiller; Rebecca, who married Green Justice; Elizabeth, who married Joab Justice, and Nancy, who married Cummings Musie [?].[Musick? -jcw 25.02.2013] John Ferrell married Nancy Jackson of Russell County, Virginia. He was the father of three sons and two daughters. His sons were William, who moved to Roane County; Andrew, who married Polly Slater, and then moved to Missouri; and John, who married Jane Taylor, and was through a long life, a prominent Baptist preacher, and was greatly beloved by all who knew him. His daughters were Jennie, who married John Murphy, ( John has been proven to be the father of Bad Jim Vance and Nancy Vance who married Eph. Hatfield, by DNA, by Abner Vance's daughter, Elizabeth Vance, never married) and Levisa, who married Ralph Steel, of Island Creek. Reuben Thacker made the first settlement at what is now known as Thacker. He came from the James River Valley, remained for a few years, giving to the creek its name, and then moved further west. Peter Cline, who was of German origin, settled about the year 1802 just below the mouth of Peter Creek on the West Virginia side of the river. It is claimed that he had settled on the Kentucky side, on Peter Creek, some eight years before that time, and that the creek took its name from him, and that he came direct from Montgomery County, Va. Be this as it may, it is well known that he lived and died at a ripe old age on Tug River, and that he was the father of four sons and one daughter, from whom has sprung the Clines and Mounts of the Tug and Guyandotte Valleys. His sons were Michael, who married a Miss Hinkle, of Kentucky; Jacob, who married a Miss Fuller, of Kentucky; William, who married a daughter of Thomas Smith, of Horsepen. This Peter Cline Jr., died on Gilbert's Creek in 1893, aged something over one hundred years. The daughter of Peter Cline, Sr., whose name was Margaret, married David Mounts, a young man who came to the Tug Valley a short time after Clines had settled there. It is not known where he came from, but it is believed from the name that he is a descendant of a Portugese family by the name of Mountz, which settled in South Carolina about 1750, some of whom served under Sumpter in the War of the Revolution. Mounts settled just above Cline, on the river, and was the father of six sons and four daughters. His sons were William, who married Mary Blankenship; Charles who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt; Peter, who married a daughter of William Cline; Michael, who married a daughter of Peter Cline; Jackson, who married a daughter of William Cline, and Alexander, who married a Miss Charles. His daughters were Nancy, who married Asbury Hurley; Patsy, who married John Steel; Elizabeth, who married Alexander Trent, and Sarah, who married Daniel Christian. (There is a Peter Cline abt his age listed in 1830, Pike, Ky.) ( He also had a daughter, Sarah who married Abraham Honaker) As was stated in our last chapter, Francis Browning married a daughter of Abner Vance, of Tazewell. This Abner Vance was hung for killing a man named Horton - a justifiable killing, as was afterwards shown - had four sons and four daughters who came to Logan early in the century and settled on the waters of Tug, and who are the progenitors of the Vance family of this county. Abner Vance, the father spoken of, was a native of North Carolina, and, after serving through the Revolutionary War, settled in Russell County, Va., and married a Miss Howard. His sons spoken of above were James, who married a Miss Miller; John, who married a Miss Rader; Richard, who married a Miss Sutherland; and Abner, who married a Miss Perry. His daughters married respectively, Francis Browning, Jos. Dempsey, James Brown and John McCloud. There was another daughter - Bettie - who was never married but had two children of whom John Ferrell was the reputed father. These were Mrs. Ephriam Hatfield and the late James Vance.( she married Big Eaf, Ephraim Hatfield, the son of Valentine Hatfield of Horsepen) Joseph Hatfield, who has already been mentioned as the brother of Valentine Hatfield, and a half-brother of Thomas Smith of Horsepen, settled at what is now Matewan, at about the same time that his brother settled on Horsepen. He married a Miss Evans, of Russell County, and was the father of ten sons and one daughter. His sons were Joseph, William, Ferrell, Ephriam, John, Valentine, Richard Thomas, James, Seth and McGinnis, and the name of his daughter was Phoebe. All of them moved across the river into Kentucky, where Richard and McGinnis are still living, both being olg [old?] and highly respected citizens. The settlement at the mouth of Spruce, where Lewis Rutherford now lives, was made by Benjamin Sprouse. At just what time he settled there is not known, but he raised a large family of boys and girls, and with Reuben Thacker, a brother-in-law, moved further to the west, selling his place to William Davis, who came from Albermarle County, and claimed to be a first cousin of Thomas Jefferson. Davis married a Mrs. Hensley, of Russell County, who was the mother by her former marriage of four sons and one daughter. Three of the sons - William, Robert and John - and the daughter, whose name is forgotten. There was another son - Daniel - who had been captured by the Indians in 1790, and who remained with the Indians until 1807, when he joined the family and married a daughter of Thomas Davis, of Albermarle County, and niece of the William Davis above mentioned, settled at the mouth of Rockhouse Fork of Pigeon. Of the other Hensley boys, Robert married a daughter of Capt. Henry Farley, and settled at the mouth of Sugar-tree; William married a Miss Brewster, and settled opposite the mouth of Pond, on what is now known as the Lawson farm, and John married a Miss Davis and settled lower down the river. The daughter above mentioned married William Davis, a son of Thomas Davis of Albermarle, and nephew of the William Davis above mentioned, who settled near the mouth of Pigeon. William Davis, Sr., had one daughter by his first wife. William Davis, Sr., married a Miss Runyon, by whom he had two daughters, one of whom married Jess Stratredge and the other Jacob Runyon. William Davis, Jr., above mentioned, from whom descended all of the Davis' of the Tug Valley, had four sons and two daughters. His sons were George, who married a Miss Dillon; Henry, who married a Miss Stotts, and William and Joseph, who married Miss Dillons. His two daughters married respectively, Daniel Hensley, Jr., and Jas. Bailey. The Dillon girls above mentioned, were the daughters of Christopher Dillon, who settled on the waters of Pigeon at quite an early day, and had a large family of boys and girls from whom sprung the large Dillon family. Vinson Grant, a mulatto, settled at the mouth of Sycamore. He had a white woman with him by whom he raised a large family. He moved to Ohio about 1820, and settled near Haverhill, Lawrence County. Moses Parsley, of Russell County, who married a Miss Loving, of the same county, settled at the mouth of the Rockokse [?] Fork of Pigeon. He was the father of five sons and four daughters. His sons were John, who married a Murphy, and settled at the mouth of Upper Burning Creek; William, who married a Miss Chafin, and settled on Lower Burning Creek; Alexander, who married a Miss Smith, and settled near Warfield, Ky.; Jesse, who married a Miss Marcum, and settled at the mouth of Jennie's Creek, and Riburn, who married a Miss Muncey, and settled near the mouth of Jennie's Creek, but becoming involved in the Marcum-Muncey feud he moved to Mississippi, and became a brigadier-general of the Confederate States in the late unpleasantness. His daughters were Sallie, who married William Starr, and Polly, who married William Muncey. The other daughters were never married and their names are not known. Christopher Chafin who came from Montgomery County, Va., settled near the mouth of the Elk Fork of Pigeon. He married a Miss Roberts and first settled near Burlington, Lawrence County, Ohio, where several of his children were born. He then moved to the Elk Fork of Pigeon, where he lived for many years and then mysteriously disappeared. His sons were Stanley, who died unmarried; William, who married Sarah Deskins; Joshua who married Sarah Collins; Nathan, who married Matilda Varney; Pleasant, who married Nancy White, and Thomas, who married Jennie Horn. His daughters were Bettie, who married Harrison Blair; Alafair, who married ____ Nelson, and Margaret, who married James Copley. John Chafin, who was for a long time clerk of the circuit and county courts of this county, and Francis M. Chafin, who was sheriff of the county, were sons of William Chafin, and John B. Wilkinson, the present prosecuting attorney of the counties of Logan and Mingo, is his grandson. John Stafford, of Tazewell, settled at the mouth of Lick Creek. Just at what time he settled there or who he married is not known. He had three sons and several daughters. His sons were John, who married a daughter of Isaac Spratt, and settled at the mouth of Gilbert; Compton, who married a daughter of Isaac Brewer, and settled at the mouth of Breeding, and Fleming, who married a daughter of Frank Evans, and went to Mercer County. Of his daughters, Sarah married Andrew Varney, and Phoebe married Smith Trent. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XXII Emile Millard, usually called Miller, a Frenchman, who had served under Lafayette in the Revolutionary War, made the first settlement near the town of Nolan. He settled after the war in what is now Tazewell County, and married Sallie Roark, of Roark's Gap. Sallie had two children by former husbands a the time of her marriage with Millard, both of whom came with Millard to his new settlement. They were John Deskins and Isaac Brewer, who will be spoken of again. Millard, and his brother Charles, the grandfather of Ben and A.J. Millard, were in the county as early as 1792, at which time Charles was drowned in Johns Creek, Ky., near the mouth of the creek now known as Miller's Creek. Emile Millard had three children - one son and two daughters. His son, whose name was Timothy, married Polly Boreman; and his daughters were Rachel, who married James Starr, and Rebecca, who married Arter White. This James Starr was one of the prominent men of the Tug Valley, who, after the death of his first wife married Rebecca Hensly, and after her death married a Miss McCoy. He died about ten years ago at the age of 91, after having built the first Methodist Church in the valley, which is of stone and will long remain as a monument to his memory. He had no children. John Deskins, spoken of above, married a Miss Holt and settled near the Millard place. He was the father of five sons and four daughters. His sons were John, who married a Miss Bevins, of Kentucky; James, who married a Miss Hibbard; Jackson, who married a Miss Lieslie; Nathan, who married a Miss Phillips, and Lewis, who married a Kentucky lady whose name is forgotten. His daughters were Esther, who married Benjamin Williamson; Sarah, who married William Chafin; Bettie, who married Benjamin Maynard, and Nancy, who married Wm. Taylor. William Farley, a brother of Capt. Henry Farley, of Peach Creek, settled near the mouth of Buffalo. He married a Miss Thompson of Albemarle County, Va., and was the father of four sons and one daughter. His sons were William - known as "Punch Bill" - who married a Miss Allen, of Boone; Thompson, who married a Miss Chapman; Nimrod (Father of the late Senator Farley, of California), married a Miss Slater, and Henry, who married a Miss Starr. Henry was quite a prominent citizen, and represented the county in the Virginia Legislature. Adam Runyon settled on Pigeon. His sons were Alexander, who married a Miss Starr; Adam, who married a Miss Harris; James, who married a Miss Simpkins; William, who went West, and John, who married a Miss Mead, and [was?] murdered by George Aldredge. He had two daughters, Chrisina and Anna, who were never married. Joseph Clark, of Culpepper County, settled at what is known as the Floyd place, on the Trace Fork of Pigeon. He married a Miss Briton, of Pittsylvania County, and had six sons and four daughters. His sons were John B., who married Mary McDonald; Thomas K., who married a Miss Clay; Carter T., who married a daughter of Capt. Henry Farley; Joseph M., who went to Tennessee in 1812; Henry who went to Texas, and George, who went to Kentucky. His daughters were Nancy, who married Jonathan B. Bailey of Mercer; Polly, who married James Suthers; Rebecca, who married Jonas McDonald, and Sallie who married Roland Dillon. Of these sons, John B., settled at the mouth of Pigeon, and had one son; Thomas K., had three sons, one of whom (Charles) was a soldier in the Mexican War, and Carter T. had four sons - Henry P., Ira H., Joseph M., and Guy, and from these have sprung the Clarks of the Tug Valley. Thomas Evans was an early settler in the valley. He married a Miss Closser, and was the father of Richard Evans, who married a Miss Thompson. The names of his other children are not known, but they are the progenitors of a large Evans family. Alden Williamson was the first person to settle at the mouth of Laurel Fork of Pigeon. He was a descendant of Hugh Williamson, who came from Wales about 1720 and first settled in New Kent County, Va., and then moved with the tide of emigration to Western Pennsylvania. Alden Williamson had three sons - John, who married a Miss Hibbard and moved to Kentucky; Richard, who married a Miss Wiley, daughter of Jennie Wiley, and settled on Twelve Pole, and Benjamin, who married a Miss Porter, and settled near the present site of the town of Williamson. By his marriage with Miss Porter, Ben Williamson had two sons (Benjamin, who married Esther Deskins, and John, who moved to Kentucky), and three daughters, who married respectively Abraham Millard, Joseph Porter and James Taylor. By a second marriage he had two sons - Hammond, who married a Miss Maynard, and Julius who married a Miss Butcher, and who is still living. Jean Schmidt Baisden was another early settler at the mouth of Laurel. He came with Lafayette to America and served under him during the Revolution. After the war was over he located at Richmond, Va., and then moved to Reeds Island of New River, where he married a Miss Braham, and about the beginning of the present century, settled at the mouth of Laurel. He had three sons and two daughters. His sons were Joseph, who married Lucinda Osborne, Solomon, who married Mary Chafin, and Edward, who married Susan Barnett. His daughters were Polly, who married John Blair, and Frances, who married Thomas Copley. John Blair, who came from Powells Valley, first settled just above the present site of the town of Williamson, but after marrying Polly, the daughter of Jean Schmidt Baisden, he settled near his father-in-law at the mouth of Laurel, where he died in 1860. His sons were Harrison, who first married a Miss Chafin and then a Miss Johnson, and who was Logan's first Democratic Sheriff after the war; Anderson, who married a Miss McCoy, and Joe, who also married a Miss McCoy. His daughters were Mahulda, who married Anderson Dempsey; Chlorina, who married John McCoy, and Rhoda, who married Moses Parsley. Josiah Marcum was also an early settler on Laurel. He came from Franklin County, and brought with him eight sons, from whom has sprung the large and influential house of Marcum. These sons were Moses, who first married a Miss Elswick and then a Christina Wiley, daughter of Jennie Wiley; Stephen, who married a Miss Sperry, and was the grandfather of Wm. W., Jno. S., and Lace Marcum, prominent lawyers of West Virginia. J.M. Marcum, the late state senator from Cabell, and Thos. D., and Penbroke Marcum, of Catlettsburg, Ky.; William, who married a Miss Sutherland; John, who married a Miss Copley, and was a Baptist Preacher; James, who married a Miss Chapman, and Jacob and Randall, who married ladies from Franklin County, Va., whose names are not known. Alexander Sutherland settled at the mouth of Marrowbone, and is spoken of as the first settler in that locality. He had two daughters, one of whom married William Marcum and the other a Wellman. William Bingham Meade, who married Mildred Esther Davis, came from Virginia about 1790, and settled at the old Vancouver settlement at the block house at the forks of Sandy. In the early part of the present century - about 1801 - he moved with his family to Marrowbone Creek. He had three sons and five daughters. His sons sere Wm. B., Jr., who married Jane Ellen Rutherford; Samuel, who married Isaac Brewer; Margaret, who married Thomas Watts; Frances, who married Theodore Gooding; Anna, who married Perry Burruss, and Keziah, who married John Cline [editor's note - the above doesn't seem correct, and was possibly transcribed incorrectly in 1977]. Wm. B., Jr., had seven boys and four girls. His sons were James, who married a Miss Lowe; Reuben, who married a Miss Rose; John, who married a Miss Dingess; Lewis, who married a Miss Spaulding; Thomas B., who married a Miss Sartin; Wm. B., who married a Miss Brewer and Pyrrhus who married a Miss Messer. The daughters were Mary, who married John Field; Priscilla, who married Hiram Rose; Lydia, who married Silas Damron, and Ellen, who married G.R.C. Floyd, and who was the mother of Hon. J.B. Floyd, Mrs. S.P. Kelly, and several other children. Isaac Brewer, who married the oldest daughter of W. B. Meade Sr., was of English stock. Among the soldiers who came with Braddock to America, in 1755, were two brothers by the name of Brewer: one of them was was killed at Fort Duquesne, on July 9th, 1755, and the other survived the war and settled in Southwestern Virginia, where he had several sons and daughters. One of these sons, after serving in the Revolution, married Sallie Roark, who afterwards became the wife of Emile Millard. To this former marriage of Sallie Roark was born Isaac Brewer, who came with Millard to the Tug Valley, and after his marriage was born eight sons and three daughters. His sons were Lewis, who married a Miss Marcum; William, who moved to Kanawha; Isaac, who married a Miss Spaulding; Samuel who married a Miss Kirk; Johnson, who married a Miss Clark, Calvin, who married a Miss Messer, James, who married a Miss Newsom; Aaron, who married a Miss Mead, and Anthony, who married a Miss James. His daughters were Eliza, who first married Jacob Marcum and then Compton Stafford; Evaline, who married another Jacob Marcum, and Matilda, who married Moses Ferrell, who was for a long time a member of the County Court of Logan. Transcribed by Tom Steele, June 30, 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted By Cheri Fox Smith, 2012 maksiccaradded this on 26 Nov 2012 gerryw4655originally submitted this to Cheri's Family Tree on 15 May 2012 [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online. Tackett Family Tree, Owner: gkobryan1 Last viewed: Elizabeth Vance, Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for Elizabeth Vance Elizabeth's story Elizabeth was daughter of Abner and Susannah (Howard) Vance. Her father was hanged for murder. He was in an altercation with the Lewis brothers over the sexual advances one had made toward his daughter -- likely Elizabeth. The brothers provoked him into shooting and his shot killed one of them although it was intended for the other. He was sentenced to hang and after three trials the execution day was set. He wrote a song about what happened which is now recognized as the oldest piece of folk music existing. (See story attached to his data) On the day of the execution, Abner address the crowd of nearly 4000 for an hour and a half, saying that life imprisonment was a more fitting punishment. The governor's pardon arrived after he was dead. Elizabeth never married. She was sister to Nancy Vance, the mother of Devil Anse Hatfield. Her own son, James, cousin to Devil Anse became known as Bad Jim Vance. gkobryan1added this on 27 Apr 2011 RoChaVaoriginally submitted this to Vance Family Tree on 25 Feb 2009 Elizabeth's story Elizabeth was daughter of Abner and Susannah (Howard) Vance. Her father was hanged for murder. He was in an altercation with the Lewis brothers over the sexual advances one had made toward his daughter -- likely Elizabeth. The brothers provoked him into shooting and his shot killed one of them although it was intended for the other. He was sentenced to hang and after three trials the execution day was set. He wrote a song about what happened which is now recognized as the oldest piece of folk music existing. (See story attached to his data) On the day of the execution, Abner address the crowd of nearly 4000 for an hour and a half, saying that life imprisonment was a more fitting punishment. The governor's pardon arrived after he was dead. Elizabeth never married. She was sister to Nancy Vance, the mother of Devil Anse Hatfield. Her own son, James, cousin to Devil Anse became known as Bad Jim Vance. gkobryan1added this on 27 Apr 2011 RoChaVaoriginally submitted this to Vance Family Tree on 25 Feb 2009 [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online., Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for Hiram Dempsey Hiram Dempsey History, Courtesy J Hager Said to be part Cherokee Indian. Said to be a nephew of "Devil Anse Hatfield" of Hatfield - McCoy feud fame. Said to be the eldest of 5 sons. Appears in the 1860 census as born in 1857. Part of VA, Logan County included, became WV shortly after the 1860 census of the United States. Married, some say, at Lenore (Mingo) WV. Said to have married on a Sunday after a 10 year courtship. 19 Dec 1879 fell on a Friday. Some say 13 children were born to this union. [Only 11 children can be found, perhaps they meant the family contained 13 people, 11 children and 2 parents.] Marriage license shows mother's name as W. Blair. Received 300 acres of timberland from his grandfather Andrew. Appears in his parent's household in the 1880 census as age 23, with his wife and son, Bernard. Tall (6'1") thin and wiry, a good hunter and fisherman who loved the outdoors. Intensely disliked teaching school. At the suggestion of a Mormon missionary he moved his family to Manassa. They made the trip in a prairie wagon after the 1880 census. Moved to Colorado, some say, in 1894. Owned 2500 acres of land in Logan County, WV in 1880. Almost 30 years later when he returned to Logan County he learned it had been sold for taxes. bacammsadded this on 20 Apr 2010 keithvgolforiginally submitted this to ALL AMERICANS-SOUTHWEST WEST VIRGINIA OUR FAMILY on 7 Apr 2010 William Anderson Dempsey 20230528GHLn- Pasted from front Media Details: Blair 3 bacammsadded this on 9 May 2010 jahovenieroriginally submitted this to Blair family of southern WV on 29 Dec 2009 1920 --- Heavyweight boxer Jack Dempsey with his mother Mary Celia Smoot and father Hyrum Dempsey. --- Image by © Bettmann/CORBI Hyrum Dempsey bacammsadded this on 20 Apr 2010 John Blairoriginally submitted this to Blair family of southern WV on 30 Dec 2009 Category Type: Portrait / Family Photo Hyrum Dempsey Hyrum Dempsey Death Record Hyrum Dempsey Death Record bacammsadded this on 9 May 2010 John Blairoriginally submitted this to Blair family of southern WV on 30 Dec 2009 Category Type: Portrait / Family Photo Hyrum Dempsey Death Record [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online. Tallhorse Family Tree, Owner: wolfrider29073 Last viewed: Isabelle Vance, Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for Isabelle Vance [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online., Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for William Anderson Dempsey [S1322] ?, Albert Varney and Emily Duty Varney GENEALOGY as it pertains to Hatfield/McCoy lineage, (Name: 13 September 1993;), Albert & Emily DUTY VARNEY. [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online., Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for Theodosia Hewlings Theodosia Hewlings info from Dorothy Eves will in calendar of wills The following is information about THEODOSIA HEWLINGS, from the New Jersey Colonial Documents, Calendar of Wills PP. 155-156. Notes for Dorothy EVES: April 21, 1758, HEWLINGS, Dorothy of Evesham, Burlington Co. New Jersey-widow, will of. Children:- Joseph, William, Abraham, THEODOSIA VAUSE, and Rebecca WILLS. Grandchildren: Theodosia, Sarah and Agnes, (daughters of the deceased son Jacob HEWLINGS) Abigail, Rebecca and Dorothy (daughters of Joseph) Bequest to THEODOSIA VAUSE conditional upon her return to and living in West Jersey. catherinenewton49added this on 19 Jul 2012 sfnewsgaloriginally submitted this to Under the Pcolamus Tree on 31 Dec 2010 ___________________________ Ephraim Vause/Vance in the Scotch-Irish Chronicles of Augusta VA THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAME FROM THE CHRONICLES OF THE SCOTCH-IRISH SETTLEMENT IN VIRGINIA. These are extracts of the original court records of Augusta County Virginia, 1745-1800. Deed book # 2. Page 408. 28th, Feb, 1749, EPHRAIM VAUSE to Joseph LOVE, 200 acres on Goose Creek. Corner William BEWES. Teste: Francis BEATY, William DUNLAP, George ANDERSON. Deed book # 2. Page 503. 28th, Feb, 1749. EPHRAIM VAUSE to William MCCURRY, 248 acres on South Branch Roanoke. Teste: Nathanial EVINS, Adam BRECKENRIDGE, Tobias SMITH. Deed book # 2. Page 599. 1st, Mar, 1749. EPHRAIM VAUSE to James NEALEY, 245 acres. Corner Francis BEATY. Deed book # 6. Page 136. 4th, Jan, 1754. PATTON to Thomas LUTTENTON, 120 acres, part of tract pattented to PATTON 3d, Nov, 1750, on South Fork of Roanoke, also West fork, Cor. to John BRUNEGAR. Teste: THEODOSIA and EPHRAIM VAUSE. Deed book # 7. Page 235. 19th, Apr, 1755. Robert BOX to EPHRAIM VAUSE, 5sh., 179 acres by patent 22d, Aug, 1753, on a branch on the North side the Little River. Teste: Hugh MEANS, proved 1755 by James NEELY and James CAMPBELL, and 20th, Nov, 1771 by Hugh MEANS, (p.340). Deed book # 8. Page 312. 5th Apr, 1760. EPHRAIM VAUSE to John MADISON, 1 parcel containing 360 acres and 1 parcel containing 320 acres adjoining and lying on Meadow Creek, a branch of Roanoke, whereon VAUSE formerly dwelt, patented to him 15th, Dec, 1749. Deed book # 10. Page 169. 14th, Apr, 1760. EPHRAIM VAUSE to John STEWART and John GIVEN, 179 acres on the Little River. INFORMATION ABOUT FORT VAUSE IN THE VICINITY OF CHRISTIANSBURG VIRGINIA. THIS FORT WAS BUILT BY EPHRAIM VAUSE. At his own expense VAUSE built a fort known as Fort VAUSE which guarded a strategic pass in the Alleghenies open to both Southern and Northern Indians. French aiding Indians in fighting white settlers on the frontier. Apparently 205 Indians and 25 French Canadians left Fort Miami Ohio intending to travel 500 miles to fort VAUSE area and then go on to Williamsburg. Residents along the way between Fort Miami and Fort VAUSE fled as the French and Indians made their way toward Williamsburg. They arrived at Fort VAUSE about the 16th of June 1756. They stayed in and around the area, and attacked on June 25th, 1756. At about 9:00 AM, the French asked those in the fort to surrender. They refused! At about 10:00 AM, the fort was set afire. The VAUSE family and others barricaded themselves in their cabins, which were set afire about 4:00 PM that evening. Many of the surviving residents of the fort were tortured on the spot. VAUSE'S servants who had been away from the fort at the time of the attack returned. Upon seeing what was happening they fled. They came upon PRESTON and a few men who were on their way to help. The servants told what they had saw, and PRESTON felt that the most prudent thing was to warn other settlers immediately. This was done rather than advancing to the fort. All residents of the area left. This was about 3:00 PM, which was too late to help at the fort anyway, PRESTON was still 3 miles away. The residents of the fort that survived were captured, 150 or so, and were led back to Shawnee villages. Leevice VAUSE, daughter of EPHRAIM, was taken prisoner along with her mother. When peace was made in 1763, she returned home and told how she was dragged along by the Indians. When she got the chance she would gut her name into the bark of sycamore and beech trees, thus giving her name to the Levisa Fork and Leevice Ford. She also told of how she had watched as her family's clothes were torn off, and watched them die as their scalps were hung up to dry. EPHRAIM VAUSE'S son William VAUSE served in the revolutionary war. William VAUSE also had a daughter named THEODOSIA VAUSE. More info at: http://timothyv.tripod.com/index-29.html catherinenewton49added this on 19 Jul 2012 sfnewsgaloriginally submitted this to Under the Pcolamus Tree on 31 Dec 2010 revolutionary war soldier in cloud Revolutionary War Soldier catherinenewton49added this on 19 Jul 2012 maksiccaroriginally submitted this to Kirkpatrick - Necochea Family Tree on 2 Jun 2012 Cemetery, Hatfield, Sarah Ann, Logan, WV view Hatfield Family Cemetery, Sarah Ann, Logan, West Virginia catherinenewton49added this on 19 Jul 2012 maksiccaroriginally submitted this to Kirkpatrick - Necochea Family Tree on 2 Jun 2012 [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online., Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for Alexander Vance Vance's Station & Harrison's Fort in Sinking Creek, Holston,Washington Co, Virginia Jeremiah Harrison's Fort This fort was located on the North Fork of Holston. In the year 1782 tithables of Washington County, Virginia, three adult Harrisons were listed. They were Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah, and from the Biblical names they are assumed to have been brothers. Jeremiah bought a tract of 400 acres and the later took up a tract of 340 acres. The 400 acre tract was on Sinking Creek of the North Fork of Holston and is dated in the Fincastle Survey, May 28, 1774. Yet the 340 acre tract appears in the Washington County Survey Book, and it is this tract he sells to David Smith on June 14, 1787. (31) Washington County was formed in 1776 from part of Fincastle. The north part of Washington later formed Russell County in 1786. The first mention of any fort here comes in a letter of Arthur Campbell to William Preston, dated October 6, 1774, (32) in which he says: "He was stationed on the main path to Clinch, opposite the Town House (33) to protect the settlers, and he mentions the families of Vance, Fowler, Harrison, etc., including John Campbell who had been serving as an Ensign to Captain Daniel Smith on Clinch." This Jeremiah Harrison and others, probably brothers, must have come to the area very early as the settlement certificate mentions settlement in 1772. They certainly appear to be the same family as lived in Augusta County, Virginia, from the earliest times, for instance, entry of 15th of September, 1742, shows Jeremiah Harrison and Isaiah Harrison as delinquents in the company of Hugh Thompson. (34) They appear to be sons of Joseph Harrison who died in early 1748, with Isaiah as Administrator of his estate appointed on May 18, 1748, (35) with Jeremiah as his security. In the summer of 1774, Jeremiah Harrison was paid for the pastureage of 135 steers for use at the Maiden Springs Station. (36) There were two Jeremiah Harrisons in Augusta County and they have different named wives. Apparently Jeremiah Harrison left the Holston and moved on to Kentucky where he is listed in a deposition at Woodford Courthouse, Kentucky, dated July 14, 1781. (37) That these men were old, or aging, when Dunmore's War broke out is likely as they are not reflected in any muster lists. Isaac Crabtree in making a supporting statement to his brother Abraham's pension application filed in Wayne County, Kentucky, in 1828, tells of their being sent to Jeremiah Harrison's Fort in 1776, and Jacob Crabtree, says that he was discharged from the militia at this fort in 1776. It is fairly evident that Harrison's Fort was a stockaded affair, but probably small due to the fact that it did not lie on an exposed frontier, and how long it remained in use is unknown, as no reference have been found concerning it, other than those above mentioned. Vance's Station This was a sister station to Jeremiah Harrison's Fort, and about five miles separated the two forts on the North Fork of Holston. This fort, like some others came to light in Revolutionary War pension statements. Vance's Station was no doubt the home of old Alexander Vance. The station is mentioned in both the pension statements of Abraham and Isaac Crabtree, who lived with their father, William Crabtree, on the North Fork of Holston, near the present Saltville, Virginia. The Crabtree brothers mention going to Vance's Station after a tour of militia duty at Blackmore's Fort and at the Flat Lands, which is believed to be another early name for Flat Lick, that section around Duffield down to Pattonsville in present Scott and Lee counties. Old Alexander Vance owned 289 acres of land on the North Fork of the Holston River surveyed and recorded in Washington County, Virginia, in June, 1783, although he had been living on the land many years prior to this survey and entry. This land included the mouth of Beaver Creek. Somehow, later, this land became the property of General William Tate who lived at Broadford in Smythe County, just upstream from Saltville. There were two Vance families in the area, one living on the North Fork of Holston River and the other on Beaver Creek near Bristol. In 1818, one Abner Vance (the brother of Alexander) of the North Fork of Holston family was hanged at Abingdon for murdering a member of the Horton family who had debauched Vance's daughter. Vance felt he had gotten an unfair trial and while in prison wrote a very stirring and tragic ballad which in early days virtually became a folk song and was widely sung around the hearthside of the pioneers and known as the "Vance Song." On October 6, 1774, Colonel Arthur Campbell wrote concerning Vance and Harrison's Stations in this manner, and this may be the clue to the dates one, if not both of these forts were built. "Upon the alarm of (Samuel) Lammey being taken Vance and Fowler's wives, with several other families convened at Mr. Harrison's, which lies upon the main path to the Clinch in the Rich Valley, opposite the Town House. Upon request of several inhabitants on both sides, I ordered six men to be stationed there for ten days, two of which were to be out ranging. Henry and John Dougherty moved their families to this side of the mountain, disagreeing with ye majority of ye inhabitants, as to the place to build a fort. Mr. John Campbell's wife has been on this side of the mountain this past two months and (Campbell) himself has acted as Ensign to Captain (Daniel) Smith on Clynch ever since that Gent was ordered to duty. Archibald and John Buchanan's families and Andrew Lammey came here, (to Royal Oak) who has continued on this side yet. Captain Wilson went immediately with 15 men, and ranged near a week in the neighborhood where Lammey was taken," and left four of his best woodsmen with neighbors for several days longer. I also ordered two of the most trusty persons I could get to act as Spys along Clinch mountain for ten days, which they performed, I am satisfied, faithfully; besides the six men at Harrison's I ordered Mr. Vance's and Fowler's wives three men a week, particularly to assist about saving their fodder, which they got secured safely." (38) Campbell's reference to a disagreement between the settlers as to the proper place to build a fort, it undoubtably the beginning of both Vance and Harrison's Stations, thus placing their erection in the year 1774. Samuel Lammey was taken captive by the Indians on Holston, carried into captivity and never returned. He was taken by a band under the leadership of the Shawnee Black Hawk http://www.newrivernotes.c om/swva/hssv-4.htm Shawsvil le yard may be site of Revolutionary fortArchaeological clues suggest the property may have been the location of Fort Vause. By Tonia Moxley 381-1663 Editor's note: A line was omitted in the printed story that explained efforts to reconstruct a second fort after the first one was burned. It has been restored in this version. SHAWSVILLE - Archaeologists found evidence Sunday that may prove a Shawsville couple's back yard was the site of a pre-Revolutionary War fort visited in 1756 by George Washington. University of Kentucky archaeologists Steve and Kim McBride and geologist Greg Adamson, along with more than a dozen others, chopped, scraped and scooped through layers of drought-hardened ground this weekend to verify the location of Fort Vause. The crew found a handful of artifacts and a dark stain in the layers of soil. The stain especially looks like promising evidence that at least one British Colonial fort was built on the hill behind Jack and Laree Hinshelwood's house, Kim McBride said. In early 1756 French, Shawnee, Miami and Ottowa troops attacked a fort, which was built by a settler named Ephraim Vause somewhere in present-day Shawsville. The forces burned the installation and killed or kidnapped many of the settlers, indentured servants and slaves sheltering inside the palisades. The attack was part of a French-led campaign to destabilize British settlements in Virginia. "The French and Indian War was really an international conflict" between two old-world superpowers that wished to control the valuable natural resources in the new world, said John Kern, director of the Roanoke office of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. The Indian tribes who joined the French in battle hoped to force British settlers, whom they considered invaders, out of the country. But other Indian people, including many Cherokee, sided with the British. Official military letters and reports from the day document the existence of the first fort and spell out efforts to quickly reconstruct it after the attack. But locals have long disagreed about the locations of the two forts. Some say both forts were built on the spot now owned by the Hinshelwoods. Others say only one of the forts stood there. Pinning down the location is important because Washington, a young British Colonial officer at the time, likely visited only the second fort. He came there to settle a dispute with soldiers who were demanding higher wages to finish the reconstruction, a fact that tickles Jack Hinshelwood. "Washington was not very happy when he visited here," Hinshelwood said. So geologist and weekend archaeologist Greg Adamson secured a $5,000 grant to try to settle the location question. Archaeologist Steve McBride said the evidence so far suggests that only the second fort stood on the Hinshelwood site because the crew has so far found no evidence of a fire. Submitted by Cheri Fox Smith, 2012 maksiccaradded this on 26 Nov 2012 gerryw4655originally submitted this to Cheri's Family Tree on 11 Jul 2012 [S1342] Website: Vance- Abner Vance, by Timothy Vance. Abner Vance in Pittsylvania Co. Va. This is the oath of allegiance sworn in 1777: I do swear or affirm that I renounce and refuse all allegiance to George the third, king of Great Brittain, his heirs and successors, and that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the commonwealth of Virginia, as a free and independentstate, and that I will not, at any time do, or cause to be done, any matter or thing that will be prejudicial or injurious to the freedom and independence thereof, as declared by congress, and also, that I will discovere and make known to someone just of the peace for the said state, all treasons or traiterous conspiracies which I know or hereafter shall know to be enacted. That the justice of the peace before whom such oath or affirmation will and shall on or before the first day of january: Lankfords List: Abner Vance Matthew Vance Charles Kennons List: Benj. Burgess Edward Howard Ezekial Howard William Shorter's list: Thomas Burgess Abner Vance spent some time in Pittsylvania Co. Va. along with some other Vances, QUESTION: Who were the other Vances, were they related to Abner? Abner Vance in Pittsylvania Co. Va. Abner Vance spent some time in Pittsylvania Co. Va. along with some other Vances, QUESTION: Who were the other Vances, were they related to Abner? This is the oath of allegiance sworn in 1777: I do swear or affirm that I renounce and refuse all allegiance to George the third, king of Great Brittain, his heirs and successors, and that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the commonwealth of Virginia, as a free and independentstate, and that I will not, at any time do, or cause to be done, any matter or thing that will be prejudicial or injurious to the freedom and independence thereof, as declared by congress, and also, that I will discovere and make known to someone just of the peace for the said state, all treasons or traiterous conspiracies which I know or hereafter shall know to be enacted. That the justice of the peace before whom such oath or affirmation will and shall on or before the first day of january: Lankfords List: Abner Vance Matthew Vance Charles Kennons List: Benj. Burgess Edward Howard Ezekial Howard William Shorter's list: Thomas Burgess E-mail Me At tinylesmall@yahoo.com Tim Vance "Tim" [S1341] doug Squires, co4doug@aol.com, Ancestry.com Hatfield Message Board:. [S1343] website: Abner Vance, Two Sides to Every Story, by Barbara Cherep. The following article was researched by Barbara Cherep, Tom and Janice Vance. Abner Vance, Two Sides to Every Story By: Barbara Cherep Foreword The following article was researched by Barbara Cherep, Tom and Janice Vance. Although the original story of Abner was researched by many others first, to name a few are Theodosia Barrett, Kathleen Mason, Betty Williams, Charles C. Wells, Henry Ragland, Tim Vance, Grace Dotson, and probably more than a few I don’t know. This article will provide new pieces to the puzzle. Such as Judge Johnston’s Letter to the Legislature, Daniel Horton’s Letter to the Legislature and the American Beacon Newspaper Article. Theodosia Barrett mentioned the Virginia Case record by Brockenbrough but did not supply the transcripts for all to see. It is Thomas Ritchie’s letter of Judge Johnston that I found which tells the story from another point of view, one which will surprise you as it did me. Even though I wrote this article from my own point of view of the trial; much of the exact spelling as the originals, I want you to read it. Come to your own opinions after reading these original transcripts. We are Vance’s and share in this story. It may differ in what was passed down, but the truth lies in the middle. If I have missed anything, misquoted or anything that comes to mind, I would be happy to include or do a rewrite. Send an email to barbnzhxkq@aol.com . At the end of this story you will find some Petitions of Russell County, which mention Abner and others. These were hard to read, and the spelling is that of the document. Some names and words left off. Did my best to read them, sorry for any mistakes. Abner Vance - The Last Two Years Abner was hung in Abingdon for shooting a man in the back named Lewis Horton brother to Daniel Horton whom Abner intended to kill. Now according to the many stories written and published, this version will share a proven extra little twist which will shed light on some of the folklore passed down generation to generation. Such as Abner did not get his rifle from over the door just before he shot Lewis Horton, however he did intend to kill Daniel Horton, who is not mentioned as accompanying Lewis Horton at the time he was shot. Only Joseph Fowlkes (i.e. Russell County records have his name as Joseph Fulks) is mentioned as being present at the time of the shooting. Many stories have been published on his hanging with some variance of that historic trial but the outcome is always the same. Abner was sentenced to murder in the first degree, hung for a murder he had admitted to and noted in the Richmond Enquirer and the Journal of the House of Delegates by William Brockenbrough. However, there is still one document that tells the story as well as any. In 1818/19 in the Journal of the House of Delegates of the Commonwealth of Virginia, written by Thomas Ritchie printer for the Commonwealth. This document is known as “Letter of Peter Johnston Relative to the Trial of Abner Vance in Russell County”. Peter Johnston was the Judge of the first trial of Abner Vance in Russell County, Virginia. This letter holds what the Judge deems to be testimony of Abner and others present for the first trial in Russell County. Let’s start with the beginning records as we know it recorded in Russell County previous to the trial of Abner. I will then present the trial records and other documents found in support of his two trials. March 4, 1817 - Daniel Horton commissioned as a Justice of the Peace. April 1817 - Term of Russell County Virginia court, Abner Vance distinguished himself in the trial of John Elliott. John Elliott was being tried for the murder of Eli McLaughlin. Eleven of the jurors stood for first degree. Abner Vance "hung the jury" and with his eloquent oratory won them over. Instead of hanging, the sentence was "nine years in the penitentiary house in a solitary cell with a low coarse diet for half of the term." June 3, 1817 - Ordered that John Vance be appointed surveyor of the road from head of Sandy down to the mouth of slate; Frederick Stilton Sen. From thence down to the state line of Kentucky and that Harry Smith Get., do furnish each of the said surveyors with a list of tithables. June 3, 1817 - William Horton paid a $500 bond and took an oath of law to become a constable. July 1, 1817 - Abner Vance being bound in a recognizance with John Vance and James Vance his securities to appear here this day to abide by and perform the judgment of the Court on a charge of a breach of the peace by Daniel Horton, was solemnly called but came not. July 2, 1817 - Ordered that William Romine be appointed the surveyor of the cove road from the fork of the river road to the line of Tazewell near William Fannons and that Daniel Horton Gent., do furnish him with a list of tithables. August 6, 1817 - Abraham slave of Abendego White, The prisoner was brought into court with a sundry of witnesses, charge was not proved, prisoner was discharged from prosecution, Abraham by the Commonwealth proved that he lifted his hands against William Cromwell, and others, he was given 5 lashes at the whipping post by the Sheriff, that the prisoner is of turbulent disposition, and the Daniel Horton the prosecutor in the case and is afraid that slave will take his life or do personal injury to him. August 6, 1817 - The Commonwealth against Abner Vance, John Vance and James Vance defendants on a writ of venire facias to recover the penalty of a recognizance. By consent of the attorney for the Commonwealth and assent of the court, it is ordered that this writ be dismissed at the defts. Proceeding the Trial - Cause and Effect Sometime in September 1817 it is stated by Judge Johnston that Lewis Horton gave testimony in the days preceding the shooting in Chancery Court, presiding was Chancellor Brown, where Abner understood that Lewis Horton had “swore upon his life” or so Abner was told or misinformed. That statement comes from, “The Letter of Judge Peter Johnston Relative to the Trial of Abner Vance.” What is not stated is why Lewis Horton had given a deposition in Chancery Court. Chancery Courts would try to reconcile land disputes, divorces, bastardly bonds, Wills and Administrations. These are usually disputes that were non criminal in content such as trespassing or land deeds. If we could locate this Chancery Case we could prove why Lewis Horton was in Chancery against Abner Vance. A story of this shooting was passed down through the generations but with no court related content to say that Abner Vance shot Horton because Lewis and Daniel dropped by horseback, his daughter off at Abners home after tarnishing her reputation. Another such story was told by William Vance to Judge Elihu Sutherland written in an article by Grace Dotson. William writes to Sutherland: “As I have been told by older people Vance did not kill the Horton he aimed to kill. His mind was to kill Daniel, but Lewis put himself in the way and provoked the old man until he told him to go away or he would kill him, and Horton run and crossed the Clinch River, a distance of about 200 yards and told the old man to “shoot and be damned.” The old man fired and Horton rolled off his horse into the river.” William’s story in this one paragraph was not far from the truth. Lewis Horton was a single man however Daniel Horton was married. It was Daniel who Abner admits to wanting to kill as William says. That is so very true. Other stories say that Elizabeth, daughter of Abner is thought to have a multi day excursion of sorts with one Lewis or Daniel Horton. This depends on who tells the story. Locating the Chancery Case for Horton would solve that mystery forever. In our case the story could be proved with these documents. They say there are always two sides to every story. In this case I believe it’s true. Now, because of Judge Peter Johnston we have some new facts to go on which allude to much more than what was passed down. On Sept 22, 1817, Abner Vance shot Lewis Horton. Abner loaded his gun this fateful day and walked down to the Ford of the Clinch where Judge Johnston’s letter states “to wait for Daniel”, just a short distance from his home. The Judge writes that Abner waited to kill Daniel Horton and 3 others whose names are not mentioned. However we do get a clue in this one verse of the Vance Song that was sung by Abner the day he was hung naming three others. At this point we cannot be sure it’s the Horton men (i.e. William, Robert Horton) in which Abner was talking about in this song. But it does begin to make sense. It’s the name David that does not come to mind in any transcript or record. There are 1David Horton, Bob and Bill, a lie against me swore, in order to take my life away that I might be no more. But they and I must meet when Gabriel’s trump shall blow. Perhaps I shall rest in Abraham’s breast while they roll in the gulf below. Lewis Horton was shot in the back just below the shoulder and lived 6 days after the shooting. Lewis Horton last gave instructions of his Will on September 27th. From the letter dated December 2, 1818 to the Legislature where Peter Johnston was looking to the Legislature for new legislation as he felt strongly about the way in which the first trial had gone, afterwards when a Writ of Error was filed, thus giving Abner a new trial based upon Abners defense of insanity. His daughter wanting to give testimony in Abners defense, of his insanity in the first trial, the daughter, name not mentioned, had not seen her father for days before the shooting. The court felt if she could not give testimony of his nature the day of the shooting, insanity could not be recognized as a defense. Abners Counsel “2excepted” the ruling, thus the insanity plea was dropped, only later to be overturned by the Attorney General for the State of Virginia, awarding Abner a “Stay of Execution”, a new trial on June 1818. This was more than likely the reprieve that many Vance descendants thought to be a “Stay of Execution” the day Abner was hanged, based on stories handed down generation after generation, which a reprieve was sent on the day he was hanged, which came moments to late. In Richmond the Governors Reprieve Book does not list Abner Vance anywhere in its contents. Therefore a Stay of Execution on the day Abner was hanged could not be found. Judge Peter Johnston Jr. Judge Peter Johnston was the Judge of the 13th Circuit Judicial Court mentioned in a book by Dobson called “The Speakers and Clerks of the Virginia House of Delegates.” It is noted in this book that Judge Peter Johnston was the speaker of the House for Virginia 1805 to 1807. He was born in Chesterfield, Virginia in 1763. Died at “Panicello” near Abingdon, Virginia and buried in the Johnston Cemetery on Walden Road, east of Abingdon. He was a member of the House of Delegates from 1792 to 1794 and 1798 to 1808. Assigned to Prince Edward County first, he took a position with the Thirteenth District General and Supreme Court of Law in 1811, because he felt that the hunting would be better in Southwest Virginia. He married Mary Wood, daughter of Valentine Wood and Lucy Henry, who is the sister to Patrick Henry. Peter Johnston was a very influential man in Virginia. The trial of Abner Vance was not only a local issue to Russell and Washington Counties. Judge Johnston asks the Legislature for a change to Laws for what he believes to be an unfounded Cause of insanity in Abners trial, he states; “It is not only probable, but certain, that other instances will arise under the present judiciary system of this State, requiring the special interference of the Legislature, unless some general law should be enacted, the provisions of which may be adequate to the prevention, of remedy of evils and difficulties, such as have occurred in the case of Abner Vance. I have made this communication from a persuasion, that if the subject appears as important to you, as it does to me, you will lay it before the General Assembly.” Peter Johnston __________________________________ The First Trial Begins Underlined dates are transcripts of Russell County Court Books to include Vance, Wingo, and Horton’s. The idea is to give you all of them so that you can get a feel for the people and what was happening around Abner as he goes into this trial. 7 Oct 1817 - William Wingo and John Webb Bell who were committed to the jail of this county for not finding security for their good behavior were brought into Court and sundry witness being sworn and examined against them and they being heard in their defense. It is considered by the Court that they the said William Wingo and John Webb Bell do enter into recognizance for their good behavior for the term of one year and a day in the penalty of one hundred dollars each with two securities in the sum of $50 each and pay the Costs of the Prosecution but being unable to find Security they were remanded to jail there to remain for the said term of a year & a day or until they find such security or be otherwise discharged by the due Course of law. Ordered that it be certified to the Register of the Land Office that John, Travis, Lucy Sergent wife of Wm. Sergent, Elizabeth Sergent wife of Elijah Sergent, Enoch Horton, Sarah Bradshaw, wife of John Bradshaw, Lettice Horton wife of William Horton, Laodicea White wife Meshach White and Robert Horton are the heirs and all the heirs at law of John Horton deceased as has been satisfactorily proved to this Court. This day personally appeared in Court Ezekiel Daniel and Isaac Arden (Harden) and made oath that Lewis Horton deceased during the time of his last sickness to wit on the 27th day of September last past at William Ardens in the county of Russell made his noncupative will in which he desired that all his just debts should be paid and after they were paid, that his remaining estate should be divided in four equal parts to be divided as follows, one part to his son Daniel by Priscilla Wilson and the other three parts divided between Lewis, Francis and Salley children of his brother Daniel Horton. Which is ordered to be established as the non cupative Will of the said Lewis Horton dec’d. (Noting Lewis Horton was a single man, having one child, seems to be an ex-wife or girlfriend, as she uses the name Wilson, also he leaves property to his brother Daniels children who is married, also noting that the name of Arden is used in the above but Harden is used below on Oct 16th when witnesses are called to give bond as witnesses against Abner) October 16, 1817 - At a Court called and held by the justices of Russell County at the courthouse on the 16th day of October 1817 for the examination of Abner Vance and Susanna Vance charged with the murder of Lewis Horton. Present: Zachariah Fugate, Charles Carrell, James Browning, Nathan Hamilton and John Colley, Gent Justices The said Abner Vance and Susanna Vance being brought into Court and sundry witnesses being sworn and examined as well for as against them, it is the opinion of the Court that the said Abner Vance and Susanna Vance for the murder of Lewis Horton as aforesaid ought to be made in the Superior Court of Law for the county. That the said Susanna Vance be permitted to give security for her personal appearance before the said Superior Court at the next term in the sum of five thousand dollars to answer the charge aforesaid and thereupon the said Abner Vance was remanded to jail and the said Susanna Vance not being able to find such security was also remanded to Jail there to remain till she finds such security or until she be thence discharged by due course of law. Daniel Horton, Ezekiel Daniel, Joseph Fulks, William Harden, Catherine Harden, Isaac Harden and William Horton all of this County came into Court and severally acknowledged themselves to be indebted to his Excellency James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the sum of one hundred dollars each, of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said Governor and his successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered; yet upon this condition that if the said Daniel Horton, Ezekiel Daniel, Joseph Fulk, William Harden, Catherine Harden, Isaac Harden and William Horton shall severally make their personal appearance before the Judge of the Superior Court of Law for this County at the Courthouse at the next term to give evidence on behalf of the Commonwealth against Abner Vance and Susanna Vance accused of Murder, then this recognizance to be void. Zachariah Fugate. Oct 16 1817 - At a court called and held by the justices of Russell County at the Courthouse on the 16th day of October 1817 for the examination of William Wingo charged with being accessory to the murder of Lewis Horton. Present: Zachariah Fugate, Charles Carrell, Samuel Gibson, James Browning and John Colley gent justices. The said William Wingo being brought into Court and sundry Witnesses being sworn and examined as well for as against him on consideration it is the opinion of the Court that the said William Wingo for being as an accessory before the fact to the murder of Lewis Horton aforesaid ought to be tried in the Superior Court of Law for this County and that he be permitted to give security for his personal appearance before the said Superior Court at the next term to answer the said charge in the sum of two thousand dollars. Whereupon the said William Wingo and Squire McGuire and Francis McKinney all of the County of Tazewell here in Court acknowledged themselves to be indebted to his Excellency James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth of Virginia the said William Wingo in the sum of two thousand dollars and the said Squire McGuire and Francis McKinney in the sum of one thousand dollars each of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said Governor and his successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered. Yet upon this condition that if the said William Wingo shall personally appear before the Judge of the Superior Court of Law for this County at the Courthouse at the next Superior Court to be holden for this County then and there to answer the Commonwealth of and concerning the charge aforesaid and shall not depart thence without the leave of the said Judge, then this recognizance to be void. November 4, 1817 - Samuel Clark and Fanny Clark of this county come into Court and severally acknowledge themselves to be indebted to his Excellency James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of this Commonwealth of Virginia in the sum of one hundred dollars each of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said Governor and his successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered yet upon this condition that if the said Samuel Clark and Fanny Clark shall severally make their personal appearance at the Courthouse of this County before the Judge of the Superior Court of Law for this County at the next term of the said Superior Court to give evidence on behalf of the Commonwealth against William Wingo accused of being accessory before the fact to the murder of Lewis Horton and their recognizance to be void. Zachariah Fugate. November 4, 1817 - Richard Vance committed to the Jail of this County charged with being accessory after the fact to the felonious shooting and wounding of Lewis Horton by Abner Vance with intent to murder and of which shooting the said Lewis Horton shortly thereafter died was brought into Court and thereupon sundry witnesses being sworn and examined as well for and against the said Richard Vance, it is the opinion of the Court that the said Richard Vance for the felony in being accessory as aforesaid ought to be tried in the Superior Court of Law for this County at the next term and thereupon he was removed to jail. November 4, 1817 - John Olinger, John Scaggs and William Elkins all of this county come into Court and severally acknowledge themselves to be indebted to his Excellency James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the sum of one hundred dollars each of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said Governor and his successors to the use of the Commonwealth rendered yet upon this condition that if the said John Olinger, John Scaggs and William Elkins shall severally make their personal appearance before the Judge of the Superior Court of Law for this County at the Courthouse on the second Monday in April next then and there to give evidence on behalf of the Commonwealth against Richard Vance charged with being accessory to a felony then this recognizance to be void. November 5, 1817 - The case of Richard Vance who was yesterday committed for trial as accessory to a felony in the Superior Court of Law for this County as it respects his admission to bail was reconsidered and for reason appearing it is the opinion of the Court that the said Richard Vance be admitted to give security for his personal appearance at the next term of the said Superior Court by entering into recognizance in the sum of three hundred dollars with two securities in the penalty of one hundred fifty dollars each but not finding such security was remanded to jail there to remain till security given or until he be thence discharged by due course of law. December 3, 1817 - On the motion of Daniel Horton who made oath as the law directs and together with James McFarlane his security entered into bond in the penalty of one thousand dollars conditioned according to law, certificate is granted the said Daniel Horton for obtaining administration of the estate of Lewis Horton decd with his Will annexed in due form. Ordered that Harry Smith, Jacob Francisco, Moses Hunt and Simeon Jackson or any three of them being first sworn before a justice of the peace, do appraise in current money the personal estate of Lewis Horton decd and return the appraisement under their hands signed by the administrator to this Court. April 14, 1818 - Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said County, of thereof arraigned and pleaded not guilty of the indictment and for his trial was put himself upon God and his Country; Whereupon came a jury to wit; George Robinson, John Belcher, Stephen Fuller, Larkin Howard, John Wallis Jr., Francis Fuller, William Williams, James Jesse, John Johnson, William Jesse, Thomas D. Fuller, and Jacob Rasnick Jr., who being elected tried and sworn the truth of and upon the premise to speak, and having heard the evidence upon their oath do say that the said Abner Vance is guilty of murder in the first degree in manner and form as in the indictment against him is alledged; and thereupon he is remanded to jail. April 15, 1818 - Present the same Judge as yesterday The Grand Jury appeared according to their adjournment of yesterday __ point out of the Court and after some time returned into Court and further presented. An Indictment against Richard Vance as accessory to a murder a true bill, and An Indictment against Susanna Vance for murder “not a true bill”. They also forwarded John J. Cowan and John McFarland for a breach of the peace, And having nothing further to present the said Grand Jury were discharged. Susanna Vance late of the county of Russell __ spinster, was led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said county, and the Grand Jury having returned the indictment against her for murder not a true bill proclamation was made as the manner is, and nothing further appearing or being alledged against her, it is ordered that she be discharged from her imprisonment. April 16, 1818 - The attorney prosecuting for the Commonwealth by consent of the court saith that he will not prosecute further on behalf of the Commonwealth against Richard Vance accused as accessory to a murder, therefore it is ordered, that the said Richard Vance be discharged from his recognizance. April 17, 1818 (Friday) - Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands convicted of murder in the first degree was once again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said county and thereupon it being demanded of him if anything for himself he had or know to say why the Court here to judgment and execution against him of and upon the premises should not proceed; he said he had nothing but what he had before said. Therefore it is considered by the Court that he be hanged by the neck till he be dead, and execution of the judgment be made and done upon him the said Abner Vance by the Sheriff of Russell County on Friday the 17th day of July next between eleven and the hours of the forenoon and two in the afternoon of the same day at the place of the execution of the said County. Memorandum: At the trial of the cause and before the jury retired from the bar the counsel for the prisoner excepted to two opinions of the Court and a third after the jury retired from the bar to an opinion of the Court, which three exceptions were signed and sealed by the Court and ordered to be made a part of the record in this case. Newspaper Article The American Beacon and Commercial Diary Norfolk, Tuesday Morning June 18, 1818 Extract to the Editor of the Inquirer, dated “Lebanon (Russell County) May 2nd, 1818 At the last session of the Superior Court of law, holden in this place, Abner Vance and Sylvanus Bauer were severally convicted of murder in the first degree. The Counsel for Vance having excepted as to the opinion of the court, his execution was deferred till the law thereupon could be decided in General Court. If the exceptions are overruled, his execution, pursuant to the sentence of the court, will take place the 17th of July next. “Execution of Sylvnaus Bauer “This being the day directed by the judgment of the court for the execution of Sylvanus Bauer, convicted of murder in the first degree, a large concourse of citizens assembled to witness the awful and solemn scene. The prisoner was taken from the jail at about ten o’clock in the forenoon, and conveyed by the Sheriff to the place of execution distance about a half a mile from this village, where the spectators where pathetically addressed by the Rev. Mr. Ashly, and the throne of mercy supplicated on behalf of the criminal. He was then launched into eternity at about half past one o’clock. “This person had been an inmate in the family of 3Samuel Indicot, whom he shot in the woods. The body was not found till four days after Indicot was missing. Suspicion having attached the murder to Bauer, he was arrested forthwith, but did not confess the fact till after conviction; no person saw the murder perpetrated; the evidence was merely circumstantial. The wife of the deceased is in the jail of the county, committed for trial at the September term of the superior court for this county, for advising Bauer to commit the murder; and such was the weight of the testimony against her, the court would not admit her to jail.” May 7, 1818 - John Keen having obtained an attachment against the estate of John Vance who Vc, and the constable having made notice that he had executed the same in the hands of Francis Browning and summoned him as a garnishee; This day came as ordered the plaintiff by his attorney as the said garnishee in his proper person who declared on oath that he owed the defendant $30 due the 15th of the month one half to be paid in silver and the other half in notes; $23 due next fall, $25 payable in skins and ginseng next fall; And on motion of the plaintiff and for reasons appearing to the court ordered that this attachment be continued till next fall September 14, 1818 (Monday) - At a Superior Court of Law held for Russell County at the Courthouse thereof on Monday the 14th day of September 1818. Present Peter Johnston Esquire the Judge assigned to hold a Court in each of the Counties comprising of the 13th Judicial Circuit. William Gilmore foreman, Collin Fugate, Archer Jesse, Charles Carrell, Robert Fugate, James Dickenson, Nathan Hamilton, Zachariah Fugate, Stephen Gose and John Smyth, John Counts Sen., Stephen Gose Jr., James Browning, William Browning, Lee Jesse, James Caldwell, John Jesse, David Muncey, John Johnson, William Nash, Benjamin Johnson, and William Price were sworn a Grand Jury of Inquest for the body of the County and adjourned till tomorrow 10 o’clock. The Commonwealth against Abner Vance defendant - Upon Indictment for Murder A copy of the judgment of the General Court bound awarding a new trial in the cause was produced in Court and ordered to be __ on the records of this court and as in the following words and figures to wit. Virginia - In the General Court June 20th 1818 upon the petition of Abner Vance for a writ of Error to a Judgment rendered against him by the Superior Court of law for Russell County on the 17th day of April 1818 for murder in the first degree, this day came as well the Attorney General as the deft by his attorney who being fully heard, a writ of error is awarded, the said Vance, returnable further wit. And the Attorney General agrees to dispense with the execution and return of the said writ. And to receive the transcript of the record certified by the clerk of the said Superior Court upon inspection whereof the Writ of Error had been awarded, as if it had been duly certified by the Judge on the return of the writ, And he further agreed to receive the error set forth on the Plaintiffs petition instead of a formal assignment of Error, and thereto he pleaded that there is no error on the said record of the proceedings and Judgment of the Superior Court of Law. And this he is ready to certify. & which the Plaintiff replied that there is as or in the said record in manner and form as in the assignment he hath set forth and this he prays may be required of by the Court and the Attorney General likewise. And thereupon the transcript of the record of the Judgment and Proceedings fore with, being soon inspected, and due consideration had thereof, the Court are unanimously of opinion that there is order in this, that the Court rejected the evidence of the witness introduced by the prisoner to prove his insanity before the fact of which he was accused and in deciding that it was improper to introduce such proof until the prisoners insanity was proved on the day he shot the deceased. Wherefore it is considered that the said judgment be answered and annulled and a new trial awarded and in the main time that he be detained in safe custody in the Jail of the Superior Court of Russell County until the next term, and until he be discharged by due course of law. Which is ordered to be certified to the said Superior Court. A copy Teste, Peyton Drew(?) Whereupon a motion of the Attorney for the Commonwealth a venire facias denier is awarded returnable on this day and that said writ being returned ___. The prisoner is led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the Jail of the county and upon his motion and for reasons appearing to the Court it is ordered that this cause be continued till tomorrow and thereupon the said Abner Vance is remanded to jail. September 15, 1818 (Tuesday) - An Indictment against William Wingo as accessory to a murder, a true bill. William Wingo late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted as accessory to the murder of Lewis Horton appeared in Court according to the condition of his recognizance entered into before the Court at the last term, and thereupon the said William Wingo is ordered in Custody of the Sheriff to be committed to the jail of this County & there to be safely kept until he be tried, or otherwise discharged by due cause of law. William Wingo of the County of Russell comes into Court and acknowledges himself to be indebted to James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth in the sum of Five Hundred dollars of this lands & tenements goods & chattels to be levied and to the said Governor & his successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered; yet upon the condition that if Polly Wingo wife of the said William Wingo shall make her personal appearance before the Court on tomorrow to give evidence on behalf of Abner Vance who stands indicted of murder and shall not depart thence without the leave of the Court, there this recognizance to be ordered. Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of Russell County and by consent as well of the Prisoners Counsel as of the Attorney for the Commonwealth the trail of the said Abner Vance is continued till tomorrow & he remanded to jail. Ordered that the Court be adjourned till tomorrow morning 10 o’clock. Peter Johnston. September 16, 1818 (Wednesday) - Abner Vance late of this County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said County and thereupon the prisoner by his Counsel moved the Court to continue the Cause till the next term and filed two affidavits made by the prisoner stating the reason for such motion on argument where of the Court overruled the said motion for as to which opinion of the Court the prisoner by his Counsel filed a ordered to be made a part of the record to which opinion of the court the prisoner by his Counsel files a bill of exception which a continuation, and the prisoner being arraigned upon the said indictment pleaded not guilty and for his trial put himself upon God and the County whereupon the venire men to try this case being all called and every person attending the Court qualified according to law to serve as a juror in such a case, as the Sheriff reported; and that a part of the jury being elected every other such person having been either challenged for cause by the prisoner or the attorney for the Commonwealth as peremptorily by the prisoner, it is ordered that a venire facias be awarded directed to the Sheriff of Russell County commanding him to cause to come before this Court on tomorrow forty eight persons qualified as the law requires for venire men returnable here tomorrow and thereupon the said Abner Vance is remanded to jail. Ordered that the Court be adjourned till tomorrow morning 10 o’clock. Peter Johnston An indictment for Daniel Horton for an assault, a true bill. Others with Indictments for assault that day were, Shadrick Clark, William Irvine, Daniel Horton, Michael Kinser, and Isaac Jackson. Spenser Breeding for retailing liquor, William Owens assault, George Cowan, John Gray, Nimrod Kizer for assault, James Thompson, for assault and challenge for a dual, and then the Grand Jury having nothing further to present were discharged. September 17, 1818 - Present the same Judge as yesterday. Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stand indicted for murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said County and the venire facias awarded on yesterday in this cause being returned executed and all the person attending the Court this day as well as those brought hither by the said Venire Facias qualified according to law to serve as venire men having been exempt from challenge, it is ordered that a new venire facias be awarded to the Sheriff of the said county discharged requiring him to cause to come before the Court on tomorrow forty eight persons qualified as the law directs for venire men, returnable here on tomorrow and thereupon the said Abner Vance was remanded to jail. On the motion to Samuel Ritchie Senior to quash an execution served out of the Court in the name of William McKee & Edward M. Greenway against Samuel Ritchie Jr. the said Samuel Ritchie Senior and George Kendrick’s. This day came as with the plaintiff by her attorney as Rodah Horton for where benefit the said execution is admitted to have been issued by his attorney and it appearing that the said Rodah Horton her Counsel or against has not been notified hereof as the law directs, it is considered that the motion be dismissed at the plaintiffs cost. (This is a separate issue to the trial of Abner) On the motion of William Wingo who has been committed to the jail of the County upon an Indictment charging him as accessory to a murder he is admitted to give bail for his appearance before the Court at the next term to answer for the felony aforesaid, whereupon the said William Wingo and George Wiser of the County of Russell, James Brown and John Brown of the County of Tazewell here in Court severally acknowledged themselves to the indebted to James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth of Virginia the said William Wingo in the sum of One Thousand dollars and the said George Wizer, James Brown and John Brown in the sum of three hundred and fifty dollars each of their respective lands & tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said Governor and his succession for the use of the Commonwealth rendered, yet upon the condition that if the said William Wingo shall personally appear here before the Judge of the Court at the next term to answer the Commonwealth of and concerning the charge aforesaid, and shall not depart thence without the leave of the said Judge, then this recognizance to be void, and this case is continued till the next term. September 18, 1818 - Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said County and it appearing to this court at 35 minutes past two o’clock on the 5th day of the term that only seven persons have been elected to serve as jurors in this case, none of them whom have been sworn, that this prisoner has thirteen preemptory challenges yet to make and that on execution of the order of yesterday to summon 48 persons to serve as jurors only 17 have been found & summoned by the Sheriff and the Counsel as well for the Commonwealth as the prisoner concurring with the Court in opinion that a cannot be made up & the cause tried during this term which will and from necessity at 12 o’clock tomorrow evening. It is ordered that the trial of this cause be put off till the next term, and thereupon the prisoner is remanded to jail. Thomas Bundy keeper of the jail of Russell County presented his account against the Commonwealth amounting to the sum of one hundred and seventeen dollars and seventy seven cents for imprisonment, releasing, maintenance and execution of the Criminals the account of several persons who have served as guards for the safe keeping of prisoners in the jail in the County to wit: Thomas McClure one dollar and fifty cents, Nicholas Lazier seventy two dollars and fifty cents, Euagey Price seventy two dollars, and Mark M Wright seventy four dollars, William Robinson seventy six dollars, George H. Hendrick seventy six dollars and fifty cents, and Jefferson Candler forty eight dollars and fifty cents, and Jesse West one dollar and fifty cents, which several accounts being present either by the oath of the jailer on other persons were allowed by the Court and ordered to be certified to the Auditor of Public Accounts. Ordered that Harry Smith Sheriff of Russell County be allowed eight dollars and eighty seven and a half cents for seeking lodging & other provisions for persons elected to serve on the jury for the trial of Abner Vance and five dollars and seventy five cents for summoning sixty four persons in the country to attend the Court at this term exclusive of the venire in the Case of an Indictment against Abner Vance for murder which are ordered to be certified to the Auditor of the Public Accounts. Judge Johnston - His Letter Abner did get his new trial based on the Cause of Insanity, which the jury did not hear any facts regarding the mind set of Abner, or the insanity defense; which was not allowed in his first trial. Thus, the second trial was held in Washington County as a change in venue was ordered, as it was impossible to find a jury in Russell County, however the records for this second trial are nowhere to be had in Washington County. What we can now derive is that they do or did exist somewhere, as Brockenbrough wrote about the case to include the Washington County records. These records were not found in Richmond or in Abingdon. It is on December 2, 1818; Peter Johnston writes a letter to the House of Delegates pleading for a change of law using the trial of Abner Vance for this basis. Thomas Ritchie, Printer for the Commonwealth included this letter in the Journal of the House of Delegates. In this letter Judge Johnston states the facts, or evidence presented in the trial. Was there any prejudice to this letter, we will never know. Abner Vance and his Counsel secured such evidence, that prejudice by Peter Johnston who anonymously wrote a newspaper article in the 4Political Prospect, of Abingdon on June 13, 1818, noted in a transcript written by William Brockenbrough, Cases of the General Court of Virginia. Judge Johnston wrote that 2 men were tried for murder and noting in this article that Abner Vance was regarded as an “unfeeling savage”. Abner and his Counsel were able to prove that it was Peter Johnston who wrote the article during his first trial in Russell; but did not know the anonymous author until the second trial. Its Cause was heard by the Washington Court, but the Court felt that the jurors had never read or known of the newspaper article, or that it did not inflict harm on the sentencing of Abner. Thus, it was regarded as an unwarrantable issue by the court, as the jurors were asked if the article had any consequence on their judgment of Abner, the jurors said……it did not, then the Judge for Washington County states; “The jury then must be considered as having acted and decided impartially.” From the Brockenbrough rewrite of the case of Abner in the second trial, this was said about the actions of Judge Peter Johnston relative to prejudice sited by Abners defense; “The Court is of opinion that, although the official conduct of the Judge of the 13th Circuit is directly 5inculpated by the nature and character of this motion, and for that reason, a decision therein, by adjourning to the General Court the question which is involved, might be declined, yet that the principles of public justice require that the motion be now decided.” Abner by his Counsel tried in the second trial to include many exceptions, but the Court of Washington in the second trial over-ruled all remaining motions. Peter Johnston’s letter below written December 2, 1818, explains what happen on the day Lewis Horton was murdered. What was added as testimony to the Legislature will be regarded as the truth, as it is the only known document in existence that gives this detail of the murder of Horton. Certainly, it is what was left out of this letter which will be in question for years to come by Vance descendants. The Judges in Washington County found no evidence of prejudice on the behalf of Judge Johnston. JOURNAL OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA Begun and Held AT THE CAPITOL IN THE CITY OF RICHMOND IN THE SEVENTH DAY OF DECEMBER, ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN Printed by Thomas Ritchie for the Commonwealth The Communication of Judge Johnston was read as follows; Sir - A criminal case, attended by peculiar circumstances, and involving difficulties which can be removed by the Legislature only, has occurred in the county of Russell. At the circuit court held for that county in the month of April last. Abner Vance was indicted for the murder of Lewis Horton and by the jury impannelled for his trial convicted of murder in the 1st degree. Sentence of death was pronounced upon him in consideration of this conviction, but his execution was delayed that he might have an opportunity of applying to the General Court for a writ of error, because it was contented that the opinion of the court which tried him in certain points exhibited by a bill of exception for was not correct. The General Court at the last June term decided that the opinion of the Circuit Court on one question presented by the record was erroneous, directed the verdict to be set aside, and awarded a new trial of the case. In the month of September last the Circuit Court for the county of Russell was occupied until the evening of Friday, the fifth day of the term, in efforts which proved ineffectual to bring the prisoner to another trial. So great a concourse of people had attended, heard the evidence and expressed an opinion, on the trial in April, that few individuals in the county were exempt from such objections as rendered them enable to challenge for Cause, and the prisoner availed himself of his right of peremptory challenge to the greater number of those against whom a challenge for cause did not lie: Although the court was numerously attended as long as it continued to sit and the Sheriff every evening was required to go into the country and summon forty-eight jurors to appear on the succeeding day, it was ascertained with perfect certainty, that there is no possibility of making up a jury for the trial of this man in the county of Russell. And as no Court in Virginia passes the power of changing the venue in a criminal case, he cannot under existing laws be brought to trial in another county. For the purpose of exhibiting the character of the offense committed by Vance, give me leave to state in substance, but with precision, the testimony of the witnesses examined in his trial. The prisoner lived near Clinch river and walked down to a ford at no great distance from his dwelling on the morning of September 22, 1817, carrying his rifle, and declaring he had loaded it for the special purpose of shooting Daniel Horton, the brother of the young man afterwards slain; and, that he would not only kill him, but three others whom he named. Lewis Horton soon appeared in view, riding along the road which leads across the river near the place where Vance was waiting, as he said, to shoot Daniel Horton. As soon as the young man came within such a distance that his person was identified, Vance said “yonder comes Lewis Horton, and I have a mind to kill him.” He approached Vance and saluted him with civility. Vance charged him with having sworn his life away; language, which had reference to a deposition given a few days before by Lewis Horton, in a suit in Chancery depending before Chancellor Brown. Horton expressed his astonishment at this charge and inquired what Vance had understood to be the purport of his deposition. Upon hearing Vance’s reply, Horton assured him he was mistaken or misinformed, and proceeded to repeat what he really had stated in the before mentioned deposition. Vance then expressed himself fully satisfied, declared to Lewis Horton he had nothing against him, and asked, “Have you anything against me”…”Nothing,” said the young man, in a mild language and manner, “except that I do not like to see you have drawn your gun upon me,”. “Help yourself as you can, I believe I will shoot you now,” said Vance. Horton and a certain Joseph Fowlkes who was present, observing from the tone and countenance of Vance, the horrid purpose which he meditated, began to implore his mercy; but he raised his gun, leveled it at Horton, while he was endeavoring to make good his flight across the river, and tried when he was not a greater distance than thirty paces, shooting the ball through the body of this victim, near the back bone, and a little below the shoulder blade. As he fell from his horse into the water, Vance poured forth execrations too bitter and horrible for repetition, and threatened with death an old man from the opposite shore, who advanced into the river, hoping that Horton’s life might yet be saved. But in this, he was mistaken. Although the young man was rescued from immediate death by drowning, he survived his wound but a short time expiring on the sixth day after its infliction. It is not only probable, but certain, that other instances will arise under the present judiciary system of this State, requiring the special interference of the Legislature, unless some general law should be enacted, the provisions of which may be adequate to the prevention, of remedy of evils and difficulties, such as have occurred in the case of Abner Vance. I have made this communication from a persuasion, that if the subject appears as important to you, as it does to me, you will lay it before the General Assembly. I have the honor to be, with high consideration and esteem, Sir, Your obedient Servant. Peter Johnston Abingdon, December 2d, 1818 On Motion of Mr. McFarlane, Ordered that the said communication he referred to the Committee on the subject of the revision of the laws, The speaker laid before the House, a letter from Governor, inclosing the Annual Report of the Board of Public Works, and a Report of a Committee of the said Board. On motion of Mr. Alexander of Rockbridge. Ordered that the said letter and reports be laid upon the table; and that 250 copies thereof be printed for the members of the General Assembly. And the House adjourned until tomorrow twelve o’clock. _______________________________________ One could wonder why Judge Johnston fought so hard to convict Abner, to hang Abner in his Court and in the Newspapers, and in the Legislature. But one would ask why. Was Abners case so different than that of any other had in his court? Brockenbrough writes that Abners Counsel declared prejudice in the Russell Court room as Judge Peter Johnston said words of his guilt before his conviction. Brockenbrough wrote; “He also shewed by the Record, that the Judge of the 13th Circuit, in over-ruling a motion for a continuance at September Term, 1818, in Russell Superior Court, gave an opinion unfavorable to the prisoner, on a material question arising in his defense, in relation to his alleged insanity.” With regret one would say after reading Judge Johnston’s letter that Abner killed a man and that Judge Johnston did what he had to do to bring Abner to his sentence of death for what was deemed his punishment by Judge and Jury. Not only was there a letter written to the Legislature by Peter Johnston, but too by James Caswell, Superior Clerk of the County of Russell. Was the Judge and others in this case as alleged in “The Vance Song” out to make good…..we will never know, but it does seem to point in that direction. At least in the eyes of Abner as he writes; 6The judge said he was my friend, though Elliot’s life I saved. A jury man, I did become, that Elliot, he might live. The friendship that I have shown to others has not been shown to me. Humanity, it belongs to the brave and I hope it remains with me. It was by the advice of McFarland that Judge Johnson did me call. I was taken from my native home and placed in yon stonewall. My persecutors have gained their quest, they promised to make good. They swore that they would never rest till they had gained my life’s blood. Remembering that Abner was awarded his new trial based on the lack of testimony which could have been presented by his daughter in court as to his insanity. It seems that others did give testimony of his insanity. To what extent Brockenbrough does not write. What was the testimony of the daughter and which daughter? Tabitha Browning is the only daughter mentioned in the witness list for Abner. And she was married and would not have seen her father for days as was stated by Brockenbrough in his rewrite of the case. Now that we have proof that a daughter wanting to give testimony, we can rule out the Susannah mentioned in the Russell Court records is his daughter. Abner did not have a daughter named Susannah according to Abner Vance researchers. However, Abners wife was named Susannah and their home near the Ford, so she would have been present at the time of the killing of Horton, so she could be deemed an accessory to murder. Thus, pointing to the wife as who is mentioned in the Russell County Court Records; although circumstantial…..it fits. In the Will of Jane Allen, she has in her Inventory of Estate a loom, sheep, wool card, cotton card, flax wheel and cotton wheel. All used for making clothe and linens. Spinning usually a skill passed down from mother to daughter, like cooking. Some women used it in the everyday household, while others much more fortunate, paid women for spinning cloth for them. The word Spinster also can share the connotation of “Spinner”. As Abner was called a “Laborer” in court records Susannah may be called a “Spinster”. Jane Allen Inventory as written - The Property of Jane Allen deceased, three basons, two dishes, ten plates, eight spoons, a case of knives, and forks, two cups, 2 quart cups, one pot, one dutch oven, one kittle, one skillet, two glass tumblers, two water poles, two cotton wheles, two flax wheles, two chest, three beads stads, two beads, and furniture, one mans saddle, one womans saddle, two smoothing irons, two iron pot racks, a half dozen ch?? two tables, one bridle, one currycomb, one pare of cotton cards, one pare of wool cards two iron wedges, one mattick, fore hoes, two shovel, plows, one pare of fire tongs, one fire shovel, two axes, one loome, one set of swingles, trees, two yearlings kids? fore sows, and twelve pigs, three head of sheep five head of cattle, one hundred and fifty acres of woodling land, one flax hackle, two barrels, eight hogs heads, three meet tubs, one cog and powdering tub, one yearling colt. The hole amount of this property was sold and bought for ninety pounds sixteen shillings and ten pents. Charles Howard James Howard Now I leave the door open to interpretation of the word Spinster as it carries many definitions from an unmarried woman to an elderly unmarried woman, a man who spins, to a woman who spins, even used as a title to a surname. It was used in the case of Sarah Indicot wife of Samuel Indicot at the time of her trial in Russell County. She was a widow but known in court documents as a “Spinster”. Yet she was a married woman and recent widow with grown children at the time of her husband’s murder. She was not found guilty in his death. Interpretation of the word is just that of the court clerk. He could have used the word as you and I use Mr. or Mrs. Interpretation is that of the reader until further proof be had. Horton and Caswell Petition December 10, 1818 - James P. Caswell writes a letter for Daniel Horton to the Legislature asking for a change in venue, so that the proceedings of Abners case would be heard in Washington County. What struck me are these words by Horton and Caswell; “That in consequence of the exclusion of some testimony not materially varying his case, he obtained a wit of error and reordered the judgment in the General Court; this awarded him a new trial.” The petition by Horton and Caswell was rejected December 12, 1818. Horton’s letter to the Legislature states: To the Honorable the Legislature of Virginia The petition of Daniel Horton of the County of Russell respectfully represents. That in the year 1817 Abner Vance of the County of Russell, committed a murder upon the person of your petitioners brother, in the said County, that at the Spring Term of the Superior Court of law of the said County he was tried and found guilty of the said offence, and sentenced to undergo capital punishment therefore. That in consequence of the exclusion of some testimony not materially varying his case, he obtained a wit of error and reordered the judgment in the General Court; this awarded him a new trial. That at the last fall term of the said court an attempt was made to empanel a jury to try him which failed because nearly all those summoned had expressed an opinion on the Case. That the Court anxious to procure a trial of the Case, after the original panel had been disposed of and all the bystanders summoned, without enabling the Court to obtain a jury; issued a Venire Facias and directed the Sheriff to produce from day to day, forty eight persons qualified to serve as jurors. That on the fifth day of the term but seven jurors could be obtained; and the Court being convinced the report of the Sheriff that a jury could not be formed at that term, continued the Cause. A copy of the record herewith exhibited; will shew the difficulty to be encountered, in obtaining a jury in the County of Russell to try this Cause. Your petitioner believes, and it is the general belief in his County, as also of the Court and bar, that almost every man in the said County otherwise qualified to serve as a juror, has disqualified himself by the exception of an opinion; so that it is believed to be impossible ever to try the said Vance, unless he can be removed to, or jurors form some other County can be impaneled to try him. Your petitioner is aware of the difficulty of proving a legislature remedy for this Case on account of that clause of the bill of rights, which secures to every man accused of a crime, a speedy and impartial trial by a jury of the Vicinage; but in this Case, so far from a Speedy trial, it is believed no trial is practicable for the Causes above stated. Your petitioner therefore submits the Case to the wisdom of the Legislature, hoping that if any remedy can be applied, it will be promptly afforded, and a way provided in which the justice and laws of the Country can operate upon a Crime ____alled in attrocity. And your petitioner as in duty bound will ever pray Vc. Daniel Horton Accompanying Horton’s letter were 2 pages of the trial transcript for September 16th, 17th and 18th Russell County records rewritten by James P. Caswell C.S.C. (i.e. Clerk Superior Court). They are not included here as you can reference the underlined and dated court records. _________________________________ Last attempt by Judge Johnston in Russell County It is noted in the Russell County records that Judge Peter Johnston did try to give Abner a second and new trial in Russell County Court. However, it was impossible to find a jury of men who could sit in this venire. Abner by his Counsel successfully was able to reject many of the jurors who the Sheriff thought qualified to sit. So the case was transferred to Washington for its second trial. All the witnesses posted their bond for the new trial in Washington including Tabitha Browning. April 12, 1819 - Present Peter Johnston Esquire The Judge assigned to hold the court in each of the counties comprising of the 13th judicial circuit. The court wishing to make another effort for the trial in the County of Russell of Abner Vance late of said county laborer who stands indicted of murder, doth order that a venire facias be issued to the Sheriff of said county directed commanding him to cause to come before this court on tomorrow twelve persons qualified according to law for the trail of said Vance returnable here tomorrow. April 13, 1819 (Tuesday) - Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said County and it appearing thereof arraigned and pleaded not guilty to the said indictment and for his trial put himself upon God and his country and the venire summoned in virtue of the process of this court awarded yesterday in this cause as also every other person attending the court qualified according to the law (as reported by the Sheriff) having been called and but two jurors being selected therefrom upon the motion of the prisoner by his counsel it is ordered that a venire facias be awarded by the Sheriff of Russell County directed commanding him to Cause to come before this court on tomorrow by 10 o’clock in the morning 24 persons qualified according to law to serve as venire men returnable here on tomorrow and that in the mean time the said two selected jurors be kept together by the Sheriff so that they have no communication with any individual whatever accept himself on the subject of their accommodations which by him is to comfortably provided for; and thereupon the said Abner Vance is remanded to jail. Judge Peter Johnston April 14th 1819 - Wednesday April the 14th 1819 - Present the same Judge as yesterday. Abner Vance late of the County of Russell laborer who stands indicted of murder was again led to the bar in custody of the keeper of the jail of the said county and the twenty four men summoned in virtue of the process awarded yesterday in the case as also every other person attending the court qualified according to la, as reported by the sheriff having been called, but one reported by the Sheriff having been called but one additional juror elected therefrom: Whereupon from the number of challenges for cause made by the prisoner of this case as well at the present term as at the last it appears to the satisfaction of the court that an impartial and legally qualified jury cannot be had for the trial of the prisoner in the County of Russell. It is therefore ordered that the venue in this case be changed to the Superior Court of law for the County of Washington, which will commence on the thirty first day of May next, the most convenient Superior Court of law in the thirteenth Circuit; when, in the opinion of this Court the Commonwealth and the prisoner can have a fair and impartial trial; and thereupon the prisoner is remanded to jail. And it is further ordered that the said prisoner be retained in safe custody on the jail of the county of Russell until the Sheriff thereof shall under the authority of a warrant from the judge of this Court to be directed to him for that purpose, remove his body to the place for holding the Superior Court of law for the said County of Washington. William Arden, Catherine Arden, Isaac Arden, John Wilson Jun., Larkin Howard, Ezekiel Daniel, Rhoda Wilson, Harry Smith, George Kendrick, John Scaggs, John Olinger, Andrew Cowan, Joseph Fulks, Oliver Crawford, Travis Kindles, John Harper, Abner Thompson, Daniel Horton, William Horton, James McFarland, and James P. Carrell come into and acknowledge themselves to be indebted to James P. Preston Esquire Governor of Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth in the sum of five hundred dollars each, of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels, to be levied, and to the said Governor and his Successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered: Yet upon the condition that if the said William Arden, Catherine Arden, Isaac Arden, John Wilson Jun., Larkin Howard, Ezekiel Daniel, Rhoda Wilson, Harry Smith, George Kendrick, John Scaggs, John Olinger, Andrew Cowan, Joseph Fulks, Oliver Crawford, Travis Kindles, John Harper, Abner Thompson, Daniel Horton, William Horton, James McFarland, and James P. Carrell shall severally make their personal appearance before the Judge of the Superior Court of law to be holden for Washington County at the Courthouse thereof on the first day of the next term of the said Superior Court of law for Washington County to give evidence on behalf of the Commonwealth against Abner Vance accused of murder and shall not depart thence without the leave of the said Judge then this recognizance to be void. Squire Wingo, Robert Shortridge, Thomas Brown, John Brown, Patrick Kendrick, Elizabeth Kendrick, Daniel Green, John Green, William Green, Shadrick White, William Vance, George Steel, John Prater, James Preter, Frederick Stiltner, Elizabeth Stiltner, Tabitha Browning, Stephen Coleman, James Lester, George Belcher, Thomas Wilson, Francis Davis, Isaac Spratt, Francis Browning, Daniel Clark, Joseph Fulks, Laney Fulks, Andrew Caldwell, Isaac Jackson, Edward Elswick, Jacob Weddington, Daniel Horton, Mary Horton, George Wizer, Henry Wizer, John Stinson, Henry Asbury, William Wingo, Mary Wingo, Johnson Howard come into Court & acknowledged themselves to be indebted to James P. Preston Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of this Commonwealth, in the sum of five hundred dollars each, of their respective lands and tenements goods and chattels to be levied and to the said governor and his Successors for the use of the Commonwealth rendered. Yet upon the condition that if the said Squire Wingo, Robert Shortridge, Thomas Brown, John Brown, Patrick Kendrick, Elizabeth Kendrick, Daniel Green, John Green, William Green, Shadrick White, William Vance, George Steel, John Prater, James Prater, Frederick Stiltner, Elizabeth Stiltner, Tabitha Browning wife of the said Frances Browning, Stephen Coleman, James Lester, George Belcher, Thomas Wilson, Francis Davis, Isaac Spratt, Daniel Clark, Laney Fulks wife of said Joseph Fulks, Andrew Caldwell, Isaac Jackson, Edward Elswick, Jacob Weddington, Mary Horton wife of said Daniel Horton, George Wizer, Henry Wizer, John Stinson, Henry Asbury, Mary Wingo wife of said William Wingo, Johnson Howard shall severally make their personal appearance before the Judge of the Superior Court of law to be holden for Washington County at the Courthouse thereof on the first day of the next term of the said Superior Court of law for Washington County to give evidence on behalf of Abner Vance accused of murder, and shall not depart thence without the leave of the said Judge, the this recognizance be void. The First and Second Trial - the conclusion and punishment On April 14, 1 Abner Vance, Two Sides to Every Story; by Barbara Cherep http://tgv7.tripod.com/index-12.html [S1334] avrem@aol.com, Hatfield34491Martha.com, (Name: Ancestry.com data base;), footnote to Abner Vance. [S1342] Website: Vance- Abner Vance, by Timothy Vance, **. New DNA testing proves that Ephraim "Vause" Vance and Theodosia "Hewlings" "Vause" Vance IS NOT I repeat IS NOT the parents of Abner Vance! The information on these pages indicating that Ephraim and Theodosia were his parents "All was clearly stated that it wasn't documented" is not correct, and will be removed asap. DO NOT post Ephraim "Vause" Vance and Theodosia "Hewlings" "Vause" Vance as the parents of Abner Vance as recent DNA testing has proven they are not! The story of Abner Vance has been told for years, most of them are relatively the same, and all with the same outcome. New information and insights have came to light. I ask that any decendent of Abner Vance, or anyone interested in this story to have a look at the information that has been found. This puts new ideas, and insight into the legendary story of Abner Vance. I want to thank Barbara Cherep for the many hours she spent looking for information concerning Abner Vance, his life, his trial, and his death. I also want to thank her for sharing her findings with the rest of us, Thank you, Barbara. Read Barbara's findings here: Two Sides To Every Story To Send This Page To Your Family And Friends Click On: Elizabeth Vance b. 1794, d/o Abner Vance This page contains links to all of the information I have about Elizabeth VANCE (b. 1794). She is the d/o Abner VANCE and Susannah HOWARD. Elizabeth Vance b. 1794. If you would like to view all of the Decendents I have for Elizabeth VANCE (b. 1794) Combined on one page CLICK: HERE If you would like to view Elizabeth VANCE'S (b. 1794) individual children and their Decendents, click on the name of the child you want to see the Decendents of. Elizabeth Vance b. 1794, d/o Abner Vance Zebulon VANCE b. Phoebe Easter VANCE b. 1812. Nancy A. VANCE b. 1813. Sarah VANCE b. 1815. Richard VANCE b. 1822. Mary VANCE b. 1831. James VANCE (Bad Jim) b. 1832. Contact Me If you would like to contact me for any reason CLICK: HERE Or send an e-mail to: tinylesmall@yahoo.com Thanks Tim Vance ___________ New DNA testing proves that Ephraim "Vause" Vance and Theodosia "Hewlings" "Vause" Vance IS NOT I repeat IS NOT the parents of Abner Vance! The information on these pages indicating that Ephraim and Theodosia were his parents "All was clearly stated that it wasn't documented" is not correct, and will be removed asap. DO NOT post Ephraim "Vause" Vance and Theodosia "Hewlings" "Vause" Vance as the parents of Abner Vance as recent DNA testing has proven they are not! The story of Abner Vance has been told for years, most of them are relatively the same, and all with the same outcome. New information and insights have came to light. I ask that any decendent of Abner Vance, or anyone interested in this story to have a look at the information that has been found. This puts new ideas, and insight into the legendary story of Abner Vance. I want to thank Barbara Cherep for the many hours she spent looking for information concerning Abner Vance, his life, his trial, and his death. I also want to thank her for sharing her findings with the rest of us, Thank you, Barbara. Read Barbara's findings here: Two Sides To Every Story To Send This Page To Your Family And Friends Click On: [S1334] avrem@aol.com, Hatfield34491Martha.com, (Name: Ancestry.com data base;), Abner Vance notes. [S1340] Logan County VA/WV website, (Name: http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvlogan/logan.htm;), http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvlogan/vance.htm. [S1323] Vance Family Association, Rootsweb. 17.04.01- from: http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvlogan/vance.htm : (You can also visit The Vance Family Association) ABNER and SUSANNAH HOWARD VANCE Abner Vance born c 1750 in NC. Susannah HOWARD VANCE born c 1763 NC was the daughter of Abraham and Jane ____ ALLEN HOWARD [S1708] Public Member Trees, recovered, Bob's line - RLLeddy / 20190605HAv- Record for Alice Geneva Harding (66) facts. Record for Alice Geneva Harding (66) facts 20190605HAv- Bob's line - RLLeddy Alice Geneva Harding 1883-1955 BIRTH 10 MAR 1883 • Nemaha, Nemaha, Nebraska, DEATH 21 DEC 1955 • Falls City, Richardson, Nebraska, Record for Alice Geneva Harding (66) facts 20190605HAv- Bob's line - RLLeddy Alice Geneva Harding 1883-1955 BIRTH 10 MAR 1883 • Nemaha, Nemaha, Nebraska, DEATH 21 DEC 1955 • Falls City, Richardson, Nebraska, Lester and Phillis West, 1973, Rapid city, South Dakota Lester and Phillis West, 1973, Rapid city, South Dakota RoEddy64added this on 20 Sep 2009 Lea_Broadleyoriginally submitted this to Steele, Gilkerson, Hrdlicka and Lawyer on 13 Jan 2009Category Type: Portrait / Family Photo Lester and Phillis West. Phillis is the daughter of Melvin and Freida Lawyer. [S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online., Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer. Record for EPHRAIM Vance

  
  

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