Week 17 #52Ancestors: At Worship

Church records have provided me with some wonderful information about my ancestors.  The mention of Smith Sutton found in the 1806 Thompson Settlement Church Minutes in Lee County, Virginia later provided a connection to Thomas Sutton and Hannah Lawson who were members of this church. They later moved their membership to the Rob Camp Baptist Church in Claiborne County, Tennessee around 1838. My third cousin, Elsie Stewart, shared the obituary of our second great-grandfather, James Sutton that mentioned his date of death as December 22, 1872 and stated he was a Deacon of the Baptist Church of Christ at Big Creek.  I thought these were some deep connections until I stumbled on my Barnard-Barnett line.

Looking back at Week 16, I explained that Obedience “Biddy” Barnett was a Quaker and her family line is well documented in the Quaker Minutes.  Biddy’s grandfather was Strangeman Hutchins born in 1707 Henrico County, Virginia and died in 1792 in Surry County, North Carolina.  He married Elizabeth Cox around 1731 in Virginia.  The couple had 11 children, Mary Brooks, Edith Stanley, John Hutchins, Nicholas Hutchins, Elizabeth Barnett, Obedience Harding, Thomas Hutchins, Jane Barnett, Milla Hutchins, Lydia Johnson and Benjamin Hutchins.  A book was published on this line in 1935, Four Generations of the family of Strangeman Hutchins and his wife, Elizabeth Cox, as known January 10, 1935: an old Virginia family along the James River by marriage joined to other immigrant families of the colony by Crider, Gussie Waymire.

 This discovery has a paper trail that goes back to the 1600’s and I consider that truly amazing! Strangeman Hutchin’s father was Nicholas Hutchins who was found on the Henrico Meeting Minutes beginning in 1699.  He lived along the James River and married Mary Watkins at a public meeting of the Friends. This was recorded in the Minutes on 8-9-1701.  Now I have discovered yet a third line of Watkins in my family history.  Two lines are on my paternal side or what I like to refer to as my east Tennessee roots and the third is through my mother as her maiden name is Watkins and they hail from North Carolina.  

Colonizing Virginia - Curles of the James River -- found on gene.com

According to the author of this book, Strangeman was, “…first found on the Cedar Creek records in 1741.  From that time until 1786, when he moved to North Carolina, his name is continually on the records as witness, on committees, as representative, as overseer, as clerk, as elder.”  He is described as a prominent member of the Friends Church and occasionally bought and sold land. As he prepared to move to North Carolina, Strangeman disposed of about 750 acres between 1782 and 1785. He also freed twelve slaves by a deed of Manumission.  This is one of the few ancestors in my family that I have discovered owned slaves and since the book did not provide the deed, I searched online and discovered information on an old message board:

From: “Hutchins-Hutchens,” Vol. 1, pg. 11, and an addition in Vol. 2, pg. 5; by Rita Hineman Townsend:  October 21, 1782. Strangeman Hutchins freed his twelve slaves in Goochland Co., by a Deed of Manumission:  Goochland County, VA, Deed of Manumission of Slaves:
“I, Strangeman Hutchins, being fully persuaded that freedom is the rightful state of all mankind, and that it is my duty to do unto others as I would desire to be done by, in the like situation….. of the following names and ages, viz: NAN SCOTT, 38; JENNIE SCOTT, 36; JOE SCOTT, 34; HANNAH SCOTT, 32; LUSY SCOTT, 28; TAB PRYOR, 23; JUDITH SCOTT, 18; I hereby emancipate and set free, all and everyone of the above named slaves and I do for myself, heirs, executors and administrators, relinquish all my right, title, interest, claim and pretention of claim whatsoever either to their persons or to any estate that they may hereafter acquire….. now in their minority, of the following names and ages, viz: GEORGE SCOTT, 17; ISHAM SCOTT, 15; KING SCOTT, 14; STEPHEN SCOTT 12; BOB SCOTT, 9, whom I likewise emancipate and set free after they shall attain to lawful age, the males at 21 and the females at 18. Signed 21 Oct 1782, Strangeman Hutchins. Goochland County Deed Book 13, 177901784, pp259-260.

Addition: The reason he (Strangeman) still had two slaves in the 1790 census was that he had stipulated that the slaves were to be freed, males at 21 and females at 18. The two youngest slaves had yet to reach that age in the 1790 census. 

www.dolleymadison.com

I read many Quakers began leaving Virginia due to persecution and that may explain the reason for their move to North Carolina.  According to the aforementioned book, the Hutchins settled on the branches of Forbush Creek and placed their membership at Deep River Meeting and then services soon began at Deep Creek where the Hutchins were leading members.

When Strangeman became ill, he prepared to meet his maker and must have been verbalizing his prayers as his last sentences were recorded on paper by Sylvanus Hadley.  The paper was found in the possession of a descendant named Mrs. Ella Whisler of Wabash, Indiana.  It seems appropriate to end this with an extract of his dying words:

And several times he spoke about ye living water and about ye true water in a broken manner, although afterward he spoke intelligibly and said – “O Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty, I am in an awful frame of mind and stand resigned to the Lord’s will both soul and body.” And almost every breath till the last seemed to supplicate or return thanks, and he grew so weak that he departed in the morning the 10^thof the second month, A.D. 1792.

Week 16 #52Ancestors: Out of Place

While researching my east Tennessee tree, I find that many relatives hailed from North Carolina or Virginia and were Baptists.  I was intrigued to find an ancestor who was born in Massachusetts and he is my 4^thgreat-grandfather!  His name was Jonathan Barnard born circa 1759 in Massachusetts (some say England). He enlisted in the Revolutionary War in 1775 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and served with the Massachusetts Continental Line.  

Washington Taking Command of the American Army. At Cambridge, Mass. July 3rd, 1775, by Currier & Ives, 1876.

 A summary of Jonathan’s service was found on Wikitree, “He took up with a regiment at Prospect Point outside of Boston after the British had invaded and just before Bunker Hill and the formation of the Continental Army under Washington. He was there at the time of Bunker Hill but apparently was not a participant. His first enlistment was just for a few months, but he re-enlisted later in the year. He was part of the movement into Boston in spring of 1776 when the British evacuated. He was under General Nathaniel Greene who was in charge of Boston for a couple weeks but then was re-assigned to New York where the British were engaging anew. They started out on Long Island as part of an artillery regiment under Col. (later General) Henry Knox using the equipment that Knox had retrieved from defeating the British at Ft. Ticonderoga. They moved in to help defend Ft. Washington on northern Manhattan across from Ft Lee in New Jersey. That was a disastrous loss that prompted Washington to do what he could to salvage his army before it was overtaken. Jonathan Barnard, however, was among those who were captured by the British. He was taken to prison in New York and was there until 8 Jan 1777.”  

Battle of Ft. Washington, 1776 published on Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository

By 1784, Jonathan is living in Goochland County, Virginia and has married a young woman named Obedience “Biddy” Barnett.  This year was provided as their year of marriage in pension paperwork.  Biddy was born to John Barnett and Elizabeth Hutchins who were Quakers.   The Richmond and Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting Minutes state, “Obedience daughter of John disowned 4^thmonth 1786.”  I wonder why she was disowned two years after the marriage?  Some researchers think she was disowned for marrying out of faith or for marrying a Revolutionary War veteran. Unfortunately, the Minutes do not provide a reason.  I often wonder how he ended up in Virginia. Was he employed as a teacher in the Quaker community?  

Submitted: September 19, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. 

Moving forward, Jonathan enters 20 acres of land in Claiborne County, Tennessee on the north side of the Clinch River beginning on a Poplar and running so as to include the house and spring where he now lives located on part of a warrant No. 60 for 300 acres dated 9^thJuly 1811 and entered 8^thOct 1811. It is later withdrawn on November 10, 1814.  On August 16, 1816, he purchases 22 acres of land from Mathew McGhee in Hawkins County, Tennessee.  Another 20 acres of land was entered for Jonathan Barnard on April 10, 1817 and an additional 25 acres was obtained through a land grant on March 17, 1818 in Claiborne County. 

He applied for his pension in Hawkins County, Tennessee in October 1818 and we learn from the application he had been a teacher.  That career ended due to the loss of his eyesight.  In 1834 Jonathan requests a pension transfer to Mercer County, Kentucky.  He states his children and friends are packing up and removing west and he thought he could live better and cheaper in Kentucky.  Looking at the 1830 and 1840 censuses, it does not appear that any of his children have left east Tennessee so it leaves me to ponder this statement.  I know that there was a Shaker community in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky but I haven’t found anything that connects him to them.  Who did he know in Mercer County, Kentucky and since he was blind then how did he travel there?

Published on sos.ky.gov

Jonathan’s will was dated October 18, 1835 and states:

In the first place I want my pension drawed by Garret Derlin and my debts paid and Garret Derlin and wife satisfied for their trouble with me and I want all my plunder put to sail, and my debts collected by Mr. Durlin and my deceased son John Barnard four orphan children to have my estate equally divided between them living in Grainger County East Tennessee let this be done at my decease this is my last Will & Testament. 

Jonathan Barnard

Attest

Elizabeth Wickersham

Thomas A. Hawkins

Mercer County Ten. December County Court 1835

The foregoing Noncupative Will of Jonathan Barnard dec’d was this day produced into Court Approved by the oath of Elizabeth Wickersham and Thomas A Hawkins two subscribing witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded done accordingly.

Attest

Tho Allin

The will was filed in Mercer County, Kentucky rather than the state of Tennessee. A review of the 1830 and 1840 Mercer County census records do show Elizabeth Wickersham on both and a G.W. Durland on the 1840 census.  It is odd that Jonathan made no provision for Biddy.  Perhaps it was because she was left in the care of one of his sons.  She did apply for a widow’s pension in 1846 in Claiborne County, Tennessee. Several people came forward to verify the marriage as Biddy didn’t have a record of it nor did the Court Clerk at Goochland County, Virginia.  Apparently, the efforts worked as she appears on the Widow Pensions Roll.

Many people have researched Jonathan Barnard and tried to find his family in Massachusetts. Could he be the son of Reverend Thomas Barnard from Salem, Massachusetts who has been proposed by another researcher?  Looks like I will be going down that rabbit hole!

Week 15 #52Ancestors: DNA

Almost nine years ago I submitted a cheek swab to Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) thus entering the world of genetic genealogy.  Unfortunately, this was a mitochondrial DNA test and it didn’t prove to be helpful.  That same year I also talked my father into submitting his DNA for Y-DNA testing in hopes of breaking through our Sutton brick wall.  He entered the genetic DNA world at the age of 83 and grumbled all the way. These tests were and still are expensive DNA tests that can deter people unless they are adamant in using paper and genetic resources to do genealogy research.  No DNA discoveries were made until 2014, when I realized a new test referred to as autosomal DNA testing, was available and this test was much more affordable!  In fact, it would allow me to connect to DNA cousins related to both my father and mother.  I was thrilled and even more so when I discovered that FTDNA didn’t require another kit to be submitted, for either of us, as long as the DNA hadn’t degraded.  Given that my father had died in 2010, I was happy to submit his DNA kit for testing.  Have I made discoveries?  Yes!

FTDNA Chart Showing Close Relative and Colorized Icons for Paternal & Maternal Lines

If anyone out there is using this company and hasn’t imported a tree or recruited family members then much of what is offered through FTDNA is not being utilized.  That is unless the ethnicity component is all that is wanted.  The above photo shows by adding your mother and father (or a close relative from your paternal and maternal line) then the tools can analyze and assign your DNA cousins to the paternal or maternal line—sometimes both! Some interaction by the test-taker has to take place such as defining the relationship of known DNA relatives and, this is done, by linking them to the correct place on the family tree. Once this is done, it doesn’t take long for the definitions to take place by color-coding them into the blue, red, or purple people icons.  The hard part is then trying to decide how test takers are related to you especially if a tree has not been added. 

I have several close relatives on FTDNA but was glad to meet my second cousin (once removed), Pam Epperson, and third to fifth cousin, Dave Brogan through this company.  I have already written about the trip to Tennessee that resulted in a visit to the graves of my 2x’s great-grandparents, Nelson and Martha Epperson, made possible by Pam Epperson.  Dave Brogan and I know we match through the Barnard line but, given he matches my father and cousin Diana at higher levels on two chromosomes, I am inclined to think there could be another shared ancestor so we continue to collaborate. His map skills recently helped me find old Thomas Sutton’s farm in Claiborne County on the Sutton Branch of the Powell River! I also enjoyed the pleasure of a visit by Dave and his wife as their road trip in 2017 took them through Oklahoma.

Map of the Powell River including the Sutton Branch location in Claiborne County, Tennessee

My favorite discovery has been one that is both frustrating yet still exciting as it has chipped away at a brick wall.  I am a fan of Roberta Estes’ blog, DNAeXplained, as she explains how she has utilized the genetic tests and tools available to research her family tree.  She published an article on her blog in 2014, Margaret Herrell (c1810-1892), Twice Widowed Church Founder, 52 Ancestors #43, in which she discussed the connections of her ancestor to the Thompson Settlement Church (Lee County, VA) and the Rob Camp Baptist Church (Claiborne County, TN).  Ms. Estes included some extractions of the minutes of the Thompson Settlement Church that mention the trials and tribulations of some of the members. What caught my eye in the article was the following, “Brother Smith Sutton even turned himself in for drinking too much and getting angry.”  This article wasn’t discovered until 2018 through an Internet search for Suttons in Lee County, Virginia and also led to my new distant cousin, Greg Clark, who lives in Indiana.  He shared information on Smith Sutton that linked the Sutton line to Lee County, Virginia, and Caswell County, North Carolina.  A court document that was given to him by another researcher linked Smith Sutton to a son named Zacheus Sutton.  Zacheus left Lee County, Virginia in 1820 for Indiana along with his father-in-law, Hezekiah Applegate.  Since Greg’s paternal line was not Sutton then I asked if he knew a Sutton male from Zacheus’ line that could submit a Y-DNA kit and he did! He had a first cousin who agreed. This cousin’s Y-DNA matched to my father’s kit with a genetic distance of “2” at the 67-marker level.  That’s considered a close connection for this test.  What is interesting is he is not an autosomal match to my father.  The reason(s) for this is because the amount of DNA that can be autosomally DNA tested only goes back about five generations and there is also DNA recombination.

Chart created by Legacy Tree Genealogists showing amount of DNA inherited through 5 generations

According to researchers, DNA recombination leads to a DNA shuffle. I am not a scientist but to keep this simple, many articles say this is the reason we all have our own unique genetic code and that makes sense.  I used to say to my sister when she didn’t match to the same genetic cousin, is “you didn’t get that same chunk of DNA.”  

Interestingly enough, this does not mean that the descendants of old Thomas Sutton’s line won’t match to the descendants of Zacheus Sutton’s line because we do on other DNA testing sites that have larger databases that include many descendants of Zacheus.  I have submitted DNA kits to 23andMe and Ancestry, and uploaded my kits to GEDMatch and MyHeritage just to cover as many bases as possible in my research.  Ancestry has given me connections to more cousins such as Betty Turner and Mickey Trent, just to name a couple, that also descend from my 2x’s great-grandparents James and Melissa (nee Bray Wolfe) Sutton.  My thanks to Betty for sharing photos and information with me.

I am seriously on the hunt for distant Suttons who want to submit a Y-DNA kit so this line can be better researched.  Sadly, there are only three men that are in Haplogroup Group I1 (I-M253), Family B, that include Greg Clark’s cousin, my dad, and another man who was only tested at 25-markers.  Calling all Sutton men!  Did you know there is a Sutton Y-DNA Group on Family Tree DNA?  If you are interested in knowing more about your paternal line, please submit a Y-DNA test and if you are frugal then watch for the sales that will most likely happen on National DNA Day which is April 25 (mentioned on Roberta Estes’ blog).  Thanks!

Week 14 #52Ancestors: Brick Wall

Who was Henry Bray?  Well, he is turning out to be a solid brick wall.  Why am I researching him?  He is most likely the father that Melissa Jane Sutton never knew.  It appears that he died the year of her birth.  When Peter Wolfe indicated that Melissa was not his lawful child then this had me shocked and stumped so I connected with Larry Mills of Mooresburg, Tennessee to learn more about the Wolfe line and he really helped fill in some information on the connection to the McDaniel's and Wolfe's. 

There’s a story circulating that McHenry Bray was the stepson of Peter Wolfe and married his stepsister Cynthia Wolfe.  This story is important as it helped me make the connection to the Bray line in Hawkins County.  This is the county where Peter Wolfe lived in 1830 along with John McDaniel who was his wife’s father.  If Peter had a Bray in his household then I realized that his wife, Margaret Wolfe nee McDaniel, had previously been married to a Bray.  Oh and that story about McHenry marrying his stepsister?  No, this isn’t correct.  He married George Stumpy Wolfe’s daughter, Cynthia. Why do I think this?  Well, Cynthia and McHenry aren’t listed as legatees in Peter Wolfe’s will and he even included grandchildren of his deceased children.  Here is the best document I have on Henry Bray of Hawkins County:

In the Name of God, Amen.

I, Henry Bray, of Hawkins County and State of Tennessee, being very sick and weak of body, but perfect mind and memory, Thanks be to God, calling unto mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed unto all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament, that is to say, principally and first of all: I give and recommend my soul unto the hand of Almighty God that gave it and my body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my Executor, nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall received the same by the mighty power of God.

And as touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life, I give and devise and dispose of the same in the following manner and form:

First. I give and bequeath to Margaret my dearly beloved wife all that I possess — lands and stock of every kind — to pay my just debts, and whats left, to raise my children on.

And I do hereby utterly disallow, revoke and disannul all and every other former testament, wills, legacies, bequests and Executors by me in anywise before named, willed and bequeathed, ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and Testament in writing. Whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 11th day of May, One Thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven.

SIgned, sealed, published, pronounced and ordained by the said Henry Bray to be his last Will and Testament.

Signed, sealed and acknowledged in the presence of:

Attest: Benjamin Bray, Jr.
Henry [X] Bray (seal)
Benjamin Bray, Sr. (his mark)

While the will lacked information, it did give some clues such as it was filed in the right county and then the year of 1827.  As I mentioned before, this would explain why Melissa didn’t know this man given he died in 1827 and she was born the same year.  Henry's wife is Margaret and that matches the name of Peter’s wife and the testator’s name fits with some naming patterns in the trees that have Henry’s or McHenry’s.  I wonder if McHenry was really Mack Henry?  I have to say that I really despise the destruction of documents that happened during the Civil War.   Not to mention the later courthouse fires because it has made it very difficult to document many families.   

What else do I know about Henry Bray?  He was the bondsman on Stogner Bray’s marriage to Sally Waters in Grainger County, Tennessee on August 14, 1814.  Henry was also involved in a court case in Claiborne County, Tennessee, “State Vs Henry Bray” that was dropped on November 12, 1818 (I wish I could find that document).  He is obviously related to Benjamin Bray of Claiborne County, Tennessee (b: Abt. 1760 and d: Abt. 1840), Benjamin Bray, Jr. (b: Abt. 1799 in Virginia and d: 1865 in Cedar Co., Missouri), and Stogner Bray (b: 1785 in North Carolina and d: 1881 in Milan, Sullivan, Missouri). That’s about it on his documented connections. 

Who are his children and why does everyone put most of the Bray lines with Stogner Bray?  It could be that Stogner is much easier to document and more interesting since he was a veteran of the War of 1812.  My thought is that Stogner was Henry’s brother but I have no idea what year this man was born (I have 1795 on my tree but that is just a wild guesstimate).  Henry’s children could possibly be:  Benjamin Bray (b: 1817 in Hawkins Co., Tennessee and d: 1862 in Arkansas) married Avarilla Hutchinson; Mary “Polly” Allen nee Bray (b: 1818 in Hawkins Co., Tennessee and d: 1860 in Hancock Co., Tennessee) married Walter Allen; Elizabeth Dalton nee Bray (b: 1823 in Hawkins Co., Tennessee and d: Bef. 1880 in Grainger Co., Tennessee) married Thomas Dalton; McHenry Bray (b: 1823 in Hawkins Co., Tennessee and d: 1909 in Idol, Hancock, Tennessee) married (1) Cynthia Wolfe and (2) Mary Montgomery; Melissa Jane Sutton nee Wolfe (b: 1827 in Hawkins Co., Tennessee and d: 1880 in Hancock Co., Tennessee) married James Sutton.

There are also other things to note when looking at that older Benjamin Bray as he purchases 50 acres of land in Claiborne County, Tennessee on July 19, 1815.  20 acres of land was purchased on December 11, 1817 in Claiborne County where Rachel Webb lives according to the land entry document.  I noticed there is a Rachel Webb who is widowed (possibly the wife of James Webb a private in the War of 1812).  Her daughter, Mary “Polly” Webb married Abijah Bray who might be the son of Stogner Bray.   Benjamin purchases another 20 acres on December 11, 1817 and that land was originally registered to Nathaniel Taylor.  10 additional acres were purchased on December 12, 1817 in Claiborne County.  He is enumerated on the 1830 Claiborne County, Tennessee census and then he disappears.

Apparently there is a book that traces many Bray lines, “The Brays of Fisher River” by Edna Reece. According to Wikipedia, this river is a tributary of the Yadkin River in northwestern North Carolina and rises in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the southeastern extremity of Grayson County, Virginia but flows nearly all of its length in Surry County, North Carolina.  If I can get my hands on this book, I hope it answers some questions because there are many Henry Brays in the early censuses and I can’t make any connections or find a marriage bond for Henry and Margaret.

Now if you have made it this far, you know what I know about my Bray line!