This year’s blog has been dedicated to my East Tennessee ancestors so finding the earliest verifiable line is my goal this week. Perhaps it is time to apply for First Families of Tennessee membership. It is open to anyone who can prove direct descent from an ancestor living in any part of what is now Tennessee before or by statehood in 1796.
Sounds easy peasy, right? Consider this, unless there is a family bible with proof of the marriages, births, and deaths then it will require some digging to prove the family lineage as these were not recorded statewide until 1914. Some marriage records may be available through the County Court Clerk and I have found a few through online sources but they are scarce. Census records are available for some counties beginning in 1820 but for the first census for East Tennessee is 1830. Census records before 1850 record the head of household only. Gotta love looking at those old census records with a mark under the age range in the appropriate gender category.
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| 1830 Hawkins County, TN census that list several ancestors including Jane Walker Epperson |
The 1850 census was the first to name every person in the household along with the age and birthplace. Wills, taxes, military, church, and court records might also be available on microfilm or paid online sites. Another option to prove the earliest ancestor is land records and plats. The Epperson family line appears to be the earliest in East Tennessee, the following land record will be used for my fourth great-grandfather, Joseph Epperson:
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| Joseph Epperson's Hawkins County Land Record dated 20 July 1792 from Ancestry.com |
No. 249
The State of North Carolina
To all whom these Presents shall come. –––GREETING:
Know ye, that we, for and in consideration of the sum of Fifty Shillings for every hundred acres of land hereby granted, paid into our Treasury,
By Joseph Eperson
Have given and granted and by these presents to give and grant and the said Joseph Eperson a tract of land containing five hundred acres lying and being in the county of Hawkins on Cedar Creek Beginning at a Pine and running west eighty six poles to a Black oak Then South one hundred and six poles to a Hickory on Browns line Then East twenty poles to a Pine Then South sixty East forty four poles to a Red oak Then East twenty poles to a White oak Thence South ninety four poles to a White oak Then East one hundred and fifty poles to a stake Thence North sixty seven poles to a Black oak and thence to the Beginning.
As by the plate hereunto annexed doth appear together with all woods watters Mines Minerals Hereditaments and Appurtenances to the said land belonging to hold to the said Joseph Eperson his heirs and assigns forever yielding and paying to us such sums of money yearly or otherwise as our General Assembly from time to time may direct Provided always that the said Joseph Eperson shall cause this grant to be registered in the registers office of said Hawkins county within twelve month from the date hereof otherwise the same shall be void and of no effect,
In testimony Whereof, we have caused these, our letters to be made patent and our Great Seal to be hereunto affixed.
Witness Alexander Martin
Esquire our Governor, Captain General and Commander-in-Chief at Danbury this 20thday of July, in the 16thyear of our Independence and in the year of our Lord 1792.
By his Excellency’s Command.
J. Grasgow Alexander Martin
Secretary
Now as luck would have it, Joseph’s will was filed in Hawkins County and was not destroyed so it points the way to the next generation. I have tried to transcribe it word-for-word as follows:
Will of Joseph Epperson
Dated Sept 26, 1814
In the name of God, Amen.
I Joseph Epperson of the County of Hawkins and State of Tennessee, planter, being in and imperfect health of body but in and of perfect mind and memory, thanks be given unto God calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed once for all men 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 to the hands of Almighty God that gave it and my body I give it to the Earth to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my Exec_ors, nothing doubting but as the General Resurrection I shall raise the same again by the mighty power of God. As touching such as my worldly estate whereas it has pleased God to bless me in this life, I give devise and dispose of in the following manner and form,
First I give and bequeath unto my dearly beloved wife Jane Epperson and her children all my stock of horses cattle hogs cows house furniture and movable effects together with my plantation on which I now live containing one hundred acres to be by her freely possessed during the time of her widowhood. At the expiration of her time or at her death I will that the same property except the land should be sold and equally be divided between the eight children Betsey Allen, Nancy Epperson, John Epperson, Polly Epperson, Peggy Epperson, Thomas Epperson, Hester Epperson, Patsey Epperson. Then I will said land to John & Thos Epperson my two sons as their right and property. I also constitute and ordain my dearly beloved wife Jane Epperson and Jesse Epperson the sole Executor of this last will and testament. And I do hereby utterly revoke and disannul all and every other former will testaments beques Executors by one before named willed bequeathed, ratifying & confirming this and no other to be my will & Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal. This 26thSept 1814
Signed sealed published and pronounced and declared by the said Joseph Epperson as his last will and Testament in the presence of us who have hereunto set our names in the presence of each other— Joseph Epperson [Seal]
Attest
Henry Crawley
Francis Antrikin
Joseph Davis
Joseph Epperson married Jane Walker sometime before 1795. John Epperson is my third great-grandfather and listed as one of Joseph’s eight children. John married Famy or Phanny Ogan around 1825. Famy died before 1850 and John married a second time to Anna Jennings. The family is enumerated on the 1850 census in District 11, Grainger Co., Tennessee:
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| John Epperson, Anna Epperson, James N Epperson, Wm C Epperson, Fama A Epperson, Emily J Epperson |
John died intestate in Grainger County, Tennessee in 1852 so having the 1850 census helps to prove the connection to his children as his probate document does not mention his children. None of John and Famy's children lived long enough to have a death certificate listing their parents' names. Luckily, Famy Ogan, daughter of John Ogan, was mentioned as a legatee in her father's will, "John Epperson who intermarried with Pharney Ogan one of the legatees." Additional information is learned about John's land ownership from this excerpt from John Ogan's will:
“Also one other tract containing about 300 hundred acres lying partly in Hawkins & partly in Grainger a part of which was conveyed to said John Ogan by Thomas Johnson by Asabel Johnson his attorney in fact, for the boundaries whereof reference is had to said deed of conveyance, the balance by grant from the late of Tennessee. – That the said John Epperson has bought of the widow of said John Ogan her right to dower to all of said lands and holds her deed for the same and John Epperson has also purchased of the said Peter Ogan his entire interest in the three first described tracts of land & holds his conveyance for the same.” John Ogan's probate file also includes this sketch of the property:
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| Excerpt from John Ogan's 1835 Probate file found on Ancestry.com |
The remaining generations for the application for First Families of Tennessee can be proven with marriage, birth, and death records as these documents exist for the later generations. If approved the application and proof of lineage will be placed in the FFT Collection housed in the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Now I just need to quit procrastinating!
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