Settlements in the Wautauga/Nolichucky area in the 1700s

I am still thinking about the Morrison/Goad/Hensley settlers in the Nolichucky area of what is now Tennessee but was then North Carolina.  I am reading today the First Families of Tennessee: A register of Early Settlers and their Present-Day Descendants.  These are pages that I copied on my visit to the Washington County-Jonesborough Library in Jonesborough, TN this winter.  The book was published by the East Tennessee Historical Society, so I am guessing that it is available on their site.  On page 19 of the book, the statement is made:  "The eighteenth-Century movement of people into Tennessee was fundamentally shaped by geography.  The places from which immigrants came and routes they took were largely dictated by topographical considerations.  In the North American interior, where early overland traffic moved on foot, unbroken ranges of high peaks presented a formidable obstacle.  ....The great valley of Tennessee, on the other hand, formed a natural extension of the Shenandoah Valley and the Valley of Virginia...."  The first area of what is now Tennessee was in four areas:  the North Holston, Watauga, and Nolichucky rivers and in Carter's Valley.  Slightly later settlers settled along the French Broad River.

Ronald explained to me that Patrick and his family were concentrated in Carter's Valley.  James and David were on Beech Creek.  William, Betsy and Jeannette were on Lick Creek in the Nolichucky settlement. John was just south of the Nolichucky settlement.

Oh, but wait a minute, I have more information from Ronald that is a little different from the above:

Wikipedia shows these rivers with today's boundaries:

Actually Patrick never lived on the Nolichucky. His property was all on the Lick Creek basically just south of Chimney Top Mountain. Two hundred acres was at the mouth of Long Fork Creek where it empty into Lick and just above Cedar Creek (not on any map). The three hundred acres was just off Lick Creek on Jarrotts Branch this is where William lived on 100 acres of the 300. This land is close to where Greene, Sullivan and Washington met near Chimney Top. James and David's land was on the north side of the Mountain on Beech Creek and John's land was on Sinking Creek off Nolichucky.

There is a deed of sale in 1791 (copy in Morrison file in file that says documents) in which Patrick is selling land.  He sells 200 of the 300 acres that he owns,  but excludes the 100 acres on which William Morrison lives.  The land is on Jarrott's Branch.

This gives one a sense of where the settlers were.

Several of the other pages that I read today talk about the fact that many of the settlers who went to the Nashville area early traveled via the Wilderness trail into Kentucky and then south into Tennessee from there.  There were other explanations of trails and routes taken.  I filed the pages that I copied into my Morrison cubby.  When you see the map below, you think that this seems "out of the way".  But it seems to have been the best way in the time period that we are looking at.



this map is from:  http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/history/virtual-tours/virtual-tours/cumberland-gap.2426131

And here is the comment taken from the page on this site:




I want to add something to the end of this....it is half baked....Patrick Henry Morrison of Cabell County says that his family traveled through the Cumberland Gap to get to Salt Rock.  We all know this is geographically not likely!  However, it works that the family did go through the Cumberland Gap if they traveled to the Nashville area before they returned to Pittsylvania County. It works if William and Rachel Witcher Morrison went to the Nashville area before they decided to return home to Pittsylvania County.  What I am reading today says that many of the settlers who moved to the Nashville area traveled on the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap and into Kentucky before traveling south into the Nashville area.  This was a normal route for this migration pattern.

Our Morrison group has been talking about the fact that the group for the most part believes that Patrick lived and died in the area of TN that is now Sullivan County.  His son James also lived and died there.  Both men are thought to have been buried near to each other in the Providence Baptist Church Cemetery.  Ronald had taken notes several years ago when the group met in the Nolichucky River area that said:

Kevin gave us a history of his family that descends from James Morrison through his son James Morrison, Jr. He showed us much of his research and gave Travis a copy of the Morrison family from a book that is located in the Rogersville genealogy center. He was quite enlightening relating that family tradition had been passed down from James Morrison Jr.  family that Patrick Morrison, James Morrison Sr. and James Morrison Jr. are all buried in the older part of Providence cemetery near the old cedar trees (which were now very large and still quite visible to us). Patrick, James Sr. and James Jr.'s  exact burial locations however are unknown since they were only buried with fieldstones.

Ronald also says in this notes:

Providence Baptist Church cemetery located on Highway 70 a few miles from the end of Tarpine Valley Road.  

Goad and Morrison in PIttsylvania County

I ran into Jason Goad on Wednesday evening.  I told him that I have been looking at the Goad family in Pittsylvania County, Virginia in connection with what I hope is my Morrison family.  John Goad bought land on the North Fork of the Frying Pan Creek in 1753.  My research indicates that he was living next door to Patrick Morrison during the Revolutionary War.  Patrick's land was on Frying Pan Creek.

Last fall when we had our Morrison homecoming in Pittsylvania County, I wrote a blog post that includes information about the location of this land close to the end of the post:

http://marshamoses.blogspot.com/2017/09/h2-morrison.html

Jason and I exchanged contact information and yesterday morning I sent him an e-mail giving him some information about my Morrison line and the Goad line that is intermarried and living next door in Pittsylvania County.  Also I included information about who had signed:

Petition for the State of Franklin was made to the General Assembly of North Carolina in December 1787. It is also known both as “Petition from Inhabitants of Western North Carolina Concerning a Separate Government” and “Petition of the Inhabitants of the Western Country.

You can find this information on my blog post (again close to the end)
http://marshamoses.blogspot.com/2018/02/trip-to-jax-2018.html

Patrick Morrison and his family, John Goad Jr. (interpreted as Good in the document transcription that I looked at) and Gabrielle Goad and William Goad as well as Owen Atkin and Benjamin Hensley signed.  Almost certainly these people were moving together from Pittsylania County area to the Nolichuky and Wautauga area.  There may have been others that I don't recognize yet.  Jason's answer to my e-mail indicated that the Goad family may have been the driving force  for this move!  John Sevier was the nephew of John Goad, Jr.  Sevier was the son of John Goad Jr's sister, Joanna, who had married Valentine Sevier.  There was family over among the inhabitants of the Western Country!

So here is the information that Jason Goad shared with me:

It looks like this is one of the John Goads in my direct blood line.  The name John and Aaron go back hundreds of years and seem to alternate.  But, if you look at the entries from 1753 you will see Pittsylvania county.  Also, if you ever have any questions about Goads, the Michael Nestor (whose email is at the top) knows more than anybody.  Anyway here is the link:

http://www.mdnestor.com/goad/goad2.html

And here is the information from Michael Nestor's site that is relevant:

 1771, 23 Jul Bedford Co Will Bk 1, p 132-34 (dated 7 Jul): John Goad's will proven, executor his son John.  Listed daus Joannah
.                   Sevear, Elisabeth Cox, Hanna Bennet, Ann Risden, sons William, Abraham, Robert, William, son Abraham's son James, and
.                   grandson Thomas Goad, son of John, and wife Ann Goad:
.                                  In the Name of God Amen:
.                                  I John Goad of Bedford County, Being in Perfect Sence and Memory, do constitute and appoint, this my last wlll and Testament.
.                   Emprimus  First, I Bequeath my Soul, to Almighty Goad that gave it me, and my Body, to be Buried in A Christian like manner, at the descretion of
.                                   my Executor.
.                         Item   I give to my Daughter, Joannah Sevear, one Shilling Sterling, to be paid out of my Estate.
.                         Item   I give to my Daughter, Elisabeth Cox, one Shilling Sterling, to be paid out of my Estate.
.                         Item   I give to my Daughter, Hannah Bennet, one Shilling Sterling, to be paid out of my Estate.
.                         Item   I give to my Daughter, Ann Risden, one Shilling Sterling, to be paid out of my Estate.
.                         Item   I give to my Son, William, one Shilling Sterling, to be paid out of my Estate.
.                         Item   I give to my Son, Abraham, one Shilling Sterling, to be paid out of my Estate.
.                         Item   I give to my Son, Robert, one Shilling Sterling, to be paid out of my Estate.
.                         Item   I lend to my Son, William, the Use of my Cow known by the Name of Blossom, with her Increase, till his son John, Shall come to the
.                                  age of twenty one years, and then the property to vest in Sd. John, But if the Sd John Shoud die, without heir, then the Sd. Cow and her
.                                  Increase to be devided among the rest of my Son William's Children.
.                         Item   I lend to my Son, Abraham, the Use of my Cow known by the Name of Star, with her Increase, till his son James Shall come to the age
.                                  of twenty one years, and then the property to vest in Sd. James, But if Sd James Should die without heir  then the Said Cow, with her
.                                  Increase to be devided among the rest of  my son Abraham's Children.
.                         Item   I give to my Grandson, Thomas Goad, Son of John Goad, my least gun.
.                         Item   I give to James Waldrop, the gun he has, of mine.
.                         Item   I give to my Loving Wife, Ann Goad, all of the Estate that She brought with her, when we was married, and all the rest of my personal
.                                  Estate, not yet menion'd, after my Just Debts is paid, I lend her the use of During her widowhood, and at her marriage, or Death, to be
.                                  Equally Devided between my son John Goad and his Children.
.                         Item   I lend to my Son, William Goad, the use, of that part of my land that he now lives on, as it is mark'd of to him During his life, and at his
.                                  Death, the property to vest in his son, John Goad, and his heirs for ever.
.                         Item   I lend to my Son Abraham Goad the use of that part of my land that he now lives on, as it is mark'd of to him, During his life, and at his
.                                  Death the property to vest in his son James Goad and his heirs for ever.
.                         Item   I lend to my Loving Wife the use of that part of my land where on I now live as it is laid of to her which She agrees to take for her thirds
.                                  During her life.
.                         Item   I lend to my Son, Robert Goad, the use of the upper part of my Land as it is mark'd of to him, and that part, that is laid of for my wifes
.                                  thirds, after her death.  I also lend him the use of as long as he lives, and at his Death the property to vest in his Son, Thomas Goad, and
.                                  his heirs for ever.
.                         Item   My Will and Desire is, that my Son John Goad, do receive all my Just dues, and pay of all my Just Debts, out of my personal Estate, if
.                                  My Dues Should not be Soficient.
.                         Item   I constitute and appoint, my Son, John Goad, Executor of this my last Will and Testament, given under my hand and Seal, this Seventh
.                                  Day of July 1771.
.                         Interlined before signed                                                                                                                  his
.                         (the use of)                                                                                                           JOHN GOAD              Imprimus Seal
.                         In the presence of Edward Wade,                                                                                                  hand and
.                         Geo. Phillips, Peter Bennet

on the rest of the information in Michael Nestor's VERY helpful timeline I would comment that The main thing that Michael Nester  forgot or ignored in the timeline are the dates of  the formation of the counties.  Lunenburg was not created out of Brunswick until 1746 and Pittsylvania County was not created out of Halifax until 1766.  But it is clear that these Goads were all living down in the area of what is now Bedford and Pittsylvania Counties as early as our Morrisons and etc.



Two more thoughts that I might think about another day:  First that we could probably figure out which John Goad it is living next door to Patrick Morrison by marriage dates.  I don't have the intermarriages between the Goad family and the Morrison family in my head.  Need to work with my h2 Morrison group on that.  and second is a crazy random idea:

I pulled out my Richmond County book on marriages and relationships….I wish that I had a will book instead so that I could have looked at a transcription of the will of 1737 for which John Goad was administrator or executor…can’t remember which…but Catherine Williams Goad (wife of Abraham Goad in Richmond County) who was the mother and grandmother of all of this brood of Goads married 2nd (after death of her Goad husband) William Smith.  Funny coincidence, huh?  There are lots of Smiths!  So may or may not be of interest.

Salmons in Stafford County, Virginia

A Salmons/Sammons researcher contacted me today.  He kindly sent me his family line.  I didn't get very far in reading how his family comes down from John Salmons of Cumberland County before I started thinking about the research that says John married Eleanor in Stafford County.  I have never proved nor disproved this John Salmons to be our ancestor.  I want to look at that today.

Here is what I have in my data base: [the 305 source says Valentine Papers (Pleasants), Vol 2, 983, info from Ruth Nassar, (rsn 263) Rec. DB 4 p. 548 Cumberland... I am not for sure exactly what the source means...need to look.  And the source 53 says Ruth Sammons Nassar's book]

Charles Rice says that he has a copy of the will of John Salmons, SR. listing his wife as Eleanor and listing his sons.  This will is from Cumberland County, VA.  There is a record of the marriage of John Salmons and Eleanor McCarty also. He says that he does not have a copy of the record of marriage.  He received the information from Garroll Sammons.

And here is the rest of what I have in my data base:

John Salmon, according to Ruth Salmons Nassar, moved up the James River to settle on acreage on Snowquarter Branch which he acquired from Benjamin Dumars about 1753, a part of which he sold to John Pleasants April 26, 1745At the time of acquisition the land lay within the bounds of Goochland County, however in  1748 as the area became more populated it was decided that a new county should be created and another log court house built so the courthouse would be more accessible to settlers.  Thus Cumberland County was created.

Garroll Salmons says: “ We first pick up our line in Cumberland County, Virginia.  There on a small farm on the WIllis River south of Cartersville we find a poor man who apparently was having trouble paying his bills  He was John Salmons, Sr. of Southam Parish.  In 1761 we find John very sick and weak of a terminal illness.  He wrote his will naming his wife Eleanor and his four sons John, Lewis, Ezekia, and Rowland.  He died within the year.  He must have been in his forites for his sons were not grown and still needed to finish their schooling.  John Salmons, Jr. was the oldest following by Lewis, Ezekiah and Rowland in that order.  At this time I believe that Rowland was 1-5 years of age, Lewis was about 10, and John Jr. was 12-16 years of age.  This is just a guess.  It surely must have been a trying time for Eleanor with four sons and no one knows the number of daughters.  It is not known the problems that Eleanor had after John’s death, but sometime after that, between 1761 and 1770, the family moved to an area in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.  This area later became Henry County in 1777.”  [note:  I know now that we can narrow down the date of the move more as I found John Jr. in “There is an entry in the vestry record dated February 1768 which records a levy laid on the membership to pay John Salmon for serving as reader for the parish for six months, for which he was paid 50 pounds of tobacco.  In the same entry, 33 pounds of tobacco was paid to George Rowland to recompensate for expenditures (Maude Carter Clement: History of Pittsylvania County)]

Will of John Salmon, Sr.  Will Book 1, page 219 [Cumberland County?]  [I found this in the folder labelled documents among Ruth Sammons Nassar’s information]

In ye name of God Amen the 29 January 1761 I John Salmon Sen’r. of Cumberland and Southam Parish being very sick and Weak in Body but of perfect and sound memory Thanks be given unto God therefore calling to mind the mortalltiy of my Body and knowing it is appointed for 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 into the hands of Almighty God that gave it and my Body I recommend to the Earth from whence it came to be buried in a decent manner Christian Burial at the discretion of my Executors nothing doubting but at the General resurrection I shall received the same again by the mighty power of God and Touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath been Pleased God to bless me with in this life I give demise and dispose of the same in the following manner  First of all I bequeath and desire for all my Debts as I owe in right of conscience to any Body to be fully paid and satisfied by my Executors hereafter named also I give bequeath all my Household goods and stock of horses Cattle and Hoggs to my wife Elioner Salmons during Widowhood not to be interrupted and if my Wife should die my eldest son John Salmons should servive I give and bequeath it into his care to be equally divided amongst my four sons John Salmons Lewis Salmons Ezkiah Salmons and Rowland Salmons after charges being paid for my three youngest Sons Schooling and maintainance and I bequeath and desire for my three youngest sons Lewis Ezekiah and Rowland to be under their eldest Brothers care and Jurisdiction until they come of age and years of discression to take care of themselves and further I appoint my Wife Elinor Salmons and John Salmons my eldest son my whole and soly Executors whereunto I hae set my Hand Seal this 29 day of January 1761.   John Salmons Sr. L.S.

Witnesses were John Newton and John Salmons, Jr. 

At a court held for Cumberland County 22nd June 1761.  This last will and testament of John Salmons dec’d. was proved by John Newton and John Salmons the Witnesses thereto and by the Court ofdered to be recorded and on the motion of John Salmons the Executor therein named who made oath according to Law Certificate is granted him for obtaining a Probat thereof in due Form giving Security whereupon he with John Newton his Security entered into and Acknowledged their Bond with Condition according to Law and Liberty is reserved to Elenor Salmons the Executrix therein named to join in Probat.  Test Thompson Swann Clk Ct

This paragraph is then repeated for Eleanor.  The document is signed Betty R. Walton, Deputy Clerk Circuit Court, Cumberland County, Virginia  [so this is answer….this was obtained from Cumberland Court]

I have other blog posts that deal with information at a later date for this family.  You can find them by using the search term Salmons or Sammons in the search box.  Today, I am thinking about the marriage of John Salmons and Eleanor McCarthy in Stafford County, Virginia 10 April 1748.  Does this date make sense for this couple?  Absolutely!  If indeed John Salmons, Jr. is about 10 years old in 1761, he would have been born c. 1751 which is close to the date of the marriage.  Who was the McCarthy family in Stafford County?  What do I know about Stafford County?  Stafford County was a very old county in Virginia:

When was Stafford County, VA Created?
Stafford County was established on 1664 from Westmoreland County.

Early on the western boundaries were fuzzy.  It seems to have been mostly the land along the Potomac and Rappahannock River.  There were not yet families on the frontier that far west.  It would have been families who settled along the river banks....at least that is my guess.

By 1720 families were beginning to move up the rivers of Virginia into what was the frontier at that time.  Families who moved up the Rappahanock settled in the Fredericksburg area and in what is now Orange and Culpeper.  You can tell this by the counties that were beginning to form in these areas as they received enough families that there was a request for local government.

By 1776 Stafford was still long and skinny.....as it had been during the year (1750) in which John Salmons and Eleanor McCarty married.  I have not yet found that marriage record for myself.  

So it turns out that I have the book:



The back cover says:  Four political jurisdictions are included in this volume:  Spotsylvania County, Stafford County, Orange County, and the independent city of Fredericksburg.  The marriages, recorded here in a master alphabetical listing, were extracted from minister's returns, marriage bonds, some newspaper notices, and in the case of Stafford County, marriages implied from early land deeds, family Bible records and cemetery records as well as the marriages recorded in Overwharton and St. Paul's parishes...  The book includes an index to brides.

So for right now, I remain unconvinced of this marriage in Stafford County.

There has been some rumor that Eleanor might have been a Rowland since the Salmons family and the Rowland family may have moved together from Cumberland County to what is now Henry County.  Also the youngest son is named Rowland.....and we who research the Sammons/Salmons name know that that name was passed down for generations.  One researcher who was a buddy to Ruth Nassar said that there were so many Rowland Salmons' in the hollers of Kentucky that they had to go by nicknames.

I am not convinced of the fact that Eleanor was a Rowland either at this time.  Hopefully either I will find proof one way or the other or someone will send that proof my way.