William Dendy's wife Elizabeth

        ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

William Dendy, sometimes spelled William Dandy, who died in Halifax County, Virginia c. 1757, is my furthest back Dendy ancestor. I've spent several years collecting information on him. Now images of those records are viewable through Family Search. 

William Dendy's wife Elizabeth appears with him at least twice in the records. Her last appearance was when she released her dower rights in Amelia County, Virginia on 24 July 1752. Her husband, William Dendy, had sold 399 acres in Amelia County to Isaac Ferguson. It is possible to see both the Dendy and Dandy spelling in this single document. 

This document indicates that Elizabeth was still living as of 1752, but had probably predeceased William by the time his estate was being probated in Halifax County, Virginia in 1757. 

Elizabeth Dandy first appears with William Dandy when they both witnessed the will of Francis West in Amelia County, Virginia on 26 April 1738. Following the death of West, William Dandy acted as an appraiser for the estate. 

It is still impossible to determine when and where William and Elizabeth Dendy married. The earliest record I have found of William Dendy is when he was sued by the estate of John Shelton in Goochland County, Virginia in 1728 and 1729. That lawsuit was brought by Thomas Posser who had evidently married John Shelton's widow, Elizabeth. John Shelton had died intestate in 1725. In order for William Dendy to be indebted to Shelton, they would have had to have known each other before Shelton's death, so they were well enough acquainted by 1725 for Dendy to have incurred a debt to Shelton. 

Based on those dates, I would push William Dendy's birthdate back to at least 21 years prior to 1725. That would be a birthdate of at least 1704. Very likely, William Dandy was born in the late 1600s. There is at this point no reason to think that he was not born in the colonies although he may have immigrated to Virginia. 

Based on William Dendy's presence in Goochland County, Virginia by 1725, I would say that he is most likely to have met and married Elizabeth in Virginia so that they were not an immigrant couple. 

Just a reminder: if you are a long-time subscriber to this blog, you will need to subscribe again to stay on the mail list. You can read about it here. 

Email Subscribers to Porch Swings

       ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

If you don't follow many blogs, you may not realize that the email subscription service, Feedburner, used by most Google bloggers will be discontinued sometime in July or shortly thereafter. That means that if you are an email subscriber to this blog, you will no longer receive email notifications of new blog posts.

After a lot of searching, wringing of hands, and gnashing of teeth, I have selected a new subscription service called Follow.it. The only problem is that Follow.it will only let me import 100 email users. Until this big upheaval happened, I had no idea how many of you were subscribing by email! Turns out, there are almost 300 of you. 

Since I cannot import all of you, I have decided to have you resubscribe by email with Follow.it. This will give you the option to opt-in or opt-out. The new email subscription service can be found on the upper right side of the blog page and is currently titled "New Email Subscription." It is easy to subscribe. 

For a short time, you may be receiving duplicate emails, for which I apologize. I will probably delete the Feedburner email in a couple of weeks. If I see that most of you have migrated to the new service, I will delete it sooner. 

Another option for you is to "follow" through Google if you use your Google blog reader. 

Some of Richard King's Children

      ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

Identifying the children of Richard King of Taliaferro County, Georgia, has been like playing sudoku with several missing numbers. To be able to identify any of his children, I have been working from what little documentation there is and trying to link the children together. 

Richard King's 1853 obituary referred to a "large family of children," but does not name any members of his family. It does refer to his Revolutionary War service and his participation in the Battle of the Eutaw Springs.

Richard King's Revolutionary War pension application papers are both a wealth of information and a desert of information. He applied for his pension on 13 September 1832, relating that he entered the service in 1775 as a substitute for his father Drury King. He does not state where he or his father was living at the time. His rendezvous was in South Carolina. When he completed his service, he returned home, location not named. Within a short time, he was drafted and went to South Carolina again to rendezvous. When his service was completed, he returned home to an undisclosed location and moved to "Wane" County, North Carolina. Again, he was drafted. During this round of service, he participated in the Battle of Eutaw Springs, guarded prisoners on their way to Camden, and eventually marched to the high hills of  Santee, where he was discharged. Again he was called into service, guarding the legislature at Hillsborough for seven months, and then sent home. He signed with his mark. 

A document in the final pay voucher file for Richard King, dated 5 March 1849, stated that Richard King had been a resident of Taliaferro County, Georgia for 22 years [1827] and that prior to that he had been a resident of Wilkes County, Georgia. However, in another document dated 19 October 1838, he stated that he had been a resident of Taliaferro County, Georgia for 23 years [1815].

After his death, on 21 October 1854, his widow Rachel King applied for a widow's pension, stating that they married in October 1796. She did not provide a location.

Also, on 21 October 1854, Jackson Henry, James Brantley, and Tyre G. Ellington stated that they knew Richard and Rachel King and that the couple had a "large family of children," of whom William D. King, aged 57, was the oldest child. No other children are named and there was no reference as to how many children there might have been. The statement that William D. King was the oldest of their children may suggest that Richard King had other children from a previous marriage. Since Richard King seems to have been 20 years older than Rachel, it is highly likely that he had at least one previous wife and an undetermined number of older children. 

The following spring, on 7 May 1855, Rachel King applied for her bounty land entitlement based on Richard's service. In that document, she stated that they had been married in October 1803 by "Wm Byrum of P." No location was provided. If it could be determined where William Byrum was performing marriages, it might be possible to locate more information about the Kings and Rachel's family. In this document, Rachel also stated that her name before marriage was Dunnan or Drannon or Dearman. The handwriting is difficult to read. 

Richard King and his family can be found on both the 1820 and 1830 Georgia censuses.

1820 Wilkes County, Georgia:

Richard King 100101-3231

Aley Hadaway 1-001

Amos Hadaway 1001-001

Richard King's household was composed of

One male under 10 [b. 1811-1820] =                                                                                                            

One male 16 to 25 [b. 1804-1795] = 

One male 45 and up = Richard King 

Three females under 10 [b. 1811-1820] = Elvy King and two unknowns

Two females 10 to 15 [b.1810-1805] = Sallie B. King and one unknown

Three females 16 to 25 [b. 1804- 1795] = Frances King, Elizabeth King, and one unknown

One female 26 to 44 [b. 1794-1776] = Rachel King

1830 Taliaferro County, Georgia:

James Brantley 10001-210011

Richard King Sr. 01100001-01110001

Richard King Sr.'s household was composed of

One male 5 to 9 [b. 1825-1821] = John King

One male 10 to 14 [b. 1820-1816] =

One male 50 to 59 [b. 1780-1771] = Richard King Sr.

One female 5 to 9 [b. 1825-1821] = 

One female 10 to 14 [b. 1820-1816] = Asenath King

One female 15 to 19 [b. 1815-1811] =

One female 50 to 59 [b. 1780-1771] = Rachel King

In 1853 or 1854, John Chapman presented the will of Richard King to the court. The court, however, determined that it was invalid because Richard King was not of disposing mind when it was written. The court ordered that a copy of it be entered in the court of ordinary. If that will could be found in the records, it might contain a list of Richard King's children. This issue also suggests the possibility that there could have been a lawsuit over the estate among the heirs, but so far, it has not been found. 

Rachel King wrote her own will, dated 9 June 1854, in which she named her son-in-law Jackson Henry and daughter Elvy King. She specified that the balance of her estate was to be divided among "all of my children," but they were unnamed. She named Jackson Henry and John Chapman as her executors. Her will was proven on 6 November 1865.

The following are the known children of Richard and Rachel King, based on documentation for each:

William D. King, the eldest child as named in Rachel King's Revolutionary War widow's pension. He was born c. 1798 and married Mary Ann Bryan in Wilkes County, Georgia on 21 September 1819.

Elvy King, the only child named in Rachel King's will, dated 9 June 1843. Elvina King married Jackson Henry, named as Rachel King's son-in-law in her will, on 8 January 1839 in Taliaferro County, Georgia. She was born in 1817 or 1818.

Sallie B. King, named as a daughter of Richard and Rachel King of Taliaferro County, Georgia, in her obituary. Sallie B. King married Thomas Pittman in Taliaferro County, Georgia, on 15 June 1826. She was born 28 July 1809.

Rodicie King, named in the autobiography of Rev. Amos Hadaway as the daughter of Richard and Rachel King of Taliaferro County, Georgia. In that autobiography, Amos Hadaway stated, "In the year 1818, I was married Rodicy King, daughter of Richard and Rachel King of Taliaferro county; and the fruits of our marriage were twelve children - six sons and six daughters." Rodicie (King) Hadaway died in 1863 and is buried in the Old Hog Mountain Church Cemetery. Her tombstone states that she was "a sister of John King." It is in the same style as Asenath (King) Wilson's tombstone. She was born on 3 Nov 1799.

John King, resided in the home of his parents Richard and Rachel King on the 1850 census. He was born on 21 October 1822 in Georgia. On 5 February 1845, he married Nancy Sanford, in Taliaferro County, Georgia. Like his sisters Rodicie and Asenath, he was buried in the Old Hog Mountain Church Cemetery in Gwinnett County, Georgia. John King appeared on the same Taliaferro County, Georgia tax list as Richard King Sr. for the first time in 1844. This is consistent with his birth in 1822. 

Asenath "Seny" King, named as a sister of John King on her tombstone which matches that of her sister Rodicie (King) Hadaway. Asenath King married William Alfred Wilson on 12 December 1843 in Taliaferro County, Georgia. She died on 23 October 1868 and is buried in the Old Hog Mountain Church Cemetery. She has two tombstones, and the newer states that she was "a sister of John King." It is in the same style as Rodicie (King) Hadaway's. She was born 10 November 1820 and would not have included on the 1820 census in Richard King's household.

Likely children of Richard King:

Aley King, referenced in Rev. Amos Hadaway's autobiography.  Amos Hadaway stated that his brother "Wilson married Aley King, who had one child. Wilson died in 1812 in Taliaferro County, Georgia, a souldiar of the Indian War of 1812 - 1813." He did not state that Aley King was also a daughter of Richard King, but Aley Hadaway can be found living next door to Richard King in 1820. In 1821 Aley Hadaway married James Huckaby. Their bible reveals that Aley King was born March 1794, which is clearly prior to the marriage of Richard and Rachel King, so if she was Richard King's daughter, she was not a daughter of Rachel's. 

Elizabeth King, married John Chapman in Wilkes County, Georgia on 10 January 1822. She is estimated to have been born in 1800. Their children were Susan Melvina Chapman married to John T. Allen, Elizabeth Adelia Chapman, and Sarah Ann Jane Chapman married to Joseph Franklin Nelson. John Chapman was the executor for Richard King's invalid will and an executor for Rachel King's will. John Chapman's own will stated that his daughter Susan M. Allen had already inherited from her grandfather King's estate. This suggests the possibility of the existence of more detailed probate records than I have found so far. If Elizabeth was Richard King's daughter, she would have still been in his household in 1820. 

Frances King, married James Brantley on 13 December 1827 in Taliaferro County, Georgia. James Brantley provided evidence in Rachel King's Revolutionary War application. He was also a next-door neighbor to Richard King Sr. on the 1830 census. Frances was born c. 1806. If she was a daughter of Richard King's, she would have still been in his household in 1820. 

Richard King, Jr., appeared next to Richard King Sr. for the first time on the 1826 tax list for Taliaferro County, Georgia. He had one slave, but no land. If he was a son of Richard King, he had just turned 21, and he would have still been in Richard King Sr's household in 1820. Richard King Jr's birthday was roughly 1805. 

Sanford King, appeared in the same Taliaferro County, Georgia tax district as Richard King by 1839. He first married Susan Henry on 26 November 1835 in Taliaferro County, Georgia. She might have been related to Jackson Henry who married Elvey King. He married, second, Nancy Reynolds, on 3 June 1866 in Taliaferro County, Georgia. 

Other Kings of interest in connection to Richard King:

Drury King of Wilkes County, Georgia, married, first, Elizabeth Taylor in Wilkes County, Georgia on 2 July 1823. He married, second, Martha Taylor on 11 April 1830. Both his name and location suggest that he could be the son of Richard King. 

Martha King married Vincent Meadows in Taliaferro County, Georgia on 9 August 1827. Given the number of unidentified females in Richard King's household, it is possible that she is a daughter of Richard and Rachel King. 

Waty Ann Babb - Gone to Texas

     ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

Waty Ann Babb was the daughter of Green B Babb and his first wife Elizabeth Lewis. Waty Ann's name often is misinterpreted as MatyAnn or Witty Ann. After her mother died, Green B. Babb married Mary M Jane Broom in about 1855 in Tennessee and had a second set of children. When Green B. Babb died, Mary M Jane was left with a large number of step-children and children of her own. She then married John Fitzpatrick in 1865 and had her own second set of children with him. Fitzpatrick became the guardian of Elizabeth Lewis and Green Babb's children. That meant the older Babb children were in the care of their stepmother and her second husband - or at least, their interest in their father's estate was in this pair's care. 

The cast of characters at this point is vast. There were seven children from the marriage of Green B. Babb and Elizabeth Lewis: Susan Babb, Kibble Terry Babb, William Carter Babb, John M. Babb, Joel Milton Babb, Jane Catherine Babb, and Waty Ann Babb. There were five children from the marriage of Green B. Babb and Mary Jane Broome: Martha A. Babb, Thomas Jefferson Babb, Samuel Babb, James K. Babb, and Joel Green Babb. Finally, there were four children from the marriage of Mary Jane Broom and John Fitzpatrick: Margaret Idella Fitzpatrick, Robert Postell Fitzpatrick, Franklin Fitzpatrick, and George W. Fitzpatrick. This made for a total of sixteen children with births spanning from about 1833 to 1872.

Fitzpatrick's guardianship records in McNairy County, Tennessee, show him faithfully billing Green B. Babb's estate for the upkeep of the Babb children.

In the early 1870s, Waty Ann Babb and her full siblings joined in a lawsuit to recover from their stepmother the property that their mother Elizabeth (Lewis) Babb had inherited from her father John D. Lewis. The upshot of this lawsuit would mean that the younger Babb children were not entitled to the full estate of Green B. Babb, which their stepfather was tapping for their upkeep. Documents in that lawsuit revealed that Waty Ann Babb had gone to Texas and married E. T. Anderson and remained there.

Eventually, I found Waty Ann Babb and her husband Edward Taylor Anderson in Hunt County, Texas in 1880. Initially, I had identified him as being Edwin instead of Edward and that mistake obscured another connection. Finding Waty Ann in that region was not surprising since other Babbs siblings and their Babb first cousins had gone to Hunt County. Their Lewis relations had also gone to that general area of North Texas settling in Hunt County, Hopkins County, Titus County, and Bowie County. Although families often traveled together, it also seemed indicative of a general migration pattern. 

While digging for more information about Edward Taylor Anderson in Hunt County, Texas, I found him in two places in the Family Search tree, and ironically, I had put him in both places. He was dangling from both the Wardlow branch and the Babb branch of the Lewis family. His first wife was Matilda J. Wardlow, who he married in Hunt County, Texas on 20 March 1866. Matilda was the daughter of Milton and Jane (Lewis) Wardlow. Jane Lewis was the daughter of John D. Lewis, and her daughter Matilda was likely named after her sister Matilda (Lewis) Mason, who is my ancestor. Matilda J. Wardlow and Edward Taylor Anderson had one daughter, Nettie Anderson, in 1867. Matilda either died in childbirth or shortly after. Her daughter Nettie Anderson is named as an heir of Milton Wardlow's in Hunt County probate records.  

Edward Taylor Anderson and Waty Ann Babb married in Hunt County on 20 June 1867. 

Suddenly, I realized that Waty Ann Babb did not just go to Texas, marry E. T. Anderson, and remain there. It's hard to know exactly when Waty Ann's brother Joel M. Babb went to Texas. In 1862, he married Delilah Hart in Hunt County. He was probably already in Hunt County when he enlisted in 1861. Waty Ann Babb likey joined Joel in Texas sometime after her father died, but it is hard to know exactly when. Did she travel to Texas during the war or afterward? Joel M. Babb's presence in Hunt County may not have been as coincidental as I thought. 

Milton Wardlow died in May 1861. Even though Jane (Lewis) Wardlow had several sons, most of them do not seem to have lived to maturity. It will take more research, but they either died young, or died during the Civil War. After Milton's death, Jane was left with around three hundred acres of land that she probably needed help with. Could that be the reason Joel M. Babb relocated to Hunt County? It is obvious that after her arrival in Texas, Waty Ann Babb must have been in close proximity to her aunt Jane Wardlow and cousin Matilda J. (Wardlow) Anderson. She may have even been in her aunt's household. Edward Taylor Anderson's rapid remarriage after the death of Matilda is not surprising given that there was a newborn baby in the picture. At that point, Waty Ann Babb was 20 years old with only siblings to depend on and probably few marriage prospects given the loss of a generation of young men in the war. The sudden marriage of Taylor Anderson and Waty Ann Babb, following Matilda's death, suggests more a marriage of convenience than of romance - at least initially. 

Merging the two Edward Taylor Anderson's into one on Family Search brought his marriages and family into focus. His remarriage to his wife's first cousin, Waty Ann Babb, meant that his children were both half-siblings and second cousins. When Nettie Anderson reached adulthood, she married Jacob Guice and named one of her daughters Waty B. Guice after her stepmother.