Chuck
May 6th, 2006, 07:04 PM
May 6, 2006
Decades before the American Revolution, Virginians were crossing the Cumberland Gap and other rugged roads to the rich bluegrass farmlands of Kentucky. Records are scarce for early "squatters," who later had to apply for rights to legally own their homes and lands. And land claims give little personal information. Formalized land grants after service in the French and Indian War and in the Revolution provide more help in finding Virginia ancestors who went to Kentucky.
About 30 years ago, William L. Litsey of Hampton, while ill at home, helped lay a foundation for Virginians researching their ancestry in the throngs who had "gone to Kentucky." Litsey, a descendant of Colonial Virginia through the Chiltons and other families, grew up in a home filled with ancestral portraits, furniture and genealogies. He continued the family traditions and combined it with a deep interest in helping others.
Litsey extracted names from the Kentucky Historical Register of persons who were born in Virginia and died in Kentucky - including some born before the first United States Census, in 1790.
Many Virginians went to North Carolina, as the writings of Charles Hamlin and James R.B. Hathaway attest. But there also were constant caravans to Kentucky as Indian lands were purchased or seized, roadways opened, waterways were mapped and free land was made available.
Huge land grants from the Allegheny range to the Ohio River were made to officers in the French and Indian War. George Washington received tracts of thousands of acres for his military service and successful recruitment of soldiers for the wilderness guerilla wars. Land was the incentive for recruits, too.
Descendants in the Richeson line of Capt. John West, who came to Jamestown in 1618, were developers of schools in the frontier towns of Washington and Maysville in Henderson County, Ky. Henry Peers developed a history of people in early Kentucky, later published by Lewis family members, also of Virginia. Henry's son, Rev. Benjamin Peers, founded Kentucky's system of public education. Relatives include Col. Henry Grayson and his sons, Frederick, Henry, George and Alfred, who developed salt mines. Their sister, Eleanor, widow of Virginia's Robert Carter, joined them in Paris, Ky., in 1813.
When Kentucky entered the union in 1792, settlement had advanced rapidly. Daniel Boone had led settlers to Henderson County about 1769. (Some accounts say 1775). Col. Richard Henderson purchased millions of acres of rich, Kentucky central valley lands from the Cherokee Indians.
Litsey indexes all the information recorded in "The Register," including names of individuals, ages, dates and causes of death, occupations and marital status, parents' names and county of origin in Virginia, if given.
Kentucky counties include Green, Greenup, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Hart, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Hopkins, Jefferson, Jessamine and Knox. Litsey began in Green County, organized in 1782. Among the deaths are Shadwick Asbury, dead of scurvy at age 66 on Aug. 25, 1852; son of Joseph and Mildred Asbury of Virginia.
At age 31, Francis N. Ball, daughter of Joseph and Julia Hubbard of Virginia, fell from a tree and died on Nov. 15, 1852. A 700-page volume of Hubbard family history was published in 1985 by Noland Hubbard Bowling, 10th-granddaughter of Robert Hubbard, who died in Virginia's Westmoreland County in 1663. Many names are of James River families who continually moved westward across the Blue Ridge. Ephraim Hubbard of Virginia, with his wife and nine children, were in a caravan of "immigrants" passing through Cherokee lands recorded in the book, "Passports of Southeastern Pioneers, 1770-1823." (Internal passports were required to cross Indian and Spanish lands.)
Anderson Carr died at age 38 on Feb. 18, 1857, of consumption. He was the son of J.W. Carr, listed in both Green and Greenup counties.
Mary Carter, daughter of William Ross of Virginia, died in July 1852 at age 83. Elizabeth Clark died of fever on July 18, 1852 at age 49. She was the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Hardy whose families were early residents of Surry and Isle of Wight. Their Virginia lands are described in "Cavaliers and Pioneers," by Nell Nugent.
Carolina Estes, a widow, died Sept. 3, 1853 of consumption. The 43-year-old was the daughter of T. and R. Estes. Elizabeth Kesler died Sept. 12, 1853, age 37, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Vick. The late Dollie Vick of Newport News published a history of the Vick family from York to Southampton.
Robert Gaines, son of Thomas and Sarah Gaines, died of consumption at age 50 in July 1852. Catherine Roach, daughter of Thomas H. Gaines, died of consumption on April 20, 1859.
Peter A. Hall, who died at age 57 on Sept. 16, 1855, was the son of John and Mildred Hall. Elizabeth Lewis, daughter of James and Nancy Money, died Aug. 6, 1855, at age 77. John Mitchell died at age 82 on Aug. 24, 1852, the son of R. and N. Mitchell.
S.S. Stubbs died on Sept. 8, 1862 at age 55 of typhoid fever. He was a son of Thomas and Sallie Stubbs. Stubbs family records were donated to the College of William and Mary decades ago. Other genealogies filmed at the college - not the Stubbs Collection - may be seen in the vast collection of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Filming by the Utah Genealogical Society was initiated by the local Family History Center, where films may be searched without charge. Films are cataloged and can be ordered in the Gloucester, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach or any other LDS Center.
Among numerous Virginia family names in Greenup County are Allen, Farmer, Foster, Lee, Rollins, Rouse and Underwood.
Hart County records include Parrish families. Ephraim Parrish, son of John and Judith Parrish, died in 1854 at age 76. Ephraim's daughter, Mary M. Lewis, died in 1857.
John Perkins, "born on the James River," died of fever in 1853, at age 78. He was the son of James and Judith Perkins.
Litsey's papers may be seen in the Tidewater Genealogical Society Library located in the historic Warwick County Courthouse on Old Courthouse Way in Newport News. "The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society," Vol. 53, published in January 1955, relates settlement of Ohio Valley. A comprehensive catalog of Kentucky records is available at www.familysearch .org
Source (http://www.dailypress.com/features/religion/dp-20009sy0may06,1,4577227.story?coll=dp-features-faithlife&ctrack=1&cset=true)
Decades before the American Revolution, Virginians were crossing the Cumberland Gap and other rugged roads to the rich bluegrass farmlands of Kentucky. Records are scarce for early "squatters," who later had to apply for rights to legally own their homes and lands. And land claims give little personal information. Formalized land grants after service in the French and Indian War and in the Revolution provide more help in finding Virginia ancestors who went to Kentucky.
About 30 years ago, William L. Litsey of Hampton, while ill at home, helped lay a foundation for Virginians researching their ancestry in the throngs who had "gone to Kentucky." Litsey, a descendant of Colonial Virginia through the Chiltons and other families, grew up in a home filled with ancestral portraits, furniture and genealogies. He continued the family traditions and combined it with a deep interest in helping others.
Litsey extracted names from the Kentucky Historical Register of persons who were born in Virginia and died in Kentucky - including some born before the first United States Census, in 1790.
Many Virginians went to North Carolina, as the writings of Charles Hamlin and James R.B. Hathaway attest. But there also were constant caravans to Kentucky as Indian lands were purchased or seized, roadways opened, waterways were mapped and free land was made available.
Huge land grants from the Allegheny range to the Ohio River were made to officers in the French and Indian War. George Washington received tracts of thousands of acres for his military service and successful recruitment of soldiers for the wilderness guerilla wars. Land was the incentive for recruits, too.
Descendants in the Richeson line of Capt. John West, who came to Jamestown in 1618, were developers of schools in the frontier towns of Washington and Maysville in Henderson County, Ky. Henry Peers developed a history of people in early Kentucky, later published by Lewis family members, also of Virginia. Henry's son, Rev. Benjamin Peers, founded Kentucky's system of public education. Relatives include Col. Henry Grayson and his sons, Frederick, Henry, George and Alfred, who developed salt mines. Their sister, Eleanor, widow of Virginia's Robert Carter, joined them in Paris, Ky., in 1813.
When Kentucky entered the union in 1792, settlement had advanced rapidly. Daniel Boone had led settlers to Henderson County about 1769. (Some accounts say 1775). Col. Richard Henderson purchased millions of acres of rich, Kentucky central valley lands from the Cherokee Indians.
Litsey indexes all the information recorded in "The Register," including names of individuals, ages, dates and causes of death, occupations and marital status, parents' names and county of origin in Virginia, if given.
Kentucky counties include Green, Greenup, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Hart, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Hopkins, Jefferson, Jessamine and Knox. Litsey began in Green County, organized in 1782. Among the deaths are Shadwick Asbury, dead of scurvy at age 66 on Aug. 25, 1852; son of Joseph and Mildred Asbury of Virginia.
At age 31, Francis N. Ball, daughter of Joseph and Julia Hubbard of Virginia, fell from a tree and died on Nov. 15, 1852. A 700-page volume of Hubbard family history was published in 1985 by Noland Hubbard Bowling, 10th-granddaughter of Robert Hubbard, who died in Virginia's Westmoreland County in 1663. Many names are of James River families who continually moved westward across the Blue Ridge. Ephraim Hubbard of Virginia, with his wife and nine children, were in a caravan of "immigrants" passing through Cherokee lands recorded in the book, "Passports of Southeastern Pioneers, 1770-1823." (Internal passports were required to cross Indian and Spanish lands.)
Anderson Carr died at age 38 on Feb. 18, 1857, of consumption. He was the son of J.W. Carr, listed in both Green and Greenup counties.
Mary Carter, daughter of William Ross of Virginia, died in July 1852 at age 83. Elizabeth Clark died of fever on July 18, 1852 at age 49. She was the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Hardy whose families were early residents of Surry and Isle of Wight. Their Virginia lands are described in "Cavaliers and Pioneers," by Nell Nugent.
Carolina Estes, a widow, died Sept. 3, 1853 of consumption. The 43-year-old was the daughter of T. and R. Estes. Elizabeth Kesler died Sept. 12, 1853, age 37, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Vick. The late Dollie Vick of Newport News published a history of the Vick family from York to Southampton.
Robert Gaines, son of Thomas and Sarah Gaines, died of consumption at age 50 in July 1852. Catherine Roach, daughter of Thomas H. Gaines, died of consumption on April 20, 1859.
Peter A. Hall, who died at age 57 on Sept. 16, 1855, was the son of John and Mildred Hall. Elizabeth Lewis, daughter of James and Nancy Money, died Aug. 6, 1855, at age 77. John Mitchell died at age 82 on Aug. 24, 1852, the son of R. and N. Mitchell.
S.S. Stubbs died on Sept. 8, 1862 at age 55 of typhoid fever. He was a son of Thomas and Sallie Stubbs. Stubbs family records were donated to the College of William and Mary decades ago. Other genealogies filmed at the college - not the Stubbs Collection - may be seen in the vast collection of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Filming by the Utah Genealogical Society was initiated by the local Family History Center, where films may be searched without charge. Films are cataloged and can be ordered in the Gloucester, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach or any other LDS Center.
Among numerous Virginia family names in Greenup County are Allen, Farmer, Foster, Lee, Rollins, Rouse and Underwood.
Hart County records include Parrish families. Ephraim Parrish, son of John and Judith Parrish, died in 1854 at age 76. Ephraim's daughter, Mary M. Lewis, died in 1857.
John Perkins, "born on the James River," died of fever in 1853, at age 78. He was the son of James and Judith Perkins.
Litsey's papers may be seen in the Tidewater Genealogical Society Library located in the historic Warwick County Courthouse on Old Courthouse Way in Newport News. "The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society," Vol. 53, published in January 1955, relates settlement of Ohio Valley. A comprehensive catalog of Kentucky records is available at www.familysearch .org
Source (http://www.dailypress.com/features/religion/dp-20009sy0may06,1,4577227.story?coll=dp-features-faithlife&ctrack=1&cset=true)