Edy Pennington Eastrage

Depending on whatever theory that you believe in…Edy Pennington is most likely the oldest child of Levi Pennington and Elizabeth Henson.   I am fairly confident that Levi Pennington and Elizabeth Henson had at least 12 children and possibly as many as 14.  I am descended from one of the youngest daughters, Elizabeth, but I have always been interested in Edy Pennington.

Edy was born about 1815 likely around the Little Laurel region of Ashe Co., NC.  Her parents probably either married the year she was born or just before.  It would have put her mother at the age of 16 and her father at the age of 21.  Edy marries a Nathan Estrage in about 1835.  He was likely a close neighbor.  Nathan was the son of Henry Eastridge and Elizabeth Floyd.  I’ve never spent a lot of time looking at Nathan’s ancestry but I have spent a bit of time trying to figure out if the name is supposed to be Eastrage, Eastridge, or Estrage.  I’m still not sure of the spelling but I have gone with the spelling of Eastrage because that is what I have found in census records.

Edy and Nathan had children right away after the marriage and had at least six children.  According to the estate record of Levi Pennington, we actually have a pretty good rundown of the children.

• Elizabeth was born abt 1836 in Ashe Co., NC and d. bef 1865. She was married to Radford Davidson on 17 Jan 1852 also in Ashe Co., NC.  Elizabeth died before 1865 and her husband died before 1870.  I’ve had limited luck tracing their children any further.  I only have limited information on the children and a death date on one of them. 
• William Harrison was born 2 Jan 1840 in Ashe Co., NC and d. 6 May 1925 Ashe Co., NC.  He was married to either Mary Dishman or Davis.  They had 9 children spent their lives in the area.
• Catherine was born Jun 1842 and d. 8 Nov 1915.  She married Charles A. Warren on 3 May 1869 and they had three children.
• Nancy was born about 1845 in Ashe Co., NC and d. bet 1876-1880.  She was married to John H. Shepherd and had six children. 
• Edia was born about 1848 in Ashe Co., NC and d. Feb 1880.  She was married to Alvin Columbus Lou Allen.  (Alvin’s brother Calvin, was married to Edia’s 1^st cousin, Tishia Pennington)  I have very little on their two daughters, although I suspect on the little bits of information that I do have that the family might have ended up in Johnson Co., TN
• Hiley was born about May 1850 in Ashe Co., NC, married Wiley Elbert Vanover on 18 Aug 1882 in Johnson Co., TN and they are next found in the 1900 IL census with three children.

It is obvious that Edy named at least one of her daughters after her sister Hiley and possible that she named another one after Elizabeth…but I think it more likely that she was named after Nathan’s mother.  Every one of these families is due more research because there is always new information that seems to come to light and sometimes new ways to search.   However, Edy seemed to leave her mark.  She stayed her entire life in Laurel Twp., Ashe Co., NC and sadly preceded both her parents in death.  Her husband never remarried as far as I can tell and stayed in the Laurel Twp., Ashe Co., NC.  Their burial location is unknown but they are probably buried in a family cemetery nearby.