Elisha "Dock" Pennington

There have been numerous reported children of Levi Pennington and Elizabeth Henson attached to them because the researcher wasn’t really sure where to fit them in.  Elisha Pennington is one of those children.

Elisha “Dock” Pennington was born 21 Jul 1832 probably in Grayson Co., VA to Samuel Pennington and Elizabeth Anderson. (This means that he would be part of Group 12 in the Pennington Research Association) He fits quite nicely in terms of dates with their children.  He was born two years after his brother Claiborne Harvey Pennington and four years before his other brother David Pennington. (Levi Pennington and Elizabeth Henson had another son, Anderson Pennington who was born in 1832 and died in a drowning death in 1850)  Elisha was the third youngest of his family – his two younger brothers both died in a Civil War Prison camp and while Elisha served in the VA Home Guard – he did not suffer the same fate.  On 23 Jan 1859, Elisha married Tabitha Jane Anderson in Ashe Co., NC and their first child was born 10 months later.  Previous to 1860, I’ve been unable to locate Elisha in the census records – at that point he is located in Ashe Co., NC around the Helton area - where he is in every census until the 1920 census when he is recorded in Johnson Co., TN. 

Elisha and Tabitha Jane were the parents of the following children:

• Jesse Harrison Pennington b. 3 Nov 1859 in VA d. 19 May 1945 in Giatto, Mercer Co., WV m. America Jane Ashley
• Malissa Ellen Pennington b. 5 Nov 1861 Ashe Co., NC d. 8 Feb 1952 Johnson Co., TN m1. 20 Mar 1880 Ashe Co., NC - George Washington Hines m2. James M. Sluder
• Alice L. Pennington b. 18 Jan 1864 Ashe Co., NC d. 14 Mar 1947 Ashe Co., NC m. abt 1882 Jesse Ballard Jones
• Zilla Elizabeth Pennington b. 5 Mar 1868 Ashe Co., NC d. 24 May 1900 Ashe Co., NC m. abt 1884 William Huffman Jones
• Byram Bowman Pennington b. 26 Jun 1873 Sturgill, Ashe Co., NC d. 10 Mar 1929 m. 7 Feb 1897 Ashe Co., NC Laura Malinda Sturgill
• Mattie Badora Pennington b. 16 Apr 1880 Ashe Co., NC d. 16 Jan 1884 Ashe Co., NC

Tabitha Jane Anderson died on 14 Sept 1899 and is buried at the Pennington-Anderson Cemetery in Sturgill, Ashe Co., NC.  Elisha survived his wife by living another 32 years – dying on 18 Aug 1922 and probably buried by her in the same cemetery with an unmarked grave.

It is interesting to note that I know of no death certificate for Elisha Pennington so his death location is not known for certain.  I believe that he was living with his daughter, Malissa, when he died.  I’m told that Malissa lived in Johnson Co., TN but rather close to the state line.  Malissa  was married to George Washington Hines in her first marriage and had nine children with him.  It is interesting that if you search and locate George Washington Hines’ death record that he is noted as being murdered in Crandull, Johnson Co., TN.  Not sure of the location – but an interesting sidenote.  She married a second time to James M. Sluder who preceded her in death and she died at the age of 90, obtaining the same age as her father at the time of his death.