Pennington Surprise in Clay Co., KY

My great grandmother was born in Clay Co., KY and was the daughter of Melvina Robertson and John Ward Kelley.  We had the information of where Sarah Rachel Kelley was born, so I began doing a bit of wandering through census records to see if I could find some further information on the family.  It turns out that the Kelleys lived in Sexton Creek, Clay Co., KY.  Once I began looking at census records, I came across a very familiar name…one that I have a “passing” interest in…Pennington.

One of the families that I was looking at was the Robinson/Robertson family.  Sarah Kelley’s mother was Melvina Robertson who was the daughter of Charles Robinson and Catherine Shelton.  Now…the Robertson/Robinson surname is usually one variation or the other and they are the same family.  There were nine children and Melvina was the youngest of the family.  Her father died just a few years after she was born, and her mother remarried a Julius Spivey.  Melvina had an older sister named Elizabeth who was born 20 Oct 1838 in Clay Co., KY and died on 9 April 1921 also in Clay Co., KY.  She was married to a John Brummett on 31 Jul 1856 in Clay Co., KY.  They had two daughters, Lucinda Jane born 1857 and Mary Elizabeth born 29 Jul 1859.  It turns out that the Pennington I found up on Sexton Creek was the husband of Mary Elizabeth Brummett.  John W. “Curly” Pennington and Mary Elizabeth Brummett were married 13 Jan 1875 in Clay Co., KY and they were the family that I had located in the census. 

So now I had to figure out where John W. “Curly” Pennington fit into the Pennington puzzle.  John W. Pennington was born in Harlan Co., KY on 20 May 1855.  His parents were James Pennington and Mary “Polly” Lewis.  Of course when I find him in the census in 1860 with his parents, he is living in Clay Co., KY and they are in the household of Ephraim Pennington and Matilda.   (Clay Co., KY, Pg 58 #367 – Flat Creek PO) It is obvious that James is the son of Ephraim and Matilda…it is not so obvious which group that they fit in.  Just prior to Ephraim, I see another Pennington name so I go to the previous page and locate a Levi Pennington on line 365.  This is the older brother of Ephraim and there is an older woman who is most likely a mother-in-law by the name of Polly Lewis.
 

Clip from the 1860 census showing the James Pennington family.

So, now I have something to take to my own Pennington contacts.  One of those is a descendant of Group 31 – who are labeled as the descendants of Aaron Pennington and Ann Coldiron.  It turns out that the two brothers that I have found living near my Clay Co., KY relatives were actually the sons of Aaron Pennington and Ann Coldiron and were mostly likely born in Ashe Co., NC which is where a large chunk of my family comes from.  So, the John W. Pennington that married Mary Elizabeth Brummett was the son of James Pennington and Mary “Polly” Lewis and the grandson of Ephraim Pennington and Matilda Fields.  It turns out the Ephraim’s full name is Ephraim Aaron Pennington and he is the third son of Aaron Pennington and Ann Coldiron. 
I am the group leader for Group 7 of the Pennington Research Association.  During my research, I’ve had to look at a lot of Levi’s and Ephraim’s and the surname of Lewis has come up more than once.  Since I have been a member of the PRA, there has been a lot of DNA testing and we have pretty much established that several of these groups that we have identified actually have a DNA connection even though we have never found a documentary connection.  I can’t tell you how much time that I have spent untangling Penningtons in Ashe Co., NC – it was almost a bit disappointing to come across them in Clay Co., KY as well while researching a whole other family line.  If it hadn’t been for my PRA buddy sending me in the right direction, it might have taken a lot longer to figure out.

So while the Group 31 Penningtons are not directly related to me in anything that may resemble a close connection, the children of John W. “Curly” Pennington and Mary Elizabeth Brummett are a bit of a closer connection.  After all, Mary’s mother Elizabeth, was the elder sister of my great great grandmother and in genealogical terms…that is pretty close. 

Levi Pennington Family & the Civil War

The Civil war was as devastating for the Pennington family.  They had three sons who fought in the war and two son-in-laws.  They all fought for the Confederacy as did most of those who lived in Ashe Co., NC.  These weren’t families who had slaves but probably most likely fought for their homeland.  It left a devastating effect on the Levi Pennington family.

Andrew Pennington was born about 1834 in Ashe Co., NC and married Mary Little on 5 Nov 1857 in Ashe Co., NC.  Andrew enlisted on 10 Aug 1861 as a Private and later on 25 Oct 1861 enlisted in the 34^th Infantry Regiment North Carolina.  He was mustered out on 27 Aug 1863.  From that point he disappears from history.  It is thought that he died soon after.  Andrew left a wife, Mary Little and two small boys, the youngest only a few months old.

Levi Daniel Pennington also enlisted in the military and fought for the Confederacy.  He was born in 1837 and married Elizabeth Osborne on 17 Dec 1854 in Ashe Co., NC.  Levi Daniel and Elizabeth had three children, the second one dying as an infant.  Levi Daniel was injured in the Civil War and the doctors inserted a ceramic plate in his head.  By the 1870 census, Levi’s wife and children are no longer living with him and he is listed as insane, living with his parents.  By 1887, he was put in a Mental Hospital in Morganton, Burke Co., NC where he died on 17 Jan 1909.  I’ve heard from a descendant that Levi Daniel had turned extremely violent and unpredictable and had tried to strangle his wife.  It is no wonder that she took her children and left him in order to protect herself and her children.

Harvey Pennington seemed to have escaped the Civil War without long lasting damage.  He was born on 29 Feb 1828 in Ashe Co., NC and married Easter Little.  After her death in 1894, he married again to Martha Brooks.  He had 10 children with Easter, and 1 child with his second wife.  He served in the Whitman’s North Carolina 66th Infantry Regiment and returned from the war seemingly whole.  He lived to be 94 years old and was the longest lived of his siblings.

Alexander Monroe Dollar was the husband of Elizabeth Pennington.  He was born about 1838 and enlisted in the 58^th Infantry Regiment of North Carolina on 20 Jul 1862.  Within a short time, he did something that was pretty common in for those in the 58^th North Carolina – he deserted and later took a oath of allegiance to the Union.

James Emmett Lewis was born in 1817 as the son of Nathan Lewis and Eleanor Roark, he married Hiley Pennington in August 1837.  Unlike his brother-in-laws, James Emmett Lewis served in the 13^th TN Calvary and fought for the Union. Upon his return, he was murdered by a Thomas Royal in Ashe Co., NC on 3 April 1865.  One wonders if he was murdered because of his allegiance to the Union.  He left his wife with 8 children.  His wife, Hiley, received his pension and she died on 4 Nov 1895. 

So with three sons, and two son in laws – the Levi Pennington family lost one son in the war, another son to insanity, a son in law to murder and the other two survived to live long lives.  One wonders how many other families suffered the same types of hardships.  It is no wonder that the Civil War changed the fabric of our society and so many families.

Mary Pennington Bowling...

According to just about every notation that I have read – Mary Pennington was born at the hollow of the Yadkin River on the east side of Blue Ridge and New River in Wilkes Co., NC.  Now someone who knows the area fairly well can probably tell me where that is, exactly.  I suspect that it is probably near or in what is now known as Ashe Co., NC.  Ashe Co., NC was carved out of Wilkes Co., NC in 1799.  We know that Mary Pennington’s father, Micajah lived in Ashe Co., NC and probably had land there when she was born. 

Mary Pennington was the oldest daughter of 10 children and married her husband when her youngest sibling was only three years old.  Jesse Bowling was probably a widower with one son when he married Mary Pennington when she was 19 years old on 6 Jan 1785 in Wilkes Co., NC.  He was a veteran of the Revolutionary War having served as a Sergeant from North Carolina and has a recorded pension (#514974).  He was the son of Benjamin Bolling and Patsy Phelps.  There has been an ongoing discussion for years that Jesse Bowling was a descendant of Pocahontas…I have enough trouble keeping up with Bowlings who are related to the Penningtons without getting into that discussion.  So here is Mary, newly married and a new step mother and married to a man who is a military veteran.  In the early years of their marriage they are recorded in Wilkes Co., NC, Lee Co., VA and Hawkins Co., TN.  Jesse and Mary probably moved to Hawkins Co., TN at least by 1794 and perhaps earlier.  Jesse is baptized by Rev. Andrew Baker of the Blackwater Primitive Baptist Church and was himself a Baptist preacher. So that perhaps explains their wanderings in the early years of their marriage.

By 1804, they are probably back in Lee Co., VA according to the birth places of their children and it is likely they were living close to her parents by that time.  By 1810, Jesse and Mary are in Clay Co., KY and are recorded in the census there.  I find it very interesting that they live in Clay Co., KY because I find traces of several Penningtons there as well as other members of the maternal side of my family.    Jesse and Mary are recorded in 1820 in Perry Co., KY.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that they moved much because Perry Co., KY was formed from Clay and Floyd Co., KY and when they are recorded as dying in Breathitt Co., KY aft 1840, it is still could be the same area as Breathitt Co., KY was formed out of Clay, Estill & Perry Counties.  Since I am not that familiar with where they lived exactly, history and geography tell me that they probably lived in the same area but the county lines might have changed on them.

So, they have traveled from North Carolina, to Virginia, to Tennessee and then back to Virginia and finally have settled in Kentucky.  Along the way, Jesse worked as a Preacher and they had 12 children together.  Their children were:

• Hannah Bowling b. 28 Apr 1786 Lee Co., VA d. 1841 m. Nelson Gay m. Leonard Huff
• Mary “Polly” Bowling b. 1 Mar 1788 VA/NC d. aft 1880 Perry Co., KY m. Abraham Barger
• John S. Bowling b. 1789 Hawkins Co., TN d. 26 Jul 1838 Krypton, Perry Co., KY m. Mary Lewis
• Justice Tucker Bowling b. 1790 Wilkes Co., NC d. 1880 Perry Co., KY m. Hanna Reed
• Rachel Bowling b. abt 1792 m. Joseph Reason
• Elizabeth Bowling b. 1 Apr 1794 Hawkins Co., TN d. Feb 1866 Jackson Co., KY m. Abel Pennington
• Eliajah “Lige” Bowling b. 22 Jan 1798 Lee Co., VA d. 22 Oct 1883 m. 1 – Susanna Roberts m. 2 – Mary Ann Keen m.3 – Nancy Ann Bryant
• Jesse Bowling, Jr. b. abt 1800 d. bet 1848-1850 Breathitt Co., KY m. 1 - Nancy Dewees m. 2 – Winifred Lewis
• Margaret “Patsy” Bowling b. 1804 Lee Co., VA m. 1 – Joseph Spencer m. 2. - ? Maggard
• William “Priimpy Bill” Bowling b. abt 1806 Lee Co., VA m. Deborah Duff
• Nancy Bowling b. abt 1808 Lee Co., VA or KY m. Edward Begley
• George Bowling b. abt 1810 m. Phoebe Lewis
• Jesse’s oldest son from his first marriage was John E. Bowling b. 1777 Wilkes Co., NC d. aft 1839 m. Susan Sizemore

This is a large family – but the two most intriguing children are Mary Polly Bowling and Elizabeth Bowling.  Mary “Polly” Bowling had at least 5 children but they intermarried with their Johnston cousins through their mother’s family (Sarah Pennington m. Samuel Johnson/Johnston) and their children marry into some of the more well-known families in Kentucky such as Gay, Brewer, and Spurlock.  Elizabeth marries her possible cousin Abel Pennington and their children also marry into some well-known families including their Johnson/Johnston cousins, Combs, Turner, Moore & McGee.  Between these two daughters, I have met the majority of Mary Pennington descendants through my research.

Jesse and Mary Pennington Bowling died with a year of each other.  Jesse died 10 Mar 1841 and Mary died 21 Mar 1842 both in Breathitt Co., KY probably around Quicksand creek.  For their time period, they both lived to be old people and probably also saw the death of at least three of their children.  There is a lot left to be done to fill out the families and probably many puzzles to unravel.  These families seem to intermarry enough and used so many similar names that sometimes it is very difficult to figure out which is which…but if you are descendant of Mary Pennington through her daughters Elizabeth or Mary – you could be a member of three different Pennington family groups – which is certainly confusing enough.

Levi Pennington & Elizabeth Henson Family

The earliest Pennington relative that I discovered is my 3^rd great grandmother.  With name of Elizabeth Pennington – she had an unfortunate commonality with a lot of female Penningtons, the first name of Elizabeth!  In my Pennington database alone, I have about 28 Eliza or Elizabeth Penningtons.    So even though I knew her name, it took a lot more time to figure out which Pennington line that she belonged to.  Turned out that she was the second youngest child of Levi Pennington and his wife, Elizabeth Henson – I have thirteen children listed for this family.  Some number their children as many as 16, but I have stuck with the 13 children that I can identify and connect through documentation.

Levi Pennington and Elizabeth Henson probably married around 1814 or 1815.  I doubt if it was much before that because Elizabeth Henson was born in 1799 and would have been a little young.  Here is a list of Levi and Elizabeth’s children:

• Dora  b. bet 1810-1820
• Edy b. abt 1815 d. abt 1866 m. abt 1835 Nathan Eastrage
• Hiley b. bet 1816-1818 d. 4 Nov 1895 m. Aug 1837 James Emmett Lewis
• Elijah Ephraim b. bet 1819 – 1822 d. Jan 1892 m. abt 1846 Mary Osborne
• William b. 1821 d. aft 1880 m. abt 1848 Frances Blevins
• Larkin b. Jan 1826 d. 6 May 1901 m. 11 Feb 1857 Lydia Lewis
• Harvey b. 29 Feb 1828 d. 21 Apr 1822 m. abt 1850 Easter Little m. abt Oct 1896 Martha Ann Brooks
• John b. 10 May 1829 d. 5 Mar 1917 m. 16 Feb 1859 Manda Hurley m. abt 1860 Emeline Kilby  
• Anderson b. 1832 d. 1850
• Andrew b. 1834 d. aft 27 Aug 1863 m. 5 Nov 1857 Mary Little
• Levi Daniel b. 1837 d. 17 Jan 1909 m. 17 Dec 1854 Elizabeth Osborn
• Elizabeth b. abt 1839 d. bet 1883-1887 m. 17 Jan 1857 Alexander Monroe Dollar
• Martha b. 29 Mar 1843 d. 21 Dec 1926 m. 21 Mar 1872 Marshall Gilley

If you read my previous 1940 Laurel Twp Census blogs – you will have found a prominent position for the children and grandchildren of Elijah Ephraim Pennington, John Pennington and Edy Pennington Eastrage.  These three children of Levi stayed in the Laurel area.  It is unknown where Edy is buried, but John is buried in a family cemetery in the Laurel area, and Elijah is in the Elijah A Shepherd Cemetery.    John Pennington’s name is fairly prominent because he acted as a Justice of Peace and you will find Elijah Pennington’s name quite often as well.  Especially at the Little Laurel Baptist Church where several of the stained glass windows are in memorial to he and other members of his family. 

Little Laurel Baptist Church

Elijah Pennington window

Isaac Pennington window

The land in the Laurel area that these families lived on were land grants that has been gained by Ephraim Pennington b. 1769 d. aft 1852 and in all likelihood his father as well (Probably Ephraim b. 1745).  We know that Ephraim had at least three sons – Levi b. 1794, Andrew b. 7 Sept  1813 and Daniel b. bet 1813-1814.  Ephraim is last recorded in the 1850 census, living with Andrew in Ashe Co., NC.  Andrew sells his land to his nephew and moved over to Laurel Bloomery, Johnson Co., TN and Daniel ended up moving to Claiborne Co., TN.

These close connections between families can make research at times somewhat difficult.  Just when you think you have your data correct…you learn yet another connection.  It is much easier than it was when I first started researching Pennington’s nearly 15 years ago.  There are more records available online and more researchers available via email to communicate with.  At least now, if someone is a descendant of an Elizabeth Pennington – I have 28 connected…and perhaps I can help!

A Surprise With Hiley

If you ever think that you have the “complete” information on a family – be prepared to be wrong.  I didn’t feel quite that confident about the family of Levi Pennington and Elizabeth Henson, but I was pretty sure that we had a pretty good list of their children.  I was definitely proved wrong.

A few years ago, I began hearing about a Hiley Pennington.  Now…I had never come across this name and so it was pretty interesting.  She was born between 1816-1818 in Ashe Co., NC and died 4 Nov 1895 at Sturgill, Ashe Co., NC.  Hiley was married to James Emmett Lewis  in August 1837 probably also in Ashe Co., NC and they were the parents of eight children.  I went through my normal research to see if I could figure out where she belonged.  The more I looked the more suspicious that I got that I was looking at a daughter of Levi Pennington and Elizabeth Henson.

Levi Pennington was born abt 1794 probably in Ashe Co., NC and died sometime bet 1886-1887.  He married Elizabeth Henson probably around 1815.  They have been said to have anywhere between 12 and 16 children.  I really felt that I could only prove 12 children and so that was on my list.  However, I became convinced that Hiley was actually one of those children and therefore I had to raise my number to 13.  Their children are:

• Dora Pennington b. bet 1810-1820 (no further info)
• Edy Pennington b. abt 1815 Ashe Co., NC d. abt 1866 Ashe Co., NC m. Nathan Eastrage
• Hiley Pennington b. bet 1816-1818 Ashe Co., NC d. 4 Nov 1895 Sturgill, Ashe Co., NC m. James Emmett Lewis
• Elijah Ephraim Pennington b. bet 1819-1822 Ashe Co., ND d. 4 Nov 1895 Ashe Co., NC m. Mary Osborne
• William Pennington b. abt 1821 Ashe Co., ND d. aft 1880 m. Frances Blevins
• Larkin Pennington b. Jan 1826 Ashe Co., NC d. 6 May 1901 Ashe Co., NC. m. Lydia Lewis
• Harvey Pennington b. 29 Feb 1828 Ashe Co., NC d. 21 Apr 1922 Ashe Co., NC m. abt 1850 Easter Little m. 2. Oct 1896  Martha Ann Brooks  
• John Pennington b. 10 May 1829 Ashe Co., NC d. 5 Mar 1917 Ashe Co., NC m. 16 Feb 1859 Manda Hurley m 2. Abt 1860 Emeline Kilby
• Anderson Pennington b. 1832 Ashe Co., NC d. 1850 Ashe Co., NC (Drowned)
• Andrew Pennington b. 1834 Ashe Co., NC d. aft 27 Aug 1863 (Civil War) m. 5 Nov 1857 Mary Little
• Levi Daniel Pennington b. 1837 Ashe Co., ND c. 17 Jan 1909 Morganton, Burke Co., NC m. 17 Dec 1854 Elizabeth Osborn
• Elizabeth Pennington b. abt 1839 Ashe Co., NC d. bet 1883-1887 Johnson Co., TN m. 17 Jan 1857 Alexander Monroe Dollar (my line)
• Martha Pennington b. 29 Mar 1843 Hemlock, Ashe Co., NC d. 21 Dec 1926 Eldreth, Ashe Co., NC m. 21 Mar 1872 Marshel Gilley

There may be more because we have a few unidentified names that we have found in a Probate document on Levi Pennington.  I’ve not yet been able to identify Isaac Cartron & wife and C. A. Warren and wife Catherine.

Clip listing the children of Levi and grandchildren (if parent had passed away)

 

This gives me hope that someday, someone will find another document that answers all the questions that this Probate document poses.  Although you must admit that it is interesting that there is hope that if you keep searching even on families that you think you have a complete history…you never will know when something shows up that offers a delightful surprise piece of information.  So…Hiley was a surprise all those years ago…but she was also a good lesson.  Never believe that your information is complete – there always might something else that explains yet another mystery.

Levi's Unknown Daughter

I’ve been researching Levi Pennington and his wife Elizabeth Henson for over 15 years now.  Many years ago I was told my John French that Levi Pennington and his wife were my 4^th great grandparents.  This was near the beginning of my research so it was very exciting to reach back into the 1700’s.  Although I would later learn that info I was given for Levi’s ancestry was incorrect…it was a great start.

About five years ago, I started seeing rumblings on the New River news list about a Hiley who was married to a James Lewis.  The researcher said that they had thought Hiley’s last name was Pennington but they weren’t sure.  I probably have one of the more complete Pennington gedcoms in the Ashe Co., NC area.  Hiley was a complete unknown to me.  So, when I was asked about Hiley, it forced me to reexamine what I thought I knew.

Hiley was born between 1816-1818 in Ashe Co., NC and married James Emmett Lewis in August of 1837.  According to a widow’s pension application, James Lewis was shot in the side and later died of his wounds.  Hiley was left with 8 children ranging in age from 27 to age 5.  She died at Sturgill, Ashe Co., NC on 4 Nov 1895.

One thing that seemed common in the grandchildren of Levi Pennington, if there were several boys, there was almost always one named Levi.  Hiley’s youngest son was named Levi Franklin Lewis.  That name got me to thinking…most of us who research Levi and Elizabeth believes that there anywhere from 14 to 16 children.  The oldest daughter we know for certain is Edy Pennington.  There is one other daughter named Dora that we believe is connected.  However there is a time period between 1815 and 1818 that could have had another child.  There were not many other men living in Ashe Co., NC at the same time frame that could have been the father.  In the 1820 census, there were two females between the ages of 0-10 – these two girls could have been Edy and Hiley and not Dora as previously thought.

Later that same year, one of our small band of researchers got a document that probated Levi Pennington’s will in 1887.  Listed on that document was Hiley Pennington Lewis’ name amongst the children of Levi Pennington.  With that document, many questions were answered…but also many more begged for answers.  

However, we now know for certain that Levi Pennington and Elizabeth Henson had a daughter who married a James Lewis…and before a few years ago – most of us didn’t know she existed.