Tag: family-history

Margaret Dinsmore (1747-1806?) and Son John Dinsmore (1774-1858): Wayne County, Kentucky, Land Grant Records — Additional Information

August 26, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “Agreebly to an act of aſsembly for Settling and improving the Vacant lands of this Commonwealth” The information I’m posting below supplements and expands on a previous discussion of the Kentucky land grant that John Dinsmore received after the Dinsmore family moved in 1800 from Spartanburg County, South Carolina, to Wayne County, Kentucky. … More Margaret Dinsmore (1747-1806?) and Son John Dinsmore (1774-1858): Wayne County, Kentucky, Land Grant Records — Additional Information

Mark Lindsey (1774-1848): The 100-Acre Land Grant in Wayne County, Kentucky — New Information

August 23, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “Lying and being in Wayne County on the Southwest Side of Bever Creek” In a previous posting here, I discuss the migration of Mark Lindsey, son of Dennis Lindsey (abt. 1755 – 1795) of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, to Wayne County, Kentucky, in 1800. As the posting I’ve just linked indicates, in 1800, … More Mark Lindsey (1774-1848): The 100-Acre Land Grant in Wayne County, Kentucky — New Information

Children of Griffith and Mary James: Hannah, Gwendolyn, Joseph, Mary, John, and Samuel

July 25, 2026

Or, Subtitled: Migration Trails from Maryland to South Carolina and Many Points West As the previous posting shows, in his 20 April 1795 will in Pendleton District, South Carolina, Griffith James names his wife Mary and the following children: Hannah, Gwendolyn (Jenny in the will), Joseph, Mary, John, and Samuel.[1] The children are named in … More Children of Griffith and Mary James: Hannah, Gwendolyn, Joseph, Mary, John, and Samuel

Griffith James (abt. 1725? – 1795): Final Years in Pendleton District, South Carolina (1793-5)

July 21, 2026

Or, Subtitled: Horse Thieves and Baptist Churches As the previous posting notes, after selling his homeplace in his Pough tract just southeast of Sharpsburg on 13 May 1792, and (with James Austin), after selling his 50-acre portion of the King Cole tract on 3 March 1792, Griffith James moved with his wife Mary from Washington … More Griffith James (abt. 1725? – 1795): Final Years in Pendleton District, South Carolina (1793-5)

Griffith James (bef. 1725? – 1795): Washington County, Maryland, Years (1763-1793)

July 19, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “A True Copy of the Free Male Taxibils of Sharpsburgh and Lower Antietam Hundred” In the first posting in this series tracking the history of Griffith James (abt. 1725? – 1795), I focused on the first documentation I’ve found for him in the place in which he lived near Sharpsburg, Maryland, from at … More Griffith James (bef. 1725? – 1795): Washington County, Maryland, Years (1763-1793)

Griffith James (abt. 1725? – 1795): Sharpsburg, Maryland, Beginnings

July 17, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “I have no tradition of her parents, except their nationality, they were Welch, but Hannah was born and reared in Maryland” “Don’t know much about history”: Sam Cooke’s song “Wonderful World” is scrolling through my head as I launch a new series of postings, this one about Griffith James (abt. 1725? – 1795). … More Griffith James (abt. 1725? – 1795): Sharpsburg, Maryland, Beginnings

Robert Leonard (bef. 1730 – 1780) and Honor Pritchard: Children William, Thomas, Mary Ann, and Robert

June 16, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “Robert was the oldest child, then Thos., then Samuel, then Mary” As a previous posting notes, the manuscript entitled “Biography of the Leonards” composed in 1883 by Robert Leonard’s great-grandson Thomas Dunlap Leonard[1] states the following about the children of Robert and his wife Honor Pritchard: When the war took place between England … More Robert Leonard (bef. 1730 – 1780) and Honor Pritchard: Children William, Thomas, Mary Ann, and Robert

Robert Leonard (bef. 1730 – 1780): Testimony of Thomas Dunlap Leonard’s “Biography of the Leonards” (1883)

June 5, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “He was at the Battle of Quebec. His discharge as a soldier of the English Army is yet in existence” Robert Leonard (bef. 1730 – 1780) is one of the more problematic of my ancestors to sort out. There’s actually a goodly selection of documents providing first-hand information about his life. These include … More Robert Leonard (bef. 1730 – 1780): Testimony of Thomas Dunlap Leonard’s “Biography of the Leonards” (1883)

Challenge of Tracing the Ancestry of James Brooks (bef. 1720 – 1779) of Frederick County, Virginia: A Thought-Provoking New Clue

May 24, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “The chain carriers were often kin to the person for whom the land was being surveyed” (Judy G. Russell, “A Matter of Measure,“ Legal Genealogy) I have posted previously about an elusive ancestor named James Brooks, who died prior to 2 November 1779 in Frederick County, Virginia, when his widow Mary and son … More Challenge of Tracing the Ancestry of James Brooks (bef. 1720 – 1779) of Frederick County, Virginia: A Thought-Provoking New Clue

Thomas Leonard (1752-1832) and Hannah James (1752-1842): Children Robert, Thomas, John, Hezekiah, Samuel, Griffith, Colin, and Hannah

May 16, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “Saw Lincoln County when it was a cane brake infested with bear, wolves, deer and many other wild animals” In three previous postings, I discussed the life of Thomas Leonard (1752-1832), son of Robert Leonard and Honor Pritchard. I began with a look at the documents that chronicle his early years in Maryland, … More Thomas Leonard (1752-1832) and Hannah James (1752-1842): Children Robert, Thomas, John, Hezekiah, Samuel, Griffith, Colin, and Hannah