Notes for Joseph Stewart: [Rosser-Boney-Smith-Nabers-Gates.FTW]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ By j.t. Stewart, descendant of Jesse Stewart
Joseph Stewart left Jefferson County and arrived with his family in Overton County, Tn. then Jackson about 1800. This makes him one of the county’s earliest settlers. Joseph’s parents were Samuel Stewart and Lydia Harrison of Augusta County, VA where Joseph was probably born about 1740. Joseph’s father Samuel received a grant of 508 acres from Lord Granville in Rowan County, NC and the family moved from Virginia to North Carolina about 1758. Joseph Stewart is listed in the Rowan County Tax List of 1761 when he came of legal age. Joseph and Samuel are mentioned in the "Wachovia Diary" under date of 24 Aug 1761 in Stokes/Forsyth Co., NC this being a diary of the German Moravian sect which settled in Stokes, Forsyth and Surry Co., NC. In 1779, Joseph Stewart sold the land he had received by inheritance from his father in what was then Surry Co., NC and traveled westward. Tax lists show he was in Washington Co., NC now Tennessee for the years 1780 through 1783. By 1784 Joseph Stewart was in Jefferson Co., and court records show he was there as late as Aug 1796. The earliest date Joseph shows up in Overton/Jackson Co. is 1801. He and Thomas McBride are listed on old church minutes, 25 July 1801, as messengers from Roaring River Baptist Church to the Green River Association of Baptists in Barren County, KY. On 23 Sep 1823 Joseph Stewart received a land grant from the state of Tennessee. On 14 Feb 1824 an Overton Co. deed from Jesse Stewart to John Lee, refers to the will of Joseph Stewart wherein Jesse Stewart received land by virtue of the will. Thus it would appear that Joseph Stewart died between 23 Sep 1823 and 14 Feb 1824. Joseph Stewart married Sarah Gilbert and they had 12 children, all of whom came to Overton Co. with Joseph about 1800. The children are listed as follows with a few lines of biographical data when known.
1. Lydia b. ab. 1762 m. to Abraham Howard. Abraham died in Jefferson Co. 1795. Lydia had 8 children and she and the children moved to Madison Co., Ill before 1820. The Howards are prominently mentioned in "History of Madison Co., Illinois" Saline Township as being some of the earliest settlers. 2. Joseph Stewart Jr. b. ab. 1764. He may have been married twice, 1st to Sarah Copeland as LDS records show and 2nd to Jane or Jennie Davis. He left Overton Co. and lived in wilderness area of Bledsoe Co. in the 1820’s on land he had surveyed. In Aug 1827 he bought 55 acres of land on Roaring River from Caleb Willis. In Apr 1828 he sold the 55 acres to James Dodson, his brother-in-law. About this time he reportedly went to Johnson Co., Ark. The names of his children are not known but David K. Stewart b. Overton Co. 1813 and 3. William H. Stewart b. Overton Co. in 1823 may have been two of them. Margaret (Patsy) b. ab. 1768 m. to James Dodson. Very little is known about James Dodson except he seems to have been fervently religious as the minutes of the old Spring Creek Baptist Church had this entry for Apr 1845: "Brother James Dodson liberated to sing, pray, and exhort when he feels like doing so in the bounds of the church." Names of the children are not known except John Larkin Dodson who m. Mary Ann Curtis may have been connected. 4. Benjamin Stewart b. ab. 1772 d. 1847 Overton Co. m. twice 1st Sarah Davis 2nd Polly ? not Polly Mayfield as some sources show. Benjamin Stewart was a farmer and Baptist preacher and is mentioned several times in minutes of the old Spring Creek Baptist Church. He lived in Bledsoe Co. for a while on land he had surveyed in the wilderness area. He had 12 children, 9 by his 1st wife. His will is recorded in Overton Co. deed K-333 July 1841 which was later proven in Nov 1847, he left all his property to his wife Polly, but deeds do not show how Polly disposed of the lands she received. None of the children were in the will, and to date their names are not known. 5. John Stewart, b. ab. 1772 d. 1846 Overton Co., m. 1st Elizabeth Norris 2nd Keziah ?. They had at least 4 children: John C.; Melinda m. Wm. K. Wyatt; Robert; and Margaret m. Benjamin Whitehead. All of John’s descendants appear to have left Overton Co. shortly after he died. A descendant of Benjamin and Margaret Whitehead has turned up in Vine, Cal. 6. Nancy Stewart, b. 1775 d. in Overton Co. after 1850, did not marry. 7. Elizabeth Stewart b. ab. 1778 m. 1798 to John Raney, a Rev. War veteran. Elizabeth was his second wife. There were 6 or so children. One son William b. 1812 was married to Elvira Gist a daughter of Russell and Nancy Isham Gist. The John Raney family went to Independence Co., Ark. where he died in Feb. 1847, age 92. 8. Sarah Stewart b. ab. 1780 m. 19 Dec 1802 James Matthews. James was in the War of 1812 and his military records show he was killed in the battle at Talledega, Ala. On 9 Nov 1813. Sarah applied for a pension and listed 7 children. The children were: John Matthews m. Sarah Shookman-Shoukman; Sarah m. William G. Roberts an early tax collector of Overton Co.; Cynthia d. young; Lawrence m. Agnes Poston; Elizabeth m. Peter Fite; Nancy m. Caleb Cooper; and Dorcas m. Hiram Pitts. Other sources list other children as James, William, and a son who accidentally shot himself, but Sarah made no mention of them in her pension application of 12 Feb 1817. A Richard Matthews, 59, b. NC appears on the 1850 Pulaski Co., Missouri census. He is probably the same Richard Matthews who on Overton deed F-208 Apr 1830, deeded 150 acres on Roaring River to David Stewart and expected "one square rod including the grave of my father." The father may have been Lawrence Matthews and James and Richard brothers sons of Lawrence. 9. Samuel Stewart b. 15 Mar 1781 d. Overton Co. ab. 1822, m. Polly Kitchner. Children were: Sarah J. b. 1802 m. Joshua Stapp; John Gilbert b. 1811 m. 3 times 1st Margaret Copeland, 2nd Sarah Ruth Allison and 3rd Amanda Tennison; and Samuel B. b. 1815 m. Elizabeth W. Matthews. There was also a Benjamin K. Stewart b. 1808 closely connected with this family who quite likely was a son of Samuel also. 10. William Stewart b. ab. 1786 died in Lee County, Iowa in 1837 m. 1st Elizabeth VanHooser and 2nd Rebecca Lewellyn. Children of first wife were: Squire, Riley, Levi, William Jackson, and Urban Van. This family went to Madison County, Illinois, where some of the children joined the Mormon movement in its earliest stages and went on to Utah. A great number of descendants are to be found in the western part of the country. Levi Stewart for instance had 28 children by 3 wives although his second wife, Margery, and five children perished in a fort fire at Kanab, Utah. Morris Udall former Senator from Arizona and one time presidential candidate was a descendant of Levi Stewart. 11. Jesse Stewart, youngest child of Joseph and Sarah Gilbert Stewart b. July 1790 died ab. 1862, m. to Jemima West daughter of Stephen and Mary Belk West. Jesse Stewart was an early Baptist preacher and was ordained to preach according to Rev. J.H. Grime Baptist Historian at the old Roaring River church also known as "Twelve Corners." Incidentally the name "Twelve Corners," according to Mr. Mark Copeland who was familiar with the old church before it was torn down came from the architectural shape of the church that being in the shape of a cross, which of course has twelve corners. Children of Jesse Stewart and Jemima West were as follows: Janey b. 26 Feb 1813; Preston Stewart b. 12 July 1815 d. 20 Mar 1875 bur. Stewart Cem. In Putnam Co., Tn m. 10 May 1835 Jane Brown; Harrison b. 7 May 1817 d. 1 Jan 1893 bur. Smellage Cem., Putnam Co., Tn m. Sarah Brown; Hirum b. 30 Mar 1819; Enon b. 6 May 1821 m. 4 Jan 1845 White Co. to Sarina Cordle; Ceburn b. 10 Feb 1823 d. 19 Mar 1879 m. Dorinda Brown; Asa b. 19 Feb 1825 m. 17 Oct 1855 Sarah Davis; Anthony D. b. 21 Jan 1827 m. Mary A. ?; Erviney b. 22 Oct 1829 m. T.A. Porter; Levashure b. 17 Oct 1831 m. 5 Oct 1853 Angeline Finley; Almarinda b. 14 Jan 1834; Jemima b. 19 Jan 1836 m. 9 Dec 1864 in Todd Co., KY Francis Marion Seger; Mary b. 21 Feb 1838 d. 10 Aug 1874 m. B.A.W. Davis; and Sarah b. 1839.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ By Gilbert Stewart
It's an interesting thing to note; it was near 1780 before Daniel Boone had even moved into this area and had opened it up. So we do find that around 1784, Joseph and his family and Benjamin and other members, of the family had finally settled in Overton County, Tenn., on what is spoken of in the deed as "on Matthew’s Creek, on the banks of the Roaring River." I haven't been there, and I've always wanted to go, but I've talked to others that have been and there's a cemetery in this area called the "Roaring River Cemetery". We have a cousin that's been there and says that there are some stones that are still legible to the point that you can read 'Stewart' on it, but you can't find whether it was Joseph Stewart or his wife whose maiden name was Sarah Gilbert. They were married in North Carolina, or maybe prior to coming to North Carolina, in Virginia.
We've done a great deal of research trying to locate Sarah Gilbert's family, but as yet have not been able to. There were many Gilbert’s in North Carolina and some of them moved with the Stewart's when they went into Tennessee. As far as proving Sarah's parents, we've not been able to do that.
Sarah and Joseph had 12 children named: Lydia, born in 1763; Joseph Jr., born 1769; John; Benjamin (Died in 1841); Margaret; Nancy, born 1775; David, born 1778; Elizabeth, born 1771; Sarah, born 1780; Samuel born 1781; William, born abt. 1784; and Jesse the youngest in 1790. These dates are approximate. They had a very large family, and we find that they finally settled in Overton County, Tenn., before the turn of the century, and lived there for a number of years.
The Stewart Clan Magazine shows that Joseph received the rights to settle this land, a grant in 1784. However, according to Dr. Valentine, there is no way they could have settled in Overton County that early. The 1784 property spoken of was property in Bent Creek, Greene Co., Tennessee. Between 1784 and 1800, they were well established in Overton County, Tenn. They lived on this property that was on the Roaring River. It was here that Joseph and Lydia died and were buried. I think that they're buried in the cemetery that's almost adjacent to their property, known as the Roaring River Cemetery. There are some names in the cemeteries that are legible, some Stewart's, but the first name is not.
In 1806 or 1807 William Stewart, our progenitor, and Levi’s father, married Elizabeth Van Hooser from Madison County, Illinois. The Van Hooser’s lived in Tennessee and they earlier had lived in Augusta Co., Virginia. He took her to Tennessee or met her in Tennessee, perhaps. They lived in Tennessee and their first son Squire Stewart was born there in 1809. Their second son, Riley, was born in 1810, and our great-grand father Levi was born in 1812. William Jackson, 1814, and Urban Van Stewart 1817. The life that William and Elizabeth lived was an interesting one. They had evidently, marital problems, because along about the time their last son was born, they separated. About seven years later in 1824, William applied for a divorce, although there's no record of the divorce being final, he undoubtedly received a divorce from Elizabeth Van Hooser in 1824. Previous to this time he had been in Madison County, Ill., returning to Overton County, Tenn., in the year of 1824 to get the divorce.
We have never found records of William having owned property in Tennessee or elsewhere. A distant cousin, by the name of Jayce, or J.T., as he is called has helped. Recently we've gotten acquainted with him and through much correspondance and conversation on the phone have found that William Stewart, along with some of his brothers went in 1828 back into one of the counties adjacent to Overton Co. and took up property in which they had lived on their way into Overton County. On this property, according to the records, there was a lean-to shack they had built. They went back there and officially claimed and owned this property.
We don't know how long they were on it, but immediately following his divorce from Elizabeth, William married a girl by the name of Rebecca Lewellyn. Although they were on the property there in Tennessee in 1828, in the 1830 census they were back in Fayette Co., Illinois. (William was living next to Abraham and William Howard. They were his nephews, the sons of his oldest sister, Lydia Stewart Howard. The following is the 1830 Census of Fayette Co., Illinois:
1 male under 5; 1 male 5 and under 10; 1 male 40 and under 50 (This is William); 1 female under 5; 1 female 20 and under 30 (This is Rebecca Lewellyn)
(The 1836 Territorial Census of Iowa finds William living in Lee County, next to Joseph and William Howard, his sister Lydia’s children and grandchildren. The census reads:
2 males under 21; 1 male over 21 (This is William); 3 females under 21; 1 female over 21 (This is Rebecca Lewellyn) (The 1840 Census of Lee County, Iowa, page 413, lists a Widow Stewart, living next to Joseph and William Howard. The census reads: one male 10-15 yrs; one male 15-20 yrs; two females under 5 years; two females 5-10 years; one female 20-30 years (This is Rebecca Lewellyn)
We have done much researching, trying to find this second family of William and haven't been able to. In Levi's history it said that in 1840, Levi went to Des Moines, Iowa, where he was for some time. But in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City we found that Levi and his brother, William Jackson and their families were in Keokuk, Lee Co., Iowa. (By the 1850 Census, Rebecca is not longer living in Lee County, Iowa.) Now the interesting thing of it is that we think that William died in 1837, and yet Levi and William Jackson, his brother, felt inclined to go there. I personally think that maybe William was still alive in 1839. They went there to be with their father. We can find absolutely nothing about William, Sr., and where he lived and died from the time that he was in Madison County in 1830 until he died between then and the 1840 census that was taken in Keokuk, Iowa.
One of William and Elizabeth's daughters married into the Howard family. (Emily Catherine Stewart married John T. Howard, the grandson of Lydia Stewart Howard, William’s sister. The following is information that I have researched:
MARRIAGE: According to the Vol 1 Bk 2 of Early Marriages 1837-1851 of Lee Co., Iowa the handwritten record of the marriage of John T. Howard (21) and Emily Catherine Stewart (20) occurred on 17 Dec 1847. Benjamin Holland was the M.G. that married them. The marriage license was not issued until Feb 1848.
1850 CENSUS: John T. Howard was twenty five years old on the 1850 Lee Co., Iowa Census. Also states he married Emily Catherine Stewart.
1860 Census: John T. Howard was 34 years old in the 1860 Dallas Township, Marion County, Iowa Census p.797, dwelling 123, family #21 taken 12 July 1860. He and his wife Cath. (Emily Catherine Stewart) have five children. His occupation is a farmer, with real estate valued at $1,500 and personal property valued at $350. Joseph J., Martha A., and G.F. all were in school that year.
1870 Census: John T. Howard was 43 years old in the 1870 Dallas Township, Marion County, Iowa census taken 2 Aug 1870. He does not show a wife and only one child, Franklin who is nine months old. His three oldest children could have been married by 1870 but there is no record of Mary C. who would have been 13 and James A. who would have been 10. His occupation is a farmer, with real estate valued at $400 and personal property valued at $100. Census page 812/138, line 32, dwelling #980, family #18.)
It would be interesting, of course, to know the history of the lives of these people from that time down to the present. Sometime we may get acquainted with them, but presently it doesn't look like there's much chance to because we had a genealogist in Keokuk, Iowa that spent considerable time researching both the Keokuk court house and Fort Madison court house. Because records exist in both places, one to a certain date and the other from then on. But this genealogist made a thorough search of both court houses and could find absolutely nothing in the way of land or property that William and his family owned. Maybe they were in Des Moines and maybe there's record of them owning land there. But we have lost track of our grandfather William.
Levi was his son and we have the history of Levi for which I am very grateful, because of this new assignment that we have from the President of the church, it's very important that we have life histories of our progenitors as well as our own history. The thought that I have developed these last few years to a much greater extent than I ever had before, is how grateful I am for the people that lived and made possible the life which I have. I love these people. I am grateful to them for the things that they did, the moves that they made for different reasons. Some of which were taxes, some of them were the urge to move on to greener pastures, but always they were moving towards the church and it's organization. Because of the kind of men and women that they were, we could be brought into the church through the medium of the new and everlasting covenant. For this I am very grateful.
I never fail in my daily prayers to express unto my Father in Heaven, gratitude for the heritage which is mine From my father, David; my grandfather, William Thomas (Tommy); to Levi; to William and right on back the line to the people that brought to us the blood which flows in our veins. I will ever be grateful to them, not just of those through the Stewart line, but through that of our mothers and wives and the people that have made possible the beautiful conditions under which we live today.
I hope that this will be interesting to those of you who read it. It is not to be considered a genealogical work. Most of the dates I have given are accurate and substantiated, some are not. I appreciate those who have devoted so much time and effort into uncovering histories of these wonderful people, our progenitors.
I express unto all of you and especially to the young people, the testimony that I have. It is important that we challenge the strong influences that Satan has in our world, with lives of unwavering righteousness. If the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the ruling influence in our lives, we will do our part to carry on the fine example of integrity and honor which have been handed to us from our forebears. Then when we meet them on the other side, we can say that we have done nothing to mar the name which they gave us.
Joseph Stewart (b. 1725, d. Bef. 1810)
Notes for Joseph Stewart: