MORE SEXTON ASSUMPTIONS AND
RAMBLE
Teresa Martin Klaiber
May 2019
My last post concerned John and
Rebecca McDannald Sexton so would like to “think out loud” a bit more about
what I do and don’t know at the date of this ramble.
First and fore-most let me explain
that many working Sexton/Saxton families have more than one line, as does my
family. Over the years people have
grabbed at manuscript material without following documentation – repeating mistake
after mistake. It is easy to do and I
certainly don’t blame anyone. Guilty as
charged when trying to piece together what is fact & assumption. I write so others can take pieces and continue my
train of thought – or not.
The double lines I work on for my
family are Marcus Sexton,son of Elisha Sexton who married Catherine Sexton,
daughter of Bartlett Sexton.
Bartlett Sexton is the
son of Charles, son of John of Lunenburg County, Virginia, which is on the
southern border of Virginia. The
families migrate westward to Grayson County, Virginia.
Elisha appears to be the son of Jonathan who states
he was born in Loudoun County, Virginia.
Loudoun County is in the northern neck of Virginia on the Maryland
border.
Jonathan was in the Carolina’s during the Revolution
went back north, married Rebecca in Loudoun, migrated to Bath/Greenbrier then
on to Floyd County before finally being in Lawrence County, KY near Bells Trace.
This is what I know about Jonathan. After his residence in Winnsboro, Fairfield,
South Carolina (W26432 BLW 28630-160-55) he appears on the 1783 list of John Gibson
in Fairfax County, Virginia (Loudoun was formed in 1757 from Fairfax and is on
the Maryland border).
John
married Rebecca McDannald 23 August 1790 in Botetourt. He is 32 and already has
several children. Many researchers have
slaughtered Rebecca’s maiden name construing it with McDonald. Between 1797 and 1798 John/Jonathan
Sexton/Saxton and Rebecca have William Saxton (born 4 Mar 1797) and Elizabeth (both migrated to Ohio just
north of where Jonathan dies in KY).
John
appears on the Greenbrier County, Virginia tax list through 1805 along with an
older William Sexton having several more children (William Saxton migrates to
Cabell County, now West Virginia and settles having married Elizabeth Black).
Both
John and William live on what is called the Sexton Place next to the Sitlington
estate and the McDannald's have adjoinging lands. Rebecca’s sister Elizabeth McDannald
married Andrew Sitlington. By 1809 William Saxton (wife Elizabeth Black)
is in Cabell County. By 1814 John is in Floyd County, KY across the Sandy
from western Virginia. By 1818 William son
of John marries in Gallia County, Ohio. Rebecca is still living in Bath County, Virginia and when sister
Elizabeth McDannald Sitlington dies leaves Rebecca money stating none is to go to
John Sexton. John remarries in Floyd
County in 1822 (further research for a Bath county divorce or death of
Rebecca).
All
of these northern neck Sexton/Saxton’s end up in what is known as the tri-state
area – where KY, WV and OH come together with the Ohio and Big Sandy River.
Elisha
Sexton was born about 1774 and census indicates he was born in North
Carolina. He has been placed as the son
of John/Jonathan based on a written statement of a descendant now on file in
the James Taylor Collection at the Kegley Library. DNA of my family strongly supports Elisha’s
relationship of ½ brother to issues of John
and Rebecca McDannald which include John 1795-1860, William, Elizabeth, Joseph
L. and possibly Isaiah.
Both
Isaiah and Elisha are the muddy water.
How did they tumble into the migration pattern of Bartlett’s family
which appears to differ? That is Muddy
Water Puzzle #1.
I
am going to switch gears to what researchers now are calling the Willis research. Bartlett Sexton son of Charles, grandson of
John of Luenberg Parish.
Charles
is in a court case in 1768 in Charlotte County. sells his father’s land
originally in Lunenberg in Charlotte County 1772. Charlotte was created from Lunenberg
County.
This is where the water gets muddy again. Puzzle #2: “A” Charles and William (both sons
of John of Lunenberg?) appear on tax lists for Botatourt Parish, Fincastle
County 1769 to 1773. Fincastle was created in 1772 from Botatourt
County and abolished in 1776.
Without
rehash Charles ends up in Grayson County – that western migration from Lunenburg
and William of Grayson in Whitley along with others. Charles, William and John all serve in the 14th
during the Revolution. I also believe
that Timothy is related to the Lunenburg John and probably a brother to Charles
and the others, because of DNA established in my family lines.
Willis
researchers place Benjamin Sexton of Bath County, KY as Benjamin son of John of
Lunenburg. I am questioning this
assumption. DAR and early researchers
place Benjamin of Bath county as being born in Maryland. (Remember that
northern neck research!).
Researchers seem to totally ignore Daniel
Sexton born in New Jersey that appears in Lewis County, KY. No one has tackled who Matthew, Joseph, Daniel and John are in Loudoun who are bounded out in the late 1770's. And then we are haunted with the Charles and Nathaniel that do appear in Loudoun and are linked to what I simply call the Sexton New England manuscripts.
There is a Benjamin in Grayson County,
Virginia that marries 1806 to Nancy Taylor and has 5 children. Researchers have placed that Benjamin in
various family groups. Documents show he
dies in 1816. If I was to use assumption
I would place Benjamin of Bath county as contemporary with Jonathan who dies in
Lawrence County, Kentucky. That the Benjamin
who married Nancy Taylor in Grayson was an older man and possibly the son of
Lunenburg John. Further research is certainly needed.
How
are and when do the migrations of the Northern Neck Virginia + Maryland families
connect with the Lunenburg Virginia , TN and Carolina Sexton/Saxton’s?
I can add to the two Sexton/Saxton lines of hubby and children to the Harlan family which is my maternal lines. George Sexton born in Frederick County, Maryland just over that northern neck line married Sarah Harlan. It is a far stretch but Sarah Harlan Sexton is my 1 cousin 8 times removed.
I
am open to conversations and documentation concerning any of these lines. I also
want to thank so many fellow Sexton researchers including Dianne Peterson who
was a gatherer of material so many years ago, to Jim in Portsmouth and Cathy in
Colorado, Pat and Michael, Willis for rocking the boat, and so many of you that
are trying to get the placement correct.
DNA tells us what we already knew – blood is thicker than water.
Please
contact me for citations at deliverancefarm@gmail.com.
tk
