Descendants of David Dinsmore

Children of DAVID DINSMORE and MARGARET

are: i. MARY3 DINSMORE, m. NATHANIEL WOODRUFF; b. 1766, Surry Co., North Carolina; d. 1844, St. Charles, Hopkins Co., Kentucky.

Notes for MARY DINSMORE: Additional information on this family is from Catherine S. Monticue's website "Ratliff-Smith Genealogy," at freepages/genealogy/rootsweb.com~monticue. Note that Monticue does not give a child William. Monticue's webpage gives descendants of each line. Information is also from Monticue's July 2002 gedcom cited in file of Nathaniel Woodruff.

Notes for NATHANIEL WOODRUFF: NW is on the Surry Co., NC, tax list by 1771 along with his father and brother Thomas--see file of NW, Sr.

NW is on the 1784-7 NC state census in Surry Co., Capt. Wright's Distr., taken by Wm. Cook in Feb. 1786, wtih a while male 21-60, 6 wm under 21 and above 60, and 3 wf, with no slaves. (Or is this NW, Sr.?).

From the late 1780s forward, some of the documents cited as pertaining to NW's father may pertain to the son, instead--see file of NW, Sr.

On 1790 census in Spartanburg Co., SC, with a male 16+, 5 other males, and 2 females. This indicates he was m. prior to 1779. Could this possibly be the Nathaniel Woodruff who m. Catey Vick, daughter of John Vick, in Brunswick Co., VA, on 22 Dec. 1779? See file of Nathaniel Woodruff, Sr.

On 10 July 1792, James Wofford sold to NW land from a tract of 400 acres granted to Jospeh Brown on 2 April 1773 on Jamey's Creek, bordered east by John Keighler and all other sides by vacant lands, it being the west part of the tract. JW signed, with wit. David Bruton, Burwell Pace, Paul Castleberry (mark), and Samuel Woodruff. The deed was recorded 24 July 1800 (Spbg. DB G, pp. 42-3).

On 8 Aug. 1795, James Bruton deeded to NW 100 acres granted to JB on 3 Oct. 1785, bounded on east by land that NW then lived on, on west by Susanna Hemby, on the south by Burwell Pace, and on north by John Woodruff. The deed was signed by JB, and wit. by Burwell Pace, John Woodruff, and Samuel Woodruff (his mark), and recorded 24 July 1800 (Spbg. DB G, pp. 40-2).

Note that Burwell Pace m Lydia, a daughter of Moses Woodruff, NW's great-uncle. Samuel is evidently the brother of NW. Who is John?

19 Feb. 1796, NW was a buyer at estate sale of Dennis Lindsey, Spbg. Co. (bought a table and wearing clothes of DL)--see file of Dennis Lindsey.

Phifer, "Upstate Ancestors," p. 4, cited in file of Nathaniel Woodruff, Sr., p. 5, says that NW disappears from the census in Spartanburg Co., SC, by 1800, and probably moved elsewhere.

But note that a NW who would seem to be this Nathaniel appears in Spartanburg Co. deed records after 1800: see below.

On 14 Oct. 1800, John and Margaret Dinsmore sold to NW 82 acres on Jamey's Creek, waters of Tyger River, out of a grant to John Kieghler, with John Dinsmore signing and Margaret making her mark. Wit. were David Bruton, John Woodruff, and James Taylor (Spbg. DB L, p. 95). Note that John Dinsmore's wife Phebe may have been a Woodruff (see his file), and that John Dinsmore's sister Mary Jane married Mark, son of Dennis Lindsey, closely associated with the Woodruff and Bruton families (see files of Dennis and Mark Lindsey). In addition, David and Margaret Dinsmore, parents of John and Mary Jane, may also have had a daughter Mary who married a Samuel Nathaniel Woodruff born in 1766--see file of David Dinsmore. Is this the NW who was son of Nathaniel? If so, he went to Hopkins Co., KY, dying there in 1844.

Note that David Dinsmore had purchased the preceding tract from John Kissler/Keighler, who is mentioned in the 1792 deed of James Wofford to Nathaniel Woodruff as a neighbor of NW.

Various records indicate that John and Margaret Dinsmore were selling the land of David Dinsmore in 1800 to move to Wayne Co., KY, with Mary Jane Dinsmore and Mark Lindsey. They settled on land claimed by George Bruton in Wayne Co.

Is this the NW who was dismissed by letter from the Jamey's Creek Baptist church at Woodruff, SC, in 1805?

On 22 Feb. 1806, NW bought from William Lindsey and Rachel his wife 38 acres on a branch of Ferguson's Creek where Samuel Woodruff's line crossed the branch, with WL signing by mark and Rachel signing by deed, and with wit. John Crocker, Thomas Woodruff, and Joseph Woodruff. The deed was recorded 1 Jan. 1810 (Spbg. DB M, p. 157). Was NW living in Spbg. Co. at the time? The original deed needs to be checked. I believe that this William was uncle to the Mark Lindsey who m. Mary Jane Dinsmore, being a son of William's brother Dennis.

15 Sept. 1807 deed of James McGowan to John Lindsey, Spbg. Co., notes that the land being sold on Two Mile Creek of the Enoree bordered Samuel Woodruff s and w and Nathaniel Woodruff on the north. See file of John Lindsey who m. Jemima Woodruff.

13 Feb. 1809, NW and William Lindsey Allen sold to Shands Golightly, all of Spbg. Co., 22 acres on branches of Jamey's Creek of Tygar River, with Wm. Lindsey, Wm. Shackelford, and James Wofford wit., Allen and Woodruff signing. Shackelford gave oath 12 May 1810 and the deed was recorded 7 Jan. 1811 (Spbg. DB M, pp. 339-40--Pruitt, p. 430).

22 March 1809: mentioned in deed of Wm. Lindsey Allen to Samuel Woodruff (NW's brother). The deed says that the land sold by Allen was on Jamey's Creek, bordering Nathaniel Woodruff and Joseph Woodruff (brother). The deed was wit. by Thomas Woodruff III and Josiah Woodruff and Robert Alexander. Josiah is son of Thomas, brother to Nathaniel and Joseph. Thomas III is probably the son of Joseph. Note that Robert Alexander wit. the loyalist claim of David Dinsmore, father of Mary Dinsmore who m. NW; Mary's sister Mary Jane m. Mark Lindsey, possibly the step-son of Wm. Lindsey Allen. See file of Wm. L. Allen.

On 29 March 1810, NW gave power of attorney to William Lindsey Allen, signing as Nathaniel Woodruff, Srr., with Wm. Shackelford and Jonathan Moore wit. (Spbg. DB M, p. 241). If this is NW, son of Nathaniel, would he have signed as Sr. because his first cousin Nathaniel, son of Thomas, had come of age by this time? The NW who was son of Nathaniel was definitely the elder, the other NW having been b. in 1775.

Note that Wm. Lindsey Allen is a son of John Peter Allen and Elizabeth Lindsey, Elizabeth's sister Anna having married NW's brother Joseph. After the death of Dennis Lindsey, father of Mark, discussed above, William Lindsey married Mary (Calvert?), the widow of Dennis. In addition, Samuel Woodruff, a son of Joseph Woodruff and Anna Lindsey, m. Mary Allen, a sister of Wm. Lindsey Allen, and Mary Woodruff, a sister of Samuel, m. James, another sibling of Wm. L. and Mary Allen.

26 Apr. 1815 deed of Jemima Woodruff Lindsey, Spbg. Co., SC, to Matthew Allen of same, mentions that the land between Tyger and Enoree Rivers on both sides of Two-Mile Creek bordered Nathaniel Woodruff on west and Samuel Woodruff on west. See file of Jemima Woodruff.

According to descendant Denise Gaines of Weatherford, TX, a Samuel Nathaniel Woodruff was b. in 1766, married Mary Dinsmore in Spartanburg Co., SC, and d. in 1844 in Hopkins Co., KY. Gaines says that it is believed that SNW and Mary Dinsmore had 5-6 children, who may include Mary K. Woodruff, b. 18 Dec. 1792, Spbg. Co., SC, m. Joseph Woodruff; John Willis Woodruff, b. 4 Aug. 1793, Spbg. Co., SC, d. 15 Sept. 1864, Hopkins Co., KY (m. Frances Davis); David Woodruff, b. 1789-90, d. May-Oct. 1841 (m. Elizabeth Jones); Virginia Woodruff, b. 1800, Hopkins Co., KY (m. John Keyser); William Woodruff; and Hiram Woodruff. Notice the name John Keyser; is this a relative (or son?) of the John and Hannah Kissler/Keighler who sold land to David Dinsmore?

Note that the age of this Samuel Nathaniel fits very well into the family of Nathaniel Woodruff, Sr., and that the Nathaniel, Jr., of Spartanburg Co., SC, did apparently leave SC sometime after 1800. Note, however, that Denise Gaines says that NW's daughter Virginia was b. in Hopkins Co., KY, while the NW who was son of Nathaniel appears to have been in Spartanburg Co., SC, as late as 1810.

In July 2002, Catherine Monticue (see file of Mary Dinsmore) emailed me a gedcom file of this family. It refers to NW as Samuel Nathaniel, and says he d. at St. Charles, KY.

ii. JOHN DINSMORE, b. 15 Sep 1774, Craven Co., South Carolina; d. 16 Dec 1858, Lawrence Co., Alabama; m. PHEBE, Abt. 1800, Spartanburg Co.?, South Carolina?; b. 1770, North Carolina; d. Aft. 1830, Lawrence Co.?, Alabama?.

Notes for JOHN DINSMORE: John Dinsmore's date of birth is implied, and his date of death given, in his obituary in MOULTON DEMOCRAT, 24 Dec. 1858, which reads as follows: "Died at the residence of his son, David Lewis Dinsmore, Esq., on Thursday the 16th of December 1858, Mr. John Dinsmore, an old and respected citizen--aged 84 years 3 months and 1 day" (as cited, Myra Thrasher Borden, abs., FOOTPRINTS IN TIME: ABSTRACTS FROM LAWRENCE COUNTY, ALABAMA, NEWSPAPERS, 1855-90, p. 29; see also Foide J. Williams, abs., "The Moulton Democrat 1858," OLD LAWRENCE REMINISCENCES 6 [1992], p. 118). I have placed his birth in Craven Co., SC, because that is where his father, David Dinsmore, patented land in 1767, and where his mother Margaret was living with him until 1800 (see files of both David and Margaret Dinsmore).

The information sheet for the Owens biography of William Lewis Dinsmore (see WLD's file for details) says that his grandfather John Dinsmore was of Wayne Co., KY, and spent the latter part of his life in Morgan Co., AL.

The first record I can find for John Dinsmore is his co-deed of land on 28 Aug. 1800 with his mother Margaret in Spartanburg Co., SC (for details, see her file). This deed is strong evidence that John is a son of David and Margaret Dinsmore, since he is obviously deeding land that he and his mother inherited from David Dinsmore, as a preparation to selling out in order to move to Wayne Co., Kentucky, with his mother. It is also worth noting that John Dinsmore named a son--perhaps his oldest son, though I am not sure I have a complete list of John Dinsmore's children--David. Finally, the move of Margaret Dinsmore to Wayne Co., Kentucky, indicates that John was her primary support (see his file for details on this).

On 14 July 1801, John Dinsmore claimed 150 acres in Wayne Co., Kentucky (Wayne Co. Court Order Bk. A, p. 17). At the county's November court in the same year, John Dinsmore was granted 8 pounds for the pelt of a wolf he had killed (ibid., p. 23). Shortly after this, John Dinsmore relinquished the claim he had made on 14 July; the reason for this relinquishment is not recorded, but the second entry names the claim as certificate #244 (ibid., p. 29).

Merrill, JEFFERSON'S NEPHEWS, p. 113 (cited in file of Ezekiel C. Green) notes that the bounty placed on wolves in pioneer KY was an attempt to control the wolf population, since wolves were troublesome predatory animals in the state. To claim the bounty, a hunter had to present the wolf's scalp or head and give oath that the wolf had been destroyed, and the pelt was not merely a scrap of hide from another wolf.

By 1801, John Dinsmore begins to appear in Wayne Co. tax books. In 1801, he is taxed (1801 Tax Bk., p. 2) on 24 Dec. for 2 horses; this indicates that he was not yet a landowner. By 1802, he shows up as a landowner (p. 7, 13 Aug.), with 200 acres on Otter Creek and 1 horse. He continues to appear in the tax records from this date until 1820, always with the same 200 acres on Otter Creek (1803, p. 7, 9 Aug.; 1804, p. 11, 1 Aug.; 1806, p. 10, 21 Apr.; 1807, p. 9, 22 May; 1808, p. 7, 10 Aug.; 1809, p. 9; 1810, p. 9, 2 June; 1812, p. 25; 1814, p. 4; 1815, p. 15; 1816, p. 3; 1817, p. 23; 1820, p.--).

The tax records are revealing. In 1807, John Dinsmore begins to be taxed for another 100 acres which the records specify was a tract Margaret Dinsmore had entered. This entry alone is proof that John was the son and heir of Margaret, who had evidently died in the preceding year (see her file). In the same year, John Dinsmore is also taxed for 8 slaves. It is tempting to think that he had bought these slaves with money he inherited from his mother. After this, he appears to have sold 7 of the slaves, since 1 slave regularly appears in his taxation entries up to 1820. The 100 acres appears and disappears from his tax entries in the 1807-20 period.

John Dinsmore is also listed as a grantee in the volume KENTUCKY LAND GRANTS, ed. Willard Rouse Jillson (Louisville: Standard, 1925). This source states that he received a grant for 200 acres on Otter Creek in Wayne Co. on 24 July 1807, citing "Kentucky Grants South of Green River, Bk. 12, p. 109. I am of the opinion that Jillson misread 1801 as 1807, since John Dinsmore first appears on the Wayne Co. tax records with 200 acres in 1802, as we have seen, and never owns other land in the county, with the exception of the 100 acres of his mother, after that date.

On 17 Mch. 1810, JD was named constable of Wayne Co., Abraham Vanwinkle giving security (Wayne Ct. Order Bk. A, 162).

John Dinsmore appears (as John Dunsmore) in Wayne Co. on the 1810 census (p. 371), with 1 son under ten years and two daughters 10-16 years of age. John and his wife are both listed in the 26-45 age group. Note that on the same page, four houses away, is a James Woodruff with 1 male 25-45, 1 female 10-16, and a female 26-45. According to Nell Clem (see below), he paid taxes on the land of Margaret Dinsmore after the latter's death. Could he have m. a sister of John? Is he the father of the Thomas Woodruff with whom JD was living in 1850?

John Dinsmore is very likely the John Dinsmore who enlisted on 12 Oct. 1812 in Capt. George Stockton's company of the 3rd Ky. Regiment Mounted Rifles in the War of 1812. On the same day, a John Lindsey, whom I cannot place, but who must be related to John's brother-in-law Mark Lindsey, enlisted. Henry Clay was a 2nd lieutenant in this unit.

The next record I find for John Dinsmore is his letter of permission for his son Samuel to be married on 28 March 1816 in Wayne Co. to Rebecca Wolfscales. The letter is dated 25 March, and informs the county clerk that he has John Dinsmore's permission to grant "a Pair of Lisons" to his son to marry. I can find no other record of this Samuel Dinsmore. Why does the 1810 census not show two sons in John Dinsmore's household, since we know from other sources that he had a son David Lewis Dinsmore?

Note that the marriage of Samuel and Rebecca was performed by Rev. Elliott Jones, who appears in the 1819 deed of Robert Gillespie to Thomas Brooks as a trustee of the Methodist church in Wayne Co.--see file of Thomas Brooks. This indicates that this branch of the Dinsmore family were Methodists. Elliott Jones also performed the marriage of Peggy Dinsmore to James Hail, discussed below.

An article about Elliott Jones and his descendants, by D. Costner (4137 Summerwood Ave., Orlando, FL 32812), is in THE HERITAGE OF LAWRENCE CO., AL (Clanton, AL: Heritage Publ. Consultants, 1997), pp. 162-3. This says he was b. in 1764, pr. in VA, and d. 16 Dec. 1841 in Lawrence Co., AL, where he is buried in the Watson Cem. just outside of Moulton.

John Dinsmore may be the John Dinsmore of Wayne Co., TN [sic] who recorded a certificate at the Huntsville, AL, land office on 20 Oct. 1818 for land in section 1, township 7, range 7 west (see Marilyn Davis Barefield, comp., OLD HUNTSVILLE LAND OFFICE RECORDS AND MILITARY WARRANTS, 1810-1854 [Easley, SC: Southern Hist. Press, 1985], p. 122, citing Ledger 127, Huntsville Land Office Register of Certificates, 1818-20). The claimant immediately above JD is Andrew Jackson.

In 1820, John Dinsmore is again in Wayne Co. (p. 97), with the same list of children, whose ages are in the categories ten years older than in 1810. He and his wife have also advanced into the 45 and upwards category.

On 26 Feb. 1821, John and his wife Phebe Dinsmore sold their land in Wayne Co. in order to move to Lawrence Co., Alabama. This deed is a valuable source of information, since it is the only document I have been able to find that gives the name of John's wife. The land was the 200 acres on Otter Creek; the deed specifies that the land bears the survey date of 24 July 1809, which creates another wrinkle regarding the Jillson abstract cited above. I still believe that the land was John Dinsmore's as early as 1802. The land was sold to Isaac Huffaker, who came from a prominent Methodist family into which the Brooks family of Wayne Co. married (John Dinsmore's sister Mary Jane, who married Mark Lindsey, had a son Dennis who married Jane Brooks, daughter of Rev. Thomas Brooks and Sarah Whitlock of Wayne Co.). Both John and Phebe Dinsmore signed the deed, indicating that they were literate. The deed was proven and recorded on the date the land was sold.

Lawrence Co., Alabama, records may have more information on John and Phebe Dinsmore. I haven't searched these carefully, since John Dinsmore is not my direct line. I suspect that the couple moved to Lawrence Co. shortly after 1821. They were definitely in Lawrence Co. in 1830, since they are on the census there in John Gladd's district (p. 270), with a son aged 20-30 in the household. John's and Phebe's age is given as 50-60. One slave is also listed--most likely, the one who is on the Wayne Co. tax lists for John Dinsmore. On the same page are a Thomas Kyle and a Sarah Kyle. I assume Phebe Dinsmore died in Lawrence Co. between 1830 and the death of John Dinsmore in 1858.

JD appears in the June 1830 Lawrence Co. Orphans Ct. Minutes (Bk. C, p. 14). The record is an appeal of JD and Mark Lindsey to have a guardian appointed for John and Thomas Woodruff, orphan children of James Woodruff. The court minutes note that JD and Mark Lindsey thought that the mother of the children was not "calculated" to raise them in a proper manner, and the children had been hired out and ill-treated by their employers. Evan Murphy was appointed guardian. The only reason I can think of for JD and Mark Lindsey to be made guardians of these children is if their mother was a sister to John Dinsmore and Mark Lindsey's wife Mary Jane; Mark and John would have been filing petition as the uncles of the two boys. Could the sister have died and James have remarried before his death around 1830? See files of James Woodruff and his wife on these possibilities.

An Evan Murphy m. Isabella Gold in Lawrence Co. on 18 Feb. 1836. An Evan Murphy, b. 1792, SC, d. Tyler Co., TX, is said to have m. Matilda Chote in Tishomingo Co., MS, on 12 Aug. 1840, per the LDS IGI Ancestral File.

Evan Murphy is on the 1830 census in Lawrence Co., p. 277, with 2 males under 5, 2 males 5-10, 2 males 10-15, 1 male 15-20, a male 30-40, and 1 f. under 5, 2 f. 10-15, 2 f. 15-20, and 1 f. 30-40. Note that this would fit the age of the Evan b. 1792 in SC.

In a 16 Aug. 1998 email message to me, Nell Clem ([email protected]) tells me she has found records in Wayne Co., KY, showing that after the death of Margaret, mother of John Dinsmore, James Woodruff paid taxes on her land. This indicates a close relationship between this Woodruff family and the Dinsmores. On the possibility that Phebe, wife of John Woodruff, was a Woodruff, see her file.

On the 1850 census, John Dinsmore appears in the household of Thomas and Sarah Woodruff in Lawrence Co. (fam. 588/dwel. 588, 84th Distr.). Thomas Woodruff is aged 31, born KY, and Sarah is aged 21, b. Alabama. Thomas Woodruff is next door to David Lewis Dinsmore, John Dinsmore's son John (see his file for details). This Thomas Woodruff would appear to be the Thomas of the 1830 guardianship record. The 1850 slave census for Lawrence Co. shows JD owning 8 slaves.

Is the Peggy Dunmore who m. James Hail/Hale in 1819 in Wayne Co., KY, a daughter of John? Note that a JD was surety for the marriage.7

Notes for PHEBE: All my information on Phebe Dinsmore is in the file of her husband, John Dinsmore. On the 1880 census, son David Lewis Dinsmore reports she was b. in NC. I speculate that she m. John Dinsmore in Craven Co., SC (i.e., Spartanburg Co.).

I have a hunch that Phebe was a Woodruff, but have not proven this. The given name Phebe does appear in the Spartanburg Co. Woodruffs, they seem to be closely connected to the Lindsey family which was intermarried with the Dinsmores, on the 1850 census John and Phebe Dinsmore's son David Lewis Dinsmore has Woodruff children in his household and lives next door to Thomas Woodruff, in whose house DLD's father is enumerated. In 1830, John Woodruff appealed (with Mark Lindsey) for a guardian to be appointed for this Thomas Woodruff and his brother John. Note, too, that when John and Margaret Dinsmore sold David Dinsmore's land in Spartanburg Co., they sold it to Nathaniel Woodruff.

iii. JAMES DINSMORE, b. Bet. 1770 - 1780.

Notes for JAMES DINSMORE: I do not have proof positive that this is a son of David Dinsmore, but for my reasons for placing him as a son, see file of David.

He is on the Morgan Co., AL, 1840 census, p. 32, with 0-0-0-0-1 m and 2-0-0-1-0-0-0 f and 1 slave. Note that he is not on the 1850 census in Morgan Co., AL, so he may have d. in that time frame. Nor is there any Dinsmore family on the 1850 census there who appears to be his widow and children. Note that in 1840, he is beside John McDaniel and Thomas R.C. Gibson, boht family names associated with the cluster of families intermarried with the Dinsmores of Lawrence Co.

But if this is a son of DD, where is he in 1830 and before that time frame?

iv. MARY JANE DINSMORE, b. 1779, 96 Distr., South Carolina; d. 10 Mar 1853, Oakville, Lawrence Co., Alabama; m. MARK LINDSEY, Abt. 1791, Spartanburg Co., South Carolina; b. 1773, Spartanburg Co., South Carolina; d. 10 Apr 1847, Crowdabout, Morgan Co., Alabama.

Notes for MARY JANE DINSMORE: Mary Jane Dinsmore Lindsey's tombstone is still standing in the Lindsey cemetery on the old Dennis Lindsey farm near Oakville in the Moulton Valley in eastern Lawrence Co., Alabama. The tombstone, which I have seen, has the following inscription: "Mary Lindsey departed this life March 10, 1853, aged 74 years." Since Mary Jane Dinsmore was the daughter of David and Margaret Dinsmore, who came from Northern Ireland to Craven Co. (later 96 District, then Spartanburg Co.), S.C., in 1767, she would have been born in 96 District in 1779. For a printed source that has enumerated the tombstones in the Lindsey cemetery, and recorded their inscriptions, see CEMETERIES OF LAWRENCE CO., ALABAMA (details about this are in Mark Lindsey file).

Since Mark Lindsey appears on the tax list in Wayne Co., Kentucky, by 1801, I think that Mary Jane Dinsmore must have moved with her husband from Spartanburg Co., S.C., to Ky. in 1800 (for details, see file of Mark Lindsey). Since her oldest son Dennis was born in Spartanburg Co., S.C., in 1794, she must have married Mark Lindsey in that county before 1794--probably between 1790, when she seems to be in the household of her mother Margaret Dinsmore--and 1794 (see file of Dennis Lindsey for details about his year of birth, and of Margaret Dinsmore for census information). Finally, since John Dinsmore and his mother Margaret sold the land of David in Dinsmore in 1800 in Spartanburg Co., S.C., and show up in Wayne Co., Ky., records in 1801, it seems that Mark and Mary Jane Dinsmore moved with John Dinsmore, his wife Phebe, and his mother Margaret to Wayne Co. in 1800.

I have no absolute proof that Mary Jane Dinsmore is a daughter of David and Margaret Dinsmore. However, I have abundant circumstantial evidence. She and Mark Lindsey named a son David Dinsmore Lindsey. And, as I have noted above, her migration pattern--from Spartanburg Co., S.C., to Wayne Co., Ky., to Lawrence Co., Ala.--precisely matches that of John Dinsmore, who is certainly a son of David and Lawrence Dinsmore (on this, and on his sale of land with Margaret Dinsmore in Spartanburg Co., S.C., see files of John and Margaret Dinsmore).

On 14 Oct. 1819, Mark Lindsey and Mary Jane Dinsmore sold their land in Wayne Co., Ky., where they lived on Beaver Creek from 1801 until 1819, in preparation for moving to Lawrence Co., Alabama. They seem to have moved shortly after this to Lawrence Co., where they settled near what became the town of Oakville on a branch of the Flint River. For details of the 1819 Wayne Co. deed, see file of Mark Lindsey.

On the 1850 census, Mary Jane Dinsmore appears in the home of her son David Dinsmore Lindsey in 8th district of Lawrence Co., Ala. (for details, see file of DDL). Her age is given as 71, which corresponds with the information on her tombstone, and her place of birth as S.C. She is literate.

Mary Jane Dinsmore Lindsey left an estate in Lawrence Co. At the March, 1853, probate court in Lawrence Co., her son Fielding Wesley applied for the administration of the estate and was appointed administrator; his brother David Dinsmore Lindsey gave bond, along with James J. Irwin. At the same court term, John Keith (?spelling), James B. Speak, and Darius Lynch were ordered to appraise the estate (Lawrence Co. Probate Orphans' Ct. Bk. A, 1850-60, p. 446).

The sale of the property is recorded in Lawrence Co. Inventory and Wills Record Bk. A, pp. 224-5. Buyers at the sale were primarily Mary Jane Lindsey's two surviving sons and grandson John Wesley Lindsey, oldest son of her deceased son Dennis. The items sold suggest that Mary Jane was a widow in modest, but comfortable, circumstances at the time of her death--perhaps living with or near her son Fielding W. Lindsey. (For details about the indebtedness of Mark Lindsey at the time of his death, see his file). Among the items sold were a lot of books, suggesting that Mary Jane Dinsmore Lindsey was literate--unless these were books of her husband and children and various items of clothing (a dress patron? and cape), furniture (2 beds with their furniture, a table, bureau, and chest), and household goods (4 counterpains, 5 coverlets, 6 quilts). These items were almost all purchased by her sons and grandson. The sale was held 29 April 1853.

John Knox, A HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY, ALABAMA (Decatur, AL: Decatur Printing Co., 1967), p. 126, stats that Mary Jane Dinsmore was born in Ireland. Knox states that MJD was Mark Lindsey's spouse, and died at the age of 74 in 1835. As I have noted above, MJD's tombstone states that she was 74 years old at death, but that she died in 1853, not 1835. This would place her birth in the year 1779, after her parents immigrated to the U.S. She could have been born in Ireland only if her mother returned there for a period after her immigration to America. I doubt that this occurred. In my view, Knox is repeating a family story that has conflated two generations of family history: it is true that MJD was the daughter of a Northern Irish immigrant, but she herself was not Irish-born. As I have also noted, the 1850 census gives her place of birth as S.C.

More About MARY JANE DINSMORE: Burial: Lindsey Family Cem., Lawrence Co., Alabama

Notes for MARK LINDSEY: ML appears in an 11 Apr. 1796 account of notes held by the estate of Dennis Lindsey, Spartanburg Co., SC--this is in an account of book notes. See file of Dennis Lindsey, d. 1795, Spartanburg Co., SC.

Wayne Co. ct. order bk. for Nov. 1801 show that on 16 Nov. ML was ordered with Joseph Ming and George Bruton to view a road from Monticello to Vanwinkle's Mill. (Who is the Isaac Lindsey who entered 100 acres in Wayne Co. in Sept. 1803--order bk. p. 61? A Charles Lindsey appears on the same page). Note that the Dinsmore family had sold its land in Spartanburg Co., SC, in Aug. 1800, evidently as they planned to move to Wayne Co., KY, and that they also appear in Wayne Co. by 1801. This makes it highly likely that ML moved with wife Mary Jane, her mother Margaret and brother John and his family, to Wayne Co. in the fall of 1800.

ML apparently received a June 1801 certificate for land in Wayne Co., KY--see his Oct. 1819 deed to Evin Wright as he and wife Mary Jane sold their land in Wayne Co. to move to AL. This deed refers to a certificate 119 granted by the Wayne Co. court in June 1801 for the survey of 100 acres on George Bruton's line. On ML's connection to George Bruton, see below.

At Nov. term of court, 1801, Wayne Co., KY, ML was ordered, along with Joseph Ming and George Bruton, to view a road to run from the town of Monticello to Vanwinkle's mill and make a report (Wayne Ct. Order Bk. A, p. 23).

ML is on a 26 Nov. 1801 tax list in Wayne Co., KY, for 1 white male over 21 and a horse (p. 5). Note that, if he did receive a land certificate earlier in the year, in Nov., he was not taxed for land.

On 12 Aug. 1802, ML was taxed for 100 acres on Beaver Creek entered by George Bruton, a while male over 21, and a horse (1802 Wayne Tax List, p. 14). Note that this seems to be the land he sold in 1819.

Note that Mark's father Dennis Lindsey apparently died with his land in Spartanburg Co., SC, mortgaged to George Bruton. Did Mark go to Wayne Co., KY, to work for George Bruton to satisfy the debt of his father?

George Bruton was in Wayne Co., KY, by 1804, when he sold 100 acres on both sides of Beaver Creek and the Cumberland with wife Martha to Thomas Summers (DB A, pp. 73-5; rec. 11 Apr. 1804).

On 23 July 1828 Eliza, d/o George Bruton, m. Daniel Sandusky in Wayne Co. The marriage file has a note from George Bruton giving permission for the marriage, which was performed by Rev. Thomas Brooks, two of whose daughters m. sons of Mark Lindsey.

Note that in Sept. 1803, an Isaac and Charles Lindsey entered land in Wayne Co., KY, per the county order book (Order Bk. A, p. 61, #521, 523).

In 1803, ML was again taxed for 100 acres on Beaver Creek entered by Geo. Bruton (#2 land), and the male over 21, with two horses.

Certificates for land in Wayne Co., KY, 1803-6, show no Lindsey listings. Yet note that ML's 1819 sale of his Wayne Co. land says that he had a certificate for this land from Wayne Co. court in June 1801. According to KY Hist. Soc., EARLY KY TAX RECORDS (Baltimore: Genel. Publ. Co., 1984), ML appears on the Wayne Co., KY, tax list in 1801. I have not checked the original records.

In 1804, ML appears on the Wayne tax list with 100 acres on Beaver Creek entered by Bruton (now #3 land), and a white male 21+, with 2 horses. The 1805 tax list for Wayne is too light to read on microfilm.

On 24 Feb. 1805, ML pat. 100 acres on Beaver Creek in Wayne Co.; this was a KY land grant south of Green River--see Willard Rouse Jillson, THE KY LAND GRANTS (Louisville: Standard, 1925), citing patent book 10, p. 214. Jillson's introduction expolains that these patents were sometimes known as Headright Claims, and were based on an act of the KY Assembly of 21 Dec. 1795. When KY became a state and took charge of vacant lands, the area south of Green River was opened up to any persons with families, the husband being over 21. One could patent not less than 100 and more than 200 acres, and had to have been a bona fide settler on the land for a year before taking possession of it. Is the land ML was patenting the same land he is taxed for in 1802, and the land he sold in 1819? Note that the 1806 tax list still shows him with only 100 acres.

On 21 Apr. 1806, ML was taxed in Wayne for 100 acres of #3 land on Beaver Ck. entered by Bruton, with a while male 21+ and 3 horses.

On 22 May 1807, ML was taxed for 100 acres of #3 land on Beaver Ck. entered by Bruton, a while male 21+, and 4 horses. There is a second 1807 tax list for Wayne later in the year, but it is too light to be read.

On 14 June 1808, ML was taxed in Wayne Co. for the same land and poll, with 5 horses (p. 14).

In 1809, ML was taxed for the same land and poll, with 6 horses (p. 13).

On the 1810 census, ML is in Wayne Co., KY, p. 366, with a male 10-16, a female to 10, a female 26-45, and a female over 45. Note that little of this information fits what we know of ML's family at this period from other sources.

On 17 June 1810, ML was taxed for 100 acres (same as previously), a white male 21+, and 4 horses (p. 17).

In 1811, ML was taxed for the same land and poll, with 5 horses (Wayne Tax List, 1811, p. 21).

In 1812, ML was taxed in Capt. Vickery's 53rd regiment, Wayne Co., for a white male 21+ and 3 horses; note that no land is listed, but the following year, his 100 acres re-appears, so the lack of land must have been the tax recorder's oversight (p. 29).

On 20 Nov. 1813, ML bought an axe from the estate of Edward Ryan, Wayne Co., KY.

In 1814, ML is taxed for 100 acres on Otter Creek (but this is evidently the Beaver Creek land) in Wayne Co., a white male 21+, 3 horses, with the land valued at $2/acre and the studs valued at $400 (p. 3). On the same page is a John Lindsey with a white male over 21 and a horse, studs valued at $230. Who is this John? Both are in 53rd Regiment, Capt. Vickery's district. Note that this is the same year in which ML's son Dennis first begins to appear on the tax list.

In 1815, ML appears on the Wayne Co. tax list with the same land, the same poll, and 3 horses, the land valued at $3/acre and the studs at $450 (p. 2, Capt. Vickery). Son Dennis is on the same page.

The 28 Feb. 1997 e-mail message from Margaret Austin tells me that at the estate sale of Isaac Summers, 18 Sept. 1815, Wayne Co., KY, ML bought a cow and calf for $8 and a sorrel mare for $40.

In 1816, ML is again in Capt. Vickery's district, Wayne, with the same land (valued at $0?), 1 poll, and 3 horses, the studs being valued at $450 (p. 3). Son Dennis is now in Capt. McWhorter's district, in which his uncle John Dinsmore lives.

19 Feb. 1816: ML wit. the indenture of Catherine, John, Andrew Bartleson and Elizabteh Ryan to Wm. Bartleson for 200 acres from a survey on Beaver Creek dated 16 May 1799, on the corner of George Bruton's survey and Elliott Jones's land. Note that Elliott Jones was the minster who married ML's son Dennis to Jane Brooks.

I don't find ML on the 1817 tax list in Wayne Co., and the 1818 is lost. He does not appear thereafter. Does this mean that he did, in fact, move to AL in 1817 with son Dennis, and is listed as a resident of Wayne Co. in his 1819 sale of land there only because he returned to sell the land?

On 13 Oct. 1819, ML and wife Mary sold to Evan Wright, all of Wayne Co., KY, for $240 which had been paid in cash and a receipt given, a tract of land, 100 acres (smudged here, so this may not be correct) lying on Beaver Creek and granted by Wayne Co. court in June 1801, certificate 119. The land bordered George Bruton's headright survey on the west. The deed is wit. by Richard Simmons and Adam Vickery, and signed by Mark and Mary Lindsey. On 21 Feb. 1820, Simmons and Vickery proved the deed and the deed was recorded. This appears to be Mark and Mary's final land sale in Wayne Co., and Mary's signature on the deed suggests that the couple were planning their move to AL at this time. Note that in this period, migrating settlers generally moved in the fall after their crops had been gathered in and before winter weather set in. If ML's disappearance from the tax list by 1817 means, however, that he had already left KY by that year, then the 1819 land sale may have been post factum. I have a photocopy of the original deed.

Note that the preceding tract of land seems to be the land ML owned by 1802, when he was taxed for 100 acres originally entered by George Bruton. ML's land in Wayne Co. may now be under Lake Cumberland, according to a 28 Feb. 1997 e-mail message from Margaret Austin (see file of John Hammons).

Saunders' EARLY SETTLERS OF AL, cited below, has the following to say about the early settlers of Lawrence Co., AL: "As soon as the Indian title was extinguished, emigrants settled sparsely in various parts of it [i.e., the county], and it was fortunate that it was so, for without the supplies they raised it would not have been possible to have sustained such a rush of people as came afterward. The inducements were great: a rich soil easily reduced to cultivation, and the price of cotton very high. The country was filled up in a short space of time by settlers, generally of high respectability and a good education; and a large proportion of whom were members of the church. Very few were wealthy. I know the general impression is to the contrary; but the large estates which have been in our county have been made here. A majority of our early settlers wree in good circumstances, and hence the aggregate of wealth in our county was great" (pp. 42-3). Saunders notes (p. 36) that shortly after the war with the Cherokees ended in 1817, the Cherokees ceded the land from which Lawrence Co. was formed.

Lazenby, HISTORY OF METHODISM IN ALABAMA (cited in file of William Lewis Dinsmore) says that an early Methodist church was built in what became the Lawrence Circuit (but built before the circuit was named) near where Oakville sprang up (p. 80). This church was built of logs and became the home of families who produced prominent preachers (ibid.). Lazenby says that the Lawrence Circuit was initially part of the Mississippi Conference, but before that, was in the Tennessee Conference (p. 81).

I have been unable to locate ML on the 1820 census in AL, where other records place him. Was he enroute to AL from KY when the census was taken?

I do, however, find ML and son Dennis on the 1820 AL state census, both in Lawrence Co. ML has a male over 21, 3 males under 21, and a female over 21. The male and female over 21 would evidently be ML and wife Mary Jane. Two of the younger males would seem to be sons Fielding W. and David Dinsmore; who is the other younger male?

On 31 July 1821, JL wit. the will of Robert Price in Lawrence Co. (WB 1,p. 7). The will was probated on 30 Apr. 1822.

On 31 Oct. 1827, ML was made a vice justice of the peace in Morgan Co., AL, under Josiah M. Reynolds.

On 22 Oct. 1829, DL was a buyer, with son Dennis, at the estate of James L. Richardson, Lawrence Co., AL. The estate also paid him $2.75.

A Mark Lindsey patented 159 acres of river improvement land in Lawrence Co., AL, on 25 Nov. 1829 (the w 1/2 of sect. 8, twp. 7S, R6W. I think this must be ML, husband of Mary Jane, since I am not aware of other Marks in the county at this time of an age to patent the land.

ML is on the 1830 census in Lawrence Co., AL, John Glass' division (p. 273), with a male under 5, a male 5-10, a male 10-15, 2 males 15-20, a male 50-60, a female under 5, a female 5-10, a female 10-15, a female 20-30, and a female 60-70, as well as 12 slaves. The children would appear to belong to the female 20-30. Who was she? Note that ML is living near John Hunter, whose son William M. ML's granddaughter Margaret Tranquilla, and near a Thomas Brooks. Who is this Thomas Brooks? The father of Jane, who m. Dennis Lindsey, was still in Wayne Co., KY, at this date, and Thomas son of that Thomas' brother James was only 13 years old.

In June 1830, appealed with brother-in-law John Dinsmore for guardian to be appointed for Thomas and John Woodruff, sons of James Woodruff: see file of John Dinsmore.

ML gave bond 7 July 1830 with Samuel Irwin for Joel Burnum as constable in Capt. Gibson's company, Lawrence Co., AL (Lawrence Co. Official Bond Records, 1829-30, pp. 13-14; see Anne S. Lee, "Probate Court Records," OLD LAWRENCE REMINISCENCES 10,4 [Dec. 1996], p. 148).

In ? 1830, ML gave bond with Elliott Jones, Benj. Jones, Isaac Johnson, and Thomas A. Strain for Wm. Jones, assessor and collector of Lawrence Co. (Lawrence Co. Official Bond Records 1829-50, pp. 9-10; see ibid., 10,3 [Sept. 1996], p. 110).

On 18 Feb. 1832, ML gave bond with Elliot Jones, Jeremiah Hendrick, John Brown, and Wm. White for Wm. Jones, assessor and collector for Lawrence Co. (Lawrence Co. Official Bond Records, 1829-50, p. 27; see ibid., 11,1 [March 1997], p. 22).

Gave bond Feb. 1833 for Wm. Jones, tax collector, Lawrence Co. (Lawrence Co. Bond Bk. 1829-50, pp. 39-40--see Annie S. Lee, "County Official Bond Records, 1829-50, OLD LAWRENCE REMINISCENCES 11,4 [Dec. 1997], p. 117).

On 5 Sept. 1835, ML bought from Daniel and Celia Sisk of Lawrence Co. the w 1/2 of nw 1/4 S19 T7 R5w, Morgan Co. The deed has ML living in Morgan. The land was 80.64 acres. The deed was ack. on 5 Sept. 1835, rec. 15 Sept. 1835 (DB C, p. 270).

On ? 1837, ML gave bond with Major Richard Puckett in the amount of $20,000 for the administrators of son Dennis Lindsey's estate, James B. Speake and Samuel Irwin.

On 1 June 1837, ML bought from the estate of his deceased son Dennis a saddle and a slave named Daniel--see file of Dennis Lindsey. For notes owed by Mark L. to his son's estate, see file of Dennis Lindsey.

On 15 Apr. 1839, ML bought from Alexander B. Williams for $800 the w 1/2 of the sw 1/4, S32 T7 R5, 80 acres, Morgan Co. Deed was ack. on 13 Apr. 1839 (?), and rec. 30 Apr. (Morgan Co. DB D, 206). Note that this deed refers to him as Mark Lindsey, Sr., which suggests that his grandson Mark J., who was to marry later in the same year, had begun to live independently by this time.

The estate file of Rev. Thomas Brooks, whose daughter Jane m. ML's son Dennis, has a note against ML dated 20 April 1839 for $6, as well as another noted, undated, for $2.

On 26 July 1840, ML and wife Mary sold to James Brooks for $4.84 the w 1/2 of the sw 1/4 of S32 T7 R5w, 80 acres, Morgan Co. The deed was signed by Mark and Mary (who signed by mark), and ack. 26 July and rec. 1 June 1842 (ibid., 655). This is probably James, son of Thomas and Sarah Whitlock Brooks, who married Mark and Mary Jane's granddaughter Mary Jane, daughter of Dennis Lindsey and Jane Brooks. Note that Mary did not sign previous deeds, including the 1819 deed of their Wayne Co. land, by mark. If she was not illiterate, then the 1839 deed suggests that she may have been too infirm to sign at this time, or Mark signed for her, making a mark.

On 17 Sept. 1840, Milton McLanahan, John Lathom, Daniel Neel, Henry T. Pendleton, and ML were appointed commissioners to sell the real estate of Jacob Orr, Morgan Co. (DB F, 185).

On the 1840 census, ML appears as Mark Lindsay on p. 33 of the Morgan Co., AL, 39th Regiment, with males 100020001 and females 00010001. Note that ML is beside Milton McLanahan, and two houses away from Henry T. Pendleton, both of whom are in other records involving him. On the same page are members of the Orr and Wise families, both of whom also appear in records with him. Drury Stovall is also on this page.

A 14 Sept. 1998 posting of Nelda Gorman ([email protected]) to the McClanahan discussion group at Genforum on the internet states that McLanahan m. Dorothea Keys and served in both houses of the AL legislature. He moved to Lee Co., TX, where he d.

THE DEMOCRAT (Huntsville, AL), 17 Oct. 1840: commissioners' sale, lands of Jacob Orr, dec'd., Morgan Co., AL: Milton McClanahan, John Tatom, Henry T. Pendleton, Davis Neal, Mark Lindsey, commissioners (see Gandrud, EARLY ALABAMA NEWSPAPERS, cited in file of Esther Dinsmore, daughter of David Lewis Dinsmore, p. 341). This is also recorded in Morgan Co. DB F, 185, which gives the date of the announcement as 17 Sept. 1840.

On 24 June 1841, ML mortgaged his property, with Henry T. Pendleton as trustee, for debts owed to Benjamin Cooper and ML's son David Dinsmore Lindsey. If I understand the deed of mortgage correctly, Cooper and DDL had bought notes owed by ML to Johnson Wise and S. Stovall, administrators of Daniel Johnson. The deed says that ML owed Cooper $3271.50 and DDL $600. The property mortgaged was the tract on which ML was then living, described as the ne 1/4 sect. 24, twp. 7, range 6W, and the w 1/2 of the nw 1/4 of sect. 19, twp. 7, range 5 w, 240 acres. The land was in Lawrence Co., though the deed was filed in Morgan Co. The land was bounded by Cooper and Milton McLanahan. Also mortgaged were the following slaves: Michael, 65; Eliza, 40; Lucinday, 15; Minerva, 15 (twins); Caroline, 13; Thomas, 11; Edy, 9; Henry, 6, all of "yallow collour"; Hannah, 45, Saydney (?), 32 (male); Anderson, 17; Lieuallen (i.e., Llewellyn), 16; Abraham, 14, all of black color. Also included ere a large bay horse, a sorrell horse, a black and a "yallow" mare, 30 head of cattle, 80 head of hogs, 40 head of sheep, a road (?) wagon, 3 feather beds and furniture, and all the other household and kitchen furniture. ML was to remain in possession of the property during his lifetime, making payments (Morgan DB D, 548-9). The deed was wit. by ML on 24 June 1841 and 6 July.

Note that, though ML owned quite a bit of property for an elderly man with only his wife to maintain at this point in their lives, he must have fallen on hard times as his life ended. The estate record in Morgan Co. Orphans Ct. says that the estate was insolvent--see below. Note that the slave Daniel whom ML had bought from son Dennis' estate does not appear among the slaves mortgaged by ML; had he died or been sold?

Note that Milton McLanahan, who appears in the preceding deed as ML's neighbor, administered the estate of Rev. Thomas Brooks, whose daughter Jane married ML's son Dennis.

It's not clear to me whether ML died in Lawrence or Morgan Co. Note that the 1841 mortgage discussed above places him in Lawrence, though the deed is filed in Morgan, but estate records were filed in Morgan, rather than Lawrence Co. Note, too, that the Morgan Co. appeal of F.W. Lindsey to admr. the estate describes ML as "late of said county."

ML is buried in the Lindsey family cemetery (the Old Lindsey cemetery) in Lawrence Co., AL, which appears to be on what was the land of his son Dennis. The tombstone of ML reads, "Sacred to the memory of Mark Lindsey who departed this life April 10, 1847 in the 74th year of his age. Fare from affliction, toil and care/The happy soul is fled./The breathless clay shall slumber here/Among the silent dead." ML's wife Mary Jane Dinsmore Lindsey is buried beside him. When I first visited the grave in May 1985, irises were planted on it. I have a photograph of the stone I took on that trip, which is very clearly legible, for the most part. Waldrep notes that the tombstone of ML is "an excellent example of the `bed/headboard' styles of tombstone. Early settlers in New England used this type extensively" (p. 270.

Phil Waldrep, CEMETERIES OF LAWRENCE CO., AL, vol. 1 (Trinity, AL: P.W., 1993), p. 270, says that the Old Lindsey family cemetery must be distinguished from the Lindsey Memorial Garden, an Afro-American cemetery located behind it. The Old Lindsey cemetery appears to have slaves of the Lindsey family buried in it, and I suspect that in subsequent generations, descendants of those slave families continued to bury their family members in the cemetery, so that the Afro-American cemetery grew from the Lindsey family cemetery.

Waldrep says that the Old Lindsey family cemetery is in the SW 1/4 of the NW 1.4, sect. 15, T7S, R6W. Note that various documents place the family of ML's son Dennis Lindsey in that location, including the land allotted to his widow Jane after Dennis' death. Since ML was living in Morgan Co. at some points, and his estate is probated there, I believe that the Old Lindsey family cemetery was on the land of Dennis. To reach the cemetery, Waldrep says that one drives east on highway 157 from Moulton, then turns north on county road 81. One drives .4 miles to a dead end, then turns right (east) on county road 203. One then goes .3 miles and turns left (north) on county road 207, a dirt road. The cemetery is on the right (east) side of the road. From the turn onto county road 207, it is about .7 miles. Waldrep notes that the cemetery appears to have 10-20 unmarked graves in it.

I've visited the cemetery on two occasions. On the last occasion (December 1995) I found the stone of ML still fairly legible, but the other stones in the cemetery rapidly deteriorating.

At May court term 1848, Morgan Co., ML's son F.W. Lindsey appealed to administer the estate and gave bond in the sum of $2000, being granted the administration (Morgan Co. Orphans Ct. Bk. 10, 8--this page has no date on it, but the next page says that court met next on 20 May 1848). At the same court term, W.E. Baker, R.M. Johnson, M.W. Troup, James Wise, and H.T. Pendleton were appointed to appraise the estate (ibid., p. 9).

On 2 Oct. 1848, F.W. Lindsey made a return of the sales of personal property (ibid., p. 22). At the same court session, FWL filed an allegation that the estate was insolvent, and the court ordered a hearing of the matter at Nov. session, with publication in HUNTSVILLE DEMOCRAT, the creditors to appear at court in Somerville the fourth Monday in Nov. (ibid., p. 22). At a court session in April or May the following year, F.W. Lindsey returned the sale of the slaves belonging to the estate (ibid., p. 59--no date on this page, but subsequent page has 5 May 1849). On 5 May 1849, FWL was issued a citation to renew his administration bond, FWL appearing to give bond with brother David Dinsmore and with Drury Stovall (ibid., p. 60).

On 6 June 1850, ML's son F.W. Lindsey, administrator of ML's estate, appealed for final settlement of the estate in Morgan Co. (Orphans Ct. Bk. 1850, p. 112). Later in June (or perhaps at this same session?), the court notes that on order from the Chancellor of the 33 Dist. of the Northern Division of AL, Orphans Ct. had been enjoined to stop the estate settlement and transfer the matter to Chancery Court.

Who is the Martha Lindsey who m. Francis B. Moore in Lawrence Co., AL, on 10 May 1836?

Col. James Edmond Saunders' EARLY SETTLERS OF AL (New Orleans, 1899; repr. Baltimore: Geneal. Publ. Co., 1982) contains a reminiscence of ML. Note that Saunders knew ML personally. Saunders was b. in 1806 in Brunswick Co., VA, and came to Lawrence Co., AL, in 1821 with his father Rev. Turner Saunders. His book is a collection of articles published for a number of years in the MOULTON ADVERTISER from April 1880 forward. In the original articles, Saunders provided eyewitness accounts of various early settlers of north AL whom he remembered personally.

Saunders has this to say about ML: "Mark Lindsey was a tall, spare, old gentleman, who lived on a branch of Flint river when I first knew him. He wore the round-breasted Methodist coat, and had a most excellant [sic] reputation. He was also noted for his industry and good morals. The venerable Mr. McFerrin rode this circuit when quite a youth, and still remembers and speaks of the kindness and hospitality he received from the Lindseys. Mark Lindsey was raised in South Carolina. He went to Kentucky when young, and lived there a long time. In 1827 [sic] he and his son Dennis (who was a second edition of his father, in person and character), came to Lawrence county, and settled in the place I have mentioned" (pp. 122-3). Saunders goes on to talk about the Speake family, noting that Dennis Lindsey's daughter Sarah married J.B. Speake, who represented Lawrence Co. in the AL legislature; Saunders also notes that J.B. and Sarah Lindsey Speake were parents of Henry Clay Speake, Chancellor of the Northern Dist. of AL, and later Judge of the 8th Judicial Dist., and Daniel Webster Speake, also a judge and a member of the AL legislature. (Note that Saunders spells the name "Speak," whereas the family uses the spelling "Speake").

Note that it is more likely that Dennis Lindsey came to Lawrence Co., AL, in 1817 (to Madison Co., in the area that became Lawrence), since he patented land there in 1818, and Mark Lindsey appears to have moved to AL after selling his land in Wayne Co., KY, in Oct. 1819.

Note that J.B. McFerrin is Rev. John B. McFerrin, an early 19th-century Methodist missionary in KY, TN, and AL. The 1 June 1909 MOULTON ADVERTISER article by Simon Barbee cited in file of Dennis Lindsey, son of Mark, notes that J.B. McFerrin was an early preacher of Oakville. Knox's HISTORY OF MORGAN CO., AL (cited below) says (p. 158) that John B. McFerrin was preaching in Decatur by 1827. According to Saunders' EARLY SETTLERS OF AL, McFerrin succeeded Rev. Wm. McMahon as head of a mission to the Cherokees on the western side of the Cherokee Nation, and McFerrin was noted for being a special friend of the Cherokees, who always encouraged their native preachers (p. 37)..

An article in the AL ENQUIRER on 17-18 Oct. 1889, evidently by A.G. Copeland, contains a reminiscence of ML (transcribed in TID-BITS, vol. 1: BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, DEATHS, AND OTHER INTERESTING ITEMS INCLUDING REMINISCENCES OF MORGAN CO BY A.G. COPELAND [Decatur: Morgan Co. Geneal. Soc., 1995], pp. 49-50). This reads as follows: "Mark Lindsey was one of the first and noted of Croudabout's earliest families. He was a good man and industrious, accumulated good property and was proud of his achievement. His friends still tell an anecdote on him. Mark was a Methodist, but loved a dram; on one occasion, he had been to town and indulged in his beverage too freely, and coming up to his house on the rear side, saw his man, and asked whose negroes were those about the yard, was told they belonged to Mr. Mark Lindsey. `How many,' said he, `does the gentleman own?'" `Twenty-three,' said the fellow. `Pretty good for Mark,' said Lindsey, `open the gate and let your master in.' However, he was a good man and true citizen. He was the father of Dinsmore and Wesley Lindsey, two of the best men Oakville beat ever had. They each left good families. The late J.D. Lindsey was a grandson of Mark. So are William and Sam Lindsey. The widows of D. and W. Lindsey are still with their children and friends. No better women live this side of Heaven. None ever sung and shouted more, none will have a better right to the tree of life than they." Copeland goes on to provide information about J.B. Speake, who m. ML's granddaughter Sarah Brooks Lindsey.

John Knox, A HISTORY OF MORGAN CO., AL (Decatur: Decatur Printing Co., 1966), pp. 125-6, notes that the "Orrs, Speaks, and Lindseys were among prominent pioneers and developers of the country around Danville [AL]." Knox summarizes the information about ML from Col. Saunders' EARLY SETTLERS OF AL, and notes that ML is buried in the family cemetery in the Speake community. Knox then goes on to list the children of Sarah Brooks Lindsey and J.B. Speake, as well as of David Dinsmore Lindsey and Sarah Brooks. He also provides a history of the descendants of the Speake line.

Knox contains a history of Crowdabout as well (pp. 127-8). He notes that Crowdabout was west and southwest of Danville, and that the settlement followed the meanderings of Crowdabout Creek, which trails southwest from a point west of Hartselle, and veers southward. According to Knox, Crowdabout got its name from the fact that the early settlers found the landscape crowded with briars and vines.

Knox notes (p. 157) that a Methodist society was formed "in the famous Crowdabout Valley" as early as in the Lawrence Circuit, with men of prominence and eminence springing from this society (citing West's HISTORY OF METHODISM IN ALABAMA).

A.G. Copeland notes that Crowdabout was also called Georgia, because most of the people living in this vicinity were originally Georgians. According to Copeland, "it was famous for refinement and hospitality [and] the people were wealthy and moral" (AL ENQUIRER, 3 Oct. 1889--in TID-BITS, cited above, p. 46).

Henry G. Sellers, Jr., SOME UNION SOLDIERS FROM A PLACE CALLED CROWDABOUT (506 Navy Cove Blvd., Gulf Breeze, FL 32561; 1985), says (p. 5) that Crowdabout appears only as the name of a small creek on the most detailed map of Morgan Co., yet the place was actually a community. Sellers says that the earliest record of the community is in Hosea Holcombe's RISE AND PROGRESS OF BAPTISTS IN AL (1840), which notes that Hopewell church near Scroudge About Creek united with the Muscle Shoals Assn. in 1825. Note that Rev. Sylvanus Gibson, who pastored this church, and the Torrence family, which intermarried with both the Lindseys and Torrences, attended this church.

ML was evidently a man of strong intellect, since A.G. Copeland's reminiscences about the Speake family note that the "gifted and popular Judge Henry Clay Speak" was a descendant of Mark Lindsey; having said that, Copeland adds, "Intellect and energy will tell."

Note that the biography of ML's great-grandson Daniel Webster Speake in DICTIONARY OF AL BIOGRAPHY (see file of DWS) says that the Lindsey family was of Scotch-Irish descent, their ancestors having come to America before the Revolution, in which they took an active part.

I do not have proof that ML was a son of Dennis Lindsey who died in 1796 in Spartanburg Co., SC. For my reasons for thinking this is likely, see file of DL.

It is possible that Mark and Mary Jane Dinsmore Lnidsey had a son John who is buried in the Bartleson Cem., Monticello, Wayne Co., KY. A John Lindsey who was b. 23 May 1809 and died at the age of 1 year is buried in this cemetery.

More About MARK LINDSEY: Burial: Lindsey Family Cem., Lawrence Co., Alabama

v. DAUGHTER DINSMORE, m. JAMES WOODRUFF; d. Bef. Jun 1830, Lawrence Co., Alabama.

Notes for DAUGHTER DINSMORE: It should be noted that I do not have proof that the "missing" dau. of David Dinsmore m. James Woodruff, but for my reasons for speculating that this is so, see file of her brother John.

On the 1830 census in Lawrence Co., AL, p. 274, is a female Woodruff whose name has been transcribed as Nanny. She has no males in her household, but has 3f 10-15, 1f 15-20, 1f 20-30, and 1f 30-40. If this is the widow of James, then it appears that the sons on the 1820 census are the minors Thomas and John who were removed from the household by court order because of her hiring them out--see files of John Dinsmore, Mark Lindsey, and James Woodruff. Note that her age makes it unlikely she is a daughter of David Dinsmore; did James Woodruff marry more than once? Nanny Woodruff is listed next to James Brooks, whose daughter Clarissa m. a son of Mark Lindsey and Mary Jane Dinsmore, and Mark and Mary Jane are on the preceding page.

One of the daughters is almost certainly the Margaret Woodruff who m. Willis Ireland: on 20 Apr. 1836, Margaret Woodruff and Willis Ireland received license to marry in Lawrence Co., AL, and on the 21st, were married by Lorenzo D. Mullins. The 1850 census shows her b. abt. 1811 in KY--see her file. Note that the fact that this family named a dau. Margaret, and that there was a grandson David (son of Thomas Woodruff) adds to the probability that the wife of James Dinsmore was a daughter of David and Margaret Dinsmore.

The 1850 census shows that the name is actually Naomi, and that she is 60, b. SC (Lawrence Co., AL, p. 385, 302/302, 8th Dist., 7 Nov.). In the household are children Nancy, 26, William, 11, James, 18, Eliza, 8, Dolly, 4, and James H. Hagood (?), 5, all b. AL. Naomi and Nancy are illiterate. This census adds to the probabilty that James Woodruff was married more than once. David and Margaret Dinsmore could not be Naomi's parents, unless David returned to SC by 1790--but if so, why is Margaret listed as head of the household in 1790? Since Mark Lindsey and John Woodruff petitioned to place the sons of James Woodruff, Thomas and John, under the care of a guardian, it is likely that these sons were in the care of a step-mother after James died.

If James Woodruff d. by June 1830, who is the father of the children b. after that date? Nancy could possibly be a widow of a son of James Woodruff (wife of ? Dinsmore), but if so, she would not be mother of James. Naomi is rather old to be mother of Eliza and Dolly. James is too young to be their father.

James of the 1850 census must be the James Woodruff who m. Louisa Morris in Lawrence Co., AL, on 24 Aug. 1854. The marriage record shows that the couple received license on 23d Aug. The marriage record notes that neither had been married, and that Louisa's mother had given a letter of permission. A.P. Rainwater performed the marriage at Nancy Morris's house on the 24th.

Notes for JAMES WOODRUFF: 1810 census, Wayne Co., KY, p. 371, with males 00010 and females 00101-01 (1 m. 26-45, 1 f. 16-26, a f. 45+). Note that John Dinsmore is on the same page. Note that JW's birthdate falls between 1765-84, while his wife's birthdate falls between 1784-94. Who is the aged female in the household?

1820 census, Wayne Co., KY, p. 98, males 200010 females 21010. There are two males under 10, and 1 male 26-45, along with two females under 10, 1 female 10-16, and 1 female 26-45. The two males appear to be sons Thomas and John, and 1 of the females under 10 Margaret. Who is the female 10-16, and why is she not on the 1810 census?

Lawrence Co., AL, Orphans Ct. Minutes Bk. 5, 1830-34, p. 14, shows that in June 1830 John Dinsmore and Mark Lindsey petitioned to the court for the guardianship of John and Thomas Woodruff, orphans of James Woodruff, on the ground that their mother was "not calculated to raise them in a proper manner, and that they are hired about and ill treated by those who have hired them." The children were placed in the care of Evan Murphy. I checked the index to Lawrence Co. Orphans' Ct. Order Bk. 1834-6, without finding any reference to Woodruffs. I also checked the index to Orphans' Ct. Order Book 1835-1841 without finding any further reference to this guardianship.