Pennington Family Genealogical Information - Material - Events
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Family Group 4
Ephraim, b. 1720 NC
FIRST GENERATION
1. Ephraim PENNINGTON was born about 1720, possibly in NJ or PA. Three of his children were reportedly born in PA between 1745 and 1752; two were born in NC in 1760 and 1763. His wife's name is unknown.
Caleb Osborne's tax list of 1761 shows two Ephraim Pennington’s living near the Forks of the Yadkin River in Rowan County in an area that is now Davie County, NC. Rowan County records show that the next year on 28 April 1762, the Court approved a recommendation that Ephraim Pennington "...be exempt from paying Public Taxes and doing Public duties, Granted." Such action was customary for persons of advanced age and suggests that the two Ephraims, who were living on adjacent properties in 1761, were father and son. The list of Taxables returned by William Sharp in 1772 shows only one Ephraim "PENETON" but adds "& sons Richard and Timothy", proving the parent of these two men who have numerous progeny throughout the country today.
A logical conclusion from the above information is that the elder Ephraim was the grandfather of Richard and Timothy. It is possible, even probable, that he is the Ephraim Pennington of Morris County, NJ (b. about 1689) of Family Group 1, but this remains unproven. If it is true that the elder Ephraim's wife, Joanna Davis (about 1693 - Nov. 1775), was born and died in Rowan County, NC, this theory is supported. The fact that only one Ephraim appears with his sons on the 1772 list of Taxables is somewhat mysterious because Richard and Timothy had an older brother Ephraim (b. about 1745). Because he was not an adult, he most likely moved south with his parents before 1761, but may have been working and living on another farm at that time.
The list of Penningtons in Enoch Osborne's company of militia from Montgomery and Fincastle County, VA, 1783, shows Robert (under 16), Joshua, Timothy, Micajah, Elijah and Richard Pennington. Ephraim is listed but crossed out. If this Ephraim was Richard and Timothy's father he may have been excused because he was over 60 by that year. The absence of Richard and Timothy's brother Ephraim from this list supports the conjecture that he was in fact working and living elsewhere.
No Ephraim Pennington appears in the Virginia records after 1789. In 1794 an Ephraim is found with Richard entering claims in Wilkes County in an area that became Ashe County in the northwest corner of North Carolina. The Ephraim in Wilkes County seems more likely to be Richard's brother than his father. His father would have been over 70 by that year, and unlikely to strike out for new territory at that age. More likely, he remained in Rowan County.
The identity of the siblings of Richard and Timothy has not been proven, but Joshua and Robert were the right age and so closely associated with the family that it seems likely that they were brothers. Records show that Jemima (Pennington) SMITH was a sister of Joshua and, therefore, very likely a daughter of Ephraim Pennington.
Ephraim PENNINGTON’s wife's name is unknown. They had the following children:
1. Ephraim PENNINGTONSECOND GENERATION
2. Timothy PENNINGTON
3. Richard PENNINGTON
4. Joshua PENNINGTON
5. Jemimah PENNINGTON
6. Robert PENNINGTON
2. Ephraim PENNINGTON was born about 1745 in PA. His wife's name is unknown. It is presumed that they had the following children:
1. William PENNINGTONIt is probable that these four children listed as sons of Ephraim are closely related. It is not proven that they were brothers. Aaron PENNINGTON’s death records show his father to be Ephraim, assumed to be this Ephraim, but unproven. It is also unproven that Abel and Abraham, brothers married to sisters Patsy and Margaret LEWIS and the progenitors of Family Group 30, are children of this Ephraim.
2. Abel PENNINGTON
3. Abraham PENNINGTON
4. Aaron PENNINGTON (b. 1786, NC – d. 23 Dec 1861, KY)
3. Timothy PENNINGTON was born about 1748 in PA. He appears in the roster of Capt. Osborne's militia of 1780. He died about 1826 in Barren County, KY. Timothy PENNINGTON married Susanah RIGGS (b. about 1749 in NC) about 1770 in NC. (Some sources say her name was Nancy RIGGS.) They had the following children:
1. Reuben PENNINGTON (b. about 1774)Reuben does not appear as a son in all sources. There was a Reuben RIGGS living at the same time and place, presumably a relative of Susanah (or Nancy) RIGGS.
2. Simeon PENNINGTON (b about 1775)
3. Moses PENNINGTON (b. about 1776 - d. 1820/22, Crawford, IN)
4. Asa PENNINGTON (b. about 1776)
5. Joel PENNINGTON (b. about 1785)
6. Riggs PENNINGTON (b. 1787 - d. 1869)
7. Lora PENNINGTON (?)
8. Mahala PENNINGTON (?)
4. Richard PENNINGTON was born about 1752 in PA and died on 21 Dec 1813 in Sparta, White County, TN. He appears in the roster of Capt. Osborne's militia of 1780. Richard PENNINGTON married Hannah BOONE on 5 May 1777 in Salisbury, Rowan County, NC. Hannah BOONE was born 24 Aug. 1746 in Berks County, PA. She was the daughter of Squire BOONE and Sarah MORGAN, youngest sister of the famous Daniel BOONE. Hannah had been married to John STEWART before he was killed while on an expedition with a Daniel BOONE party. They had four daughters before he died: Sarah b. 1765 (m. John OSBORN), Mary b. 1766 (m. Solomon OSBORN), Rachel b. 1768 (m. James KING), and Ann b.25 Feb. 1770 (m. James LEWIS). Hannah died 7 Apr 1828 in Tompkinsville, Monroe County, KY and was buried in Monroe County, KY, Old Mulkey Cemetery. Richard PENNINGTON and Hannah BOONE had the following children:
1. Joshua P. PENNINGTON (b. 1778 - d. about 1868)5. Joshua PENNINGTON was born about 1753. Joshua’s life has not been adequately researched. He appears in the roster of Capt. Osborne's militia of 1780. His wife's name is unknown. It is presumed that they had the following children:
2. Daniel Boone PENNINGTON (b. 1781 - d. 1865)
3. John Stewart PENNINGTON (b. 1784 - d. 1859)
4. Abigale PENNINGTON (b. 1787 - d. about 1840)
1. Ephriam PENNINGTONIsaac PENNINGTON is listed in the 1830 census of White County, Illinois with a wife also 20-30 years old, three boys, four girls, and an older female, most likely his mother or mother in-law.
2. Isaac PENNINGTON
3. Jesse PENNINGTON
4. Daniel PENNINGTON
5. Sarah PENNINGTON
6. Anthony W. PENNINGTON
7. Joshua PENNINGTON
8. Timothy PENNINGTON (b. about 1795)
6. Jemimah PENNINGTON was born about 1760 in NC. Some sources say her husband's name was (unknown) SMITH. Nothing further is known about Jemimah PENNINGTON and (unknown) SMITH.
7. Robert PENNINGTON was born about 1763 in NC. His wife's name is unknown. He appears in the roster of Capt. Osborne's militia of 1780. Robert PENNINGTON had the following children:
1. Royal PENNINGTON.Comments:
2. Sary PENNINGTON.
- While this outline is believed to be generally correct, a number of details remain speculative or incomplete.
- Pennington males outnumber females here about 5 to 1, probably because male names were more likely to be recorded in official documents, where we get much of our information. The true number of females is probably about equal to the number of males.
- Although several researchers believe that Ephriam Pennington (b. about 1720 NC) is the son of Ephriam Pennington (b. about 1689, Morris County, NJ) and Joanna Davis, Family Group 1, no document has been found to date that proves this connection.
- The Family Group 4 section of the John French Master Files lists over 10,000 individuals.
Copyright © 2000 and 2008 by John Alan Pennington, Past Assistant Research Director and member of Family Group 4, June 1999 and Arthur Pennington, Group Leader for Group 4.
For help or information about Group 4, contact Arthur Pennington, Group Leader for Group 4.
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Page Last Updated: 10/20/2008