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Family Group 26
William of Monroe Co., VA, WV
Group 26 now contains the genealogy information for the previously identified Family Group 15 which was subsumed under Group 26 in 1999.
FIRST GENERATION
1. Summary of William and Elizabeth Pennington (WV-1) in Giles, Mercer and Monroe Counties, Virginia, 1798-1830
Note to researchers: Most of the information about the
individuals and families in the first and second generations of these Group 26
Penningtons and their allied families is well documented. Our sources are
listed in other publications the PRA has for Group 26, including the histories
and research summaries on PRA's Members only website hosted by MyFamily.com.
Some of the information for the third generation, however, is from secondary
sources that have not been proven. They are provided here as a guide to
your research only. If you have information that corrects or adds to what
is below, please contact Ric Blake
William Pennington, whom we’ve designated (WV-1), is the progenitor of the Pennington families living in Monroe Co., Virginia, now West Virginia, as early as 1798. We have estate, land, tax, marriage and census records in Greenbrier and Monroe Counties, WV and Giles Co., VA documenting the family’s history. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to document the origins of William or his wife.
With only circumstantial evidence, we can argue that William Pennington (WV-1) moved west from his home in the tri-state area of Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania to Virginia by at least the time his daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1775. Even the birthplaces of William and Elizabeth's children as listed on the later census records suggest a migration west during the years 1775-1787 through Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and possibly North Carolina.
Further, we have clues suggesting the family moved into what is now Pendleton Co., WV by 1790 then southwest to Monroe County, WV by 1798. The Pendleton County tax rolls show one adult male was listed in William Pennington’s household from 1790 to 1794, and two adult males were listed from 1794 to 1796. In 1795, William Pennington (WV-1) would have been at least 30 years old, probably closer to 50. That year, his eldest documented son, Wheeler Pennington, was 18 years old; his son, William Pennington (WV-2), was 12.
WILLIAM PENNINGTON (WV-1) was born before 1766, most likely before 1755. We believe he was from the area that is now New Castle County, DE and Cecil County, MD. He may have been a grandson of Richard and Mary (Wheeler) Pennington, who married in Cecil Co., MD in 1711; however, we have not yet found the generation that links him with Delaware or Maryland. The proof may turn out to be documentation of William’s relationship with other Pennington families living in West Virginia 1780-1800. Several of these families have ties back to Delaware and Maryland. The families of most interest to Group 26 researchers are:
Elijah Pennington, born before 1756 in DE found in Hampshire Co., WV by 1788
John Pennington, born before 1763 in DE / MD found in Brooke Co., WV by 1801
Richard Pennington, born by 1770 found in Pendleton Co., WV by Ç 1782
William Pennington*, born before 1770 found in Pendleton Co. by 1790
William Pennington (WV-1), born before 1765 found in Monroe Co., WV by 1798
* Probably the same as William Pennington (WV-1). D
The first public record of the Pennington family living on land along the New River in Monroe Co., WV, then Greenbrier County, VA, is the will of Robert Wiley, dated 26 December 1798. William Pennington (WV-1) is listed on the Monroe County tax rolls in 1800, when he was taxed for 2 white males, 0 slaves, 1 horse. We believe these two males were William Pennington (WV-1) and his putative son, George Pennington. We believe George Pennington was born between 1778 and 1782, making him 18-22 years old and old enough to be taxed. William (WV-2), was about 17 years old and too young to be taxed. William Pennington (WV-1)'s eldest son, Wheeler Pennington, then 23 years old, was also taxed in 1800: one white male, no slaves and one horse. From 1800 through 1818, William and Elizabeth Pennington (WV-1) are documented buying and selling land in Monroe County. William Pennington (WV-1) and his sons, Wheeler Pennington and William Pennington (WV-2), were enumerated on the Monroe County census of 1810. In 1820, William Pennington (WV-1) was enumerated in neighboring Giles County, VA; his sons Wheeler Pennington and William Pennington (WV-2) were enumerated in Monroe Co., VA and Whitley Co., KY, respectively.
Despite these tantalizing clues, we cannot connect the dots proving this migration from the Upper Chesapeake Bay to southern West Virginia. We can prove, however, where they lived after arriving in the New River Valley. Public records from these decades locate William, Elizabeth and their children living in the present communities of: Athens, Elgood, Pettry, and Princeton in Mercer Co., WV; Pipestem in Summers Co., WV; Ballard, Peterstown and Red Sulphur Springs in Monroe Co., WV; and Rich Creek in Giles Co., VA.
We can document that the wife of William Pennington (WV-1) from about 1800 through 1818 was named Elizabeth. We have no evidence of her parents or birthplace. It is possible she related to Thomas Walker. In his 1832 Revolutionary War pension application [claim S.6339], Walker stated he was born in Orange County, VA on 18 December 1764 and resided in Rockingham Co., VA, which bordered Pendleton County, VA/WV, when he entered military service in December 1779. After 1800, he and his family lived next to William and Elizabeth Pennington (WV-1) in Monroe Co., VA for the rest of his life.
Sections of both Pendleton and Rockingham Counties trace their origins back to Orange County, Virginia. Even if Thomas Walker is not related to Elizabeth Pennington, he is one more clue leading back to Pendleton County.
Based on the land and marriage records below, we assume the Elizabeth Pennington, who is listed with William Pennington (WV-1) was his only wife from at least 1805 through his death in 1821. Some of the public records supporting our assumption are:
In 1805, WILLIAM and ELIZABETH Pennington give permission for their daughter ELIZABETH Pennington to marry Asa ELLISON, Sr. in Monroe County, VA
In 1812, WILLIAM and ELIZABETH Pennington give permission for their daughter SARAH Pennington to marry Absolom PINE in Monroe Co., VA.
In 1817 and 1818, WILLIAM and ELIZABETH Pennington sell land in Monroe County, VA.
In 1822 ELIZABETH Pennington and Robert Clendenin give permission for SHADA Pennington and Archibald CLENDENIN to marry in Giles Co., VA; surety provided by Hiram Pennington and Archibald S. Clendenin.
In 1825 ELIZABETH Pennington gives permission for IDA Pennington to marry John GARRETSON in Giles Co., VA. Surety was provided by Archibald S. CLENDENIN and John GARRETSON.
We have no proof, however, that William Pennington (WV-1)'s marriage to Elizabeth was his only marriage. The birth pattern of the 10 children we attribute to him suggest he may have been married twice, having five children with a first wife between 1775-1787 and five children by Elizabeth between 1797-1812. All five younger children were born in what is now West Virginia; birthplaces of the eldest children include: Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Elizabeth (possibly Walker) Pennington was born before 1765. She died after being enumerated on the 1830 census for Giles Co., VA. She is believed to be buried in Peterstown, Monroe Co., WV, near her son Wheeler Pennington and her husband. We believe William and Elizabeth (?) Pennington on (WV-1) had the following children:
+2 i. George Pennington (born between 1766 and 1784).
+3 ii. Elizabeth Pennington (born in 1775, possibly in Pennsylvania).
+4 iii. Wheeler Pennington (born 8 January 1777 in Virginia).
+5 iv. William *Pennington II Group 15 (born in 1783, possibly in Delaware).
+6 v. Sarah Pennington (born in December 1787, possibly in Pennsylvania).
+7 vi. Hiram Pennington (born in 1797 in VA/WV).
+8 vii. Shada B. Pennington (born in 1800 in VA/WV).
+9 viii. Andrew Pennington (born about 1802 in VA/WV).
+10 ix. Ida Pennington (born about 1806 in VA/WV).
+11 x. Rencenvey Pennington (born about 1812 in VA/WV).
A few of the public records supporting these Penningtons as the children of William and Elizabeth Pennington are: Child Born Records that link with William and Elizabeth Pennington (WV-1)
Elizabeth 1775 William and Elizabeth gave permission for her marriage in 1805, Monroe Co., VA.
Wheeler 1777 Wheeler found on tax rolls, census records and deeds with Wm. Pennington (WV-1)
George 1766-84 Witnessed marriage of Wm. Pennington's proven daughter, Shada, 1822, Giles Co.
William 1783 Enumerated next to William (WV-1) and Wheeler in 1810 census, Monroe Co., VA.
Living next to Wm. Pennington (WV-1)'s daughter, Elizabeth, in KY, 1820-1850.
Sarah 1787 William and Elizabeth gave permission for her marriage [1]f in 1812, Monroe Co., VA.
Hiram 1798 Witnessed marriage of Wm. Pennington's daughter Shada in 1822, in Giles Co., VA.
Shada 1800 Elizabeth Pennington gives permission for her marriage in 1822, Giles Co., VA.
Andrew 1802 Bought land next to two of William and Elizabeth's children in KY in 1828.
Names William Pennington as his brother and executor in his will dated 1835.
Ida 1806 Elizabeth Pennington gives permission for her marriage in 1825, Giles Co., VA.
Rencenvey 1812 He and Shada's husband witness wedding in 1833 in Giles Co., VA.
Shada (Pennington) Clendenin names a son Rencenvey Robert Clendenin.
Through tax, land and estate records, these marriages also tie the Penningtons in Monroe and Giles Counties, Virginia with their children who, beginning after 1805, migrated west and settled on what would become known as Ellison's Bend on the Clear Fork of the Cumberland River in Whitley Co., KY (formerly Knox County).
After William's death in 1821 and Elizabeth’s death sometime after 1830, their children who did not migrate west to Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri continued to live in Mercer and Monroe Counties. In the decade before the Civil War, however, some of William and Elizabeth’s grandchildren began to move out of the New River Valley as tensions increased between the cousins loyal to the North and those who supported the South. Some of William and Elizabeth’s descendants who supported the North moved north along the New River into Gauley Bridge, Fayette County. Others moved west to Louisa, Lawrence Co., Kentucky where they lived until the late 1860s. By 1870, most of the Kentucky families had moved back to West Virginia and were enumerated on the 1880 census in Cabell, Kanawha and Lincoln Counties. A few families moved temporarily or permanently to Ohio. William and Elizabeth’s children, Elizabeth, William and Andrew, who had migrated to Knox/Whitley County in Kentucky between 1805 and 1828, remained in the Cumberland River Valley the rest of their lives. Their son Rencenvey Pennington moved across the border to Campbell Co., TN by 1840, then farther west to Reynolds Co., MO by 1850, where he and his wife, Dorcas (Whitecotton) Pennington remained the rest of their lives.
Note: Documentation can be found in the History of William and Elizabeth Pennington in Monroe Co., West Virginia 1798-1830 and Annotated Census Summary: Descendants of William and Elizabeth Pennington (WV-1) of Monroe Co., WV Enumerated on the 1880 Census in Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. These books can be downloaded by members of the PRA from <MyFamily.com> at no cost.
SECOND GENERATION
Summary of the children of William and Elizabeth Pennington (WV-1) in Giles Co., VA; Fayette, Kanawha, Mercer and Monroe Counties, WV;
Lawrence Co., KY; Campbell Co., TN and Reynolds Co., MO, 1798-1850.
2. GEORGE PENNINGTON: George had to have been born by 1801 in order to appear in a marriage record in 1822 in Giles Co., Virginia. However, he was probably born about 1780, between the birth of his brothers Wheeler Pennington and William Pennington (WV-2). In 1800, William Pennington (WV-1) is listed on the Monroe County tax rolls [1]¥; he was taxed for 2 white males, 0 slaves, 1 horse. We believe these two males were William Pennington (WV-1) and his son, George Pennington, whom we estimate was born between 1778 and 1782, making him 18-22 years old and old enough to be taxed in 1800. William (WV-2), was about 16-17 years old and too young to be taxed. William Pennington (WV-1)'s eldest son, Wheeler Pennington, then 23 years old, was also taxed in 1800: one white male, no slaves and one horse.
George may have migrated from Giles County to Kentucky where we find a George Pennington taxed in Whitley County, KY in 1844. The evidence suggesting he was related to the family includes: He and Hira W'm Pennington witnessed the marriage of their sister Shada B. (Pennington) Clendenin in 1822; their mother, Elizabeth Pennington gave permission. Also, he is the only candidate we have found who could be the father of Hardin Pennington, whom we know was born in Monroe Co., VA in September 1819. He is also the only candidate to have been the 26-44 year old male enumerated in the household of William Pennington (WV-1) on the 1810 Monroe County census.
George Pennington is not found on any record in Giles or Monroe Counties after 1822. We conclude he had either died or left the area by the 1830 census. Note: A Nancy Pennington was enumerated on the 1850 census in the household of Sarah (Pennington) Pine, daughter of William Pennington (WV-1). Nancy was 60 years old, giving her a birth year of [1]‰about 1790, which makes her a candidate to have been George Pennington’s wife. Nancy Pennington on this census remains unidentified.
+12 i. Hardin Pennington was born in September 1819 in Monroe Co., WV and died on 16 November 1911 in Cumberland, MD at the home of his daughter. He married Elizabeth (?) about 1836, probably in Whitely or Lawrence Co., KY. Elizabeth was born c1821 in Kentucky and died on 9 Aug 1905 in Mercer Co., WV. Hardin was enumerated in Louisa, Lawrence Co., KY on the 1850 census, in Fayetteville, Fayette Co., WV in 1900 and in Monroe Co., WV in 1910.
3. Elizabeth (Pennington) Ellison was born in 1775, possibly in PA, and died 1855-56 in Whitley Co., KY. In March 1800, Elizabeth is listed as the daughter of William and Elizabeth Pennington in the parental permits for her marriage to Asa Ellison, Sr. in Monroe Co., VA/WV; she and Asa married on 2 April 1802. By the 1810 census, they had moved to the Clear Fork of the Cumberland River, in Knox Co., KY (Whitley Co., KY in 1819); their land later became known as Ellison's Bend. We believe Asa and Elizabeth had the following children:
13 i. Rhoda Ellison was born on 6 February 1806 in Monroe Co., VA and died on November 14, 1867 in Elk Valley, Campbell County, TN. She married Sampson Stanfield on 25 March 1822.
+14 ii. Rebecca Ellison was born c1808 in Monroe Co., VA and died after 1820. We believe she married William Stanfield on 19 December 1822.
15 iii. Daughter Ellison was born in 1810 in Knox Co., KY and died after 1820. Whitley County was carved from Knox County before 1820.
16 iv. Hiram Ellison was born between 1810 and 1815 in Knox Co., KY and died after 1820.
+17 v. James Ellison was born in c1814 in what was then Knox Co., KY (later Whitley County) and died after 1820. He may have married Mary Ann Mann.
18 vi. Joseph Ellison was born on 3 March 1815 in Whitley Co., KY and died on 31 January 1857 in Whitley Co., KY.
+19 vii. Ruth Ellison was born in c1818 in Knox Co., KY and died after 1836. She may have married James Veach on 5 February 1836.
+20 viii. John Ellison was born on 10 June 1821 in Whitley Co., KY and died 28 March 1890. He married Elizabeth Reynolds on 18 March 1844.
4. Wheeler Pennington was born on January 8, 1777, probably in VA, and died 27 Feb 1863, Monroe Co., VA/WV. He married Mary Polly Swinney and lived in Monroe Co., VA/WV until his death. The only evidence we have for his relationship with William Pennington (WV-1) is that they lived in the same area of the New River Valley, Monroe County, WV as early as 1799 and were associated on census and land records through 1818. William Pennington (WV-1) was probably born by 1757; his proven daughter Elizabeth (Pennington) Ellison was born in 1775, two years before Wheeler was born. Tax records from Pendleton Co., WV suggest Wheeler lived in his father's household before 1800, at which time he was listed next to his parent’s household. We believe Wheeler and Mary Polly (Swinney) Pennington had the following children:
+21 i. William "Billy" Pennington was born on March 12, 1798, probably in Monroe Co., VA and died on 28 May 1884 in Monroe Co., WV. He married Sarah Dunn on 1 March 1822 in Monroe County. They had 14 children.
+22 ii. Araminta "Minty" Cynthia Pennington was born in c1801 in Monroe Co., VA and died after the census of 1870, probably in Mercer Co., WV. By 1849 she lived with William Phillips in Mercer County, and by 1860 was known as Araminta Phillips. We have not found a marriage record. She had six illegitimate children by 1837.
+23 iii. James Pennington was born c1802 and died after 1865, possibly in Kanawha Co., WV. He married Martha Drury Waddle by 1822, probably in Monroe Co., VA. They had six children, only one of whom lived in the New River Valley region after the Civil War.
+24 iv. Highland / Hiland Pennington was born on February 18, 1806 in Monroe Co., VA and died on 12 March 1876 in Monroe Co., WV. He married Rebecca Cawley on 12 February 1833 in Monroe County. They had 13 children.
+25 v. Mary Polly Pennington was born on January 28, 1807 in Monroe Co., VA and died on 7 July 1899 in Monroe Co., WV. She married Reuben Dunn Jr. on 25 August 1826 in Monroe County; they had seven children. After his death, she married Michael Crotty on 14 November 1846 in Monroe County. They had two sons.
26 vi. Elizabeth Pennington was born on 25 January 1808 in Monroe Co., VA. She died on September 12, 1839 in Monroe County and was buried in the Sunset Cemetery in Cloverdale, Monroe Co., WV next to her parents. Elizabeth apparently did not marry and lived with her parents until death at age 31.
5. William "Will" Pennington (WV-2) (formerly progenitor of Group 15, which was subsumed under Group 26 in 1999) was born in 1783, possibly in Delaware or Maryland, and died after 1870, probably Whitley Co., KY. He married Susannah Nossman on 8 June 1808 in Monroe Co., VA/WV and moved to the Clear Fork of the Cumberland River, Whitley Co., KY before the 1820 census. The evidence we have for a relationship between William Pennington (WV-1) and William Pennington (WV-2) is that they lived in the same area of the New River Valley in what is now Monroe Co., WV through 1810. William Pennington (WV-1) and Wheeler Pennington were listed on the tax roll of 1800 in Monroe Co., VA/WV, and we know from later census records, William (WV-2) would have been only 17 years old at the time and too young to be taxed. On the 1810 census, we find William Pennington (WV-1) (older than 44 years) and Wheeler Pennington (25-44 years old), and William Pennington Jr. (16-26 years old). We believe William and Susannah (Nossman) Pennington (WV-2) had the following children:
+27 i. Martha Elizabeth Pennington was born in c1809 and died after 1828, when she married Shadrick Chandler on November 10 in Whitley County. They had nine children.
+28 ii. Sarah "Sally" Pennington was born on 5 February 1811 in Monroe Co., VA and died on 1 December 1884 in Whitley Co., KY. She married John Lovett c1832. They had 11 children.
+29 iii. William Pennington (WV-3) was born on April 1, 1813 in Knox Co. (later Whitley County), KY and died on 24 November 1902 in Whitley Co., KY. He married Nancy Foley on 27 April 1841 in Whitley County. They had seven children.
+30 iv. Lydia Pennington was born on August 5, 1814 in Knox Co., KY and died on 28 April 1910 in Whitley Co., KY. She married George Bryant 26 November 1838 in Campbell Co., TN. She had 12 children.
+31 v. Fielding Pennington was born 17 October 1818 in Whitley Co., KY and died 12 June 1867 in Scott Co., TN. He married Mary Elizabeth Chambers 26 November 1839 in Campbell Co., TN. They had nine children.
+32 vi. Rachel Catherine Pennington was born 17 July 1819 in Whitley Co., KY and died 17 July 1890 in Whitley County. She married James Benjamin Bennett 27 September 1838 in Whitley County. They had six children.
+33 vii. Malinda Pennington was born c1822 and died after the census of 1880, when she was enumerated living with her sister, Susan Pennington. Malinda had four illegitimate children; all were named Pennington.
+34 viii. George W. Pennington was born 17 October 1818 in Whitley Co., KY and died 14 December 1887 in Scott Co., TN. He married Lakey Chambers 24 March 1845. They had 10 children.
+35 ix. Martin Pennington was born c1829 in Whitley Co., KY and died after 1862. He is believed to have married Priscilla Bodkin c1850, with whom he had three children. Priscilla is believed to have died in Houston, TX 10 June 1901.
36 x. Susan Pennington was born in 1829 in Whitley Co., KY and died after 1880, probably in Whitley County. Susan never married and made her home with her sister Malinda with whom she was enumerated on each census. Susan had no children.
6. Sarah Pennington was born in December 1787, possibly in PA, and died 20 Mar 1860 in Mercer Co., West Virginia. She married Absolom Pine on March 20, 1812 in Monroe Co., VA and lived all her life in Monroe and Mercer Counties, VA/WV. Consent was given by William Pennington and Elizabeth Pennington for the marriage of their daughter, Sarah Pennington, to Absolom Pine on 20 March 1812 in Monroe Co., VA/WV. We believe Sarah Pennington and Absolom Pine had the following children:
+37 i. Clara Pine was born c1816 in Monroe Co., VA and died before 1880. She married Nelson Henderson Neeley c1840. They had six children.
+38 ii. Mahala Pine was born c1816 and died after 1834. She married William M. French c1840.
+39 iii. Alexander Pine was born 12 May 1818 in Monroe Co., VA and died 28 May 1880 in Mercer Co., WV; he is buried in Summers Co., WV. He married Rebecca Smith 3 Dec 1846 in Monroe County. They had six children.
40 iv. Burwell Pine was born c1820 and died in 1851.
+41 v. Green V. Pine was born c1823 and died after 1850. He married Mary Ann Keatley 17 May 1847 in Monroe Co., VA.
+42 vi. Ballard S. Pine was born 1825 in Monroe Co., VA and died after 1845. He is believed to have married Delilah Julina (sic) Neeley c1845.
43 vii. James Alexander Pine was born c1827 and died after 1850.
+44 viii. Malinda Linda Pine born c1830 in Monroe Co., VA and died after 1880. She married John French c1850 and had four children.
7. Hiram Pennington was born in Monroe Co., VA about 1798 and died between 28 March 1854 and the following month when his will was presented in court in Mercer Co., VA/WV. He married Nancy Lusk / Thomas on June 10, 1827 in Tazewell Co., VA then lived in Giles County, VA and Mercer Co., VA/WV until his death in April 1854. Although there is no clear proof Hiram Pennington was the son of William Pennington (WV-1), the circumstantial evidence strongly supports this relationship. Hiram shows up in numerous records relating to the marriages of his sisters, Shada (Pennington) Clendenin and Ida (Pennington) Garretson in 1822 and 1825 respectively. He is probably the 10-15 year-old male enumerated in William Pennington (WV-1)’s household on the 1810 census and the 16-26 year-old male in his household on the 1820 census. The 1850 census lists Hiram's age as 52; the 1840 census lists his age as 40-60 years; the 1830 census lists his age as 30-40. We have the marriage record showing Hiram Pennington married Nancy Lusk on 10 June 1827 in Tazewell Co., VA; marriage performed by Nehemiah Bonham. It is possible, she was Nancy (Thomas) Lusk, a widow when she married Hiram. We believe Hiram Pennington and Nancy Lusk/Thomas had the following children:
+45 i. William K. Pennington was born c1828 in Giles Co., VA and died after the 1910 census for the East River District, Mercer Co., WV. He married Catherine (?) c1851. They had 10 children, all of whom we believe were born in Mercer County, VA/WV.
+46 ii. Elliot Pennington was born in c1830 in Giles Co., VA and died 30 April 1913 in Mercer Co., WV. He married Julia (?) after the census of 1850. We do not know if they had children.
47 iii. John Bailey Pennington was born in 1833 in Giles Co., VA and died after his father’s death in 1854. He may have married Wilmouth Voiers, but we have no additional information for this family.
8. Shada B. Pennington was born about 1800 in Monroe Co., VA/WV and died before 1880 probably in Kanawha or Fayette Counties, WV. We find Shada in Fayette County in 1860, and find her children in both Fayette and Kanawha Counties in 1870. We have no death record for her. Shada (Pennington) Clendenin, her brother-in-law, John Garretson, and David French witnessed the will of her brother, Hiram Pennington, in March 1854 in Mercer Co., VA/WV. Shada is also listed in the marriage of her sister, Ida, in 1825. Permission was given by Elizabeth Pennington for Shada Pennington to marry Archabald "Archey" S. Clendenin on 29 March 1822 in Giles Co., VA. On 23 Feb 1833, Shada’s husband, Archibald S. Clendenin, and her brother, Rencenvey Pennington, were two of the witnesses to the marriage of Lewis Blankenship and Polly Jones. These records are important because they link Elizabeth Pennington to her daughters, Shada and Ida, and to her youngest son, Rencenvey. We believe Shada B. Pennington and Archibald S. Archey Clendenin had the following children:
+48 i. Hiram A. Clendenin was born c1824 in Giles Co., VA and died 25 May 1870 in Kanawha Co., WV. He married Mary Elizabeth (?) c1846; they were living in Gauley Bridge, Fayette Co., VA/WV by the 1860 census. Hiram and Elizabeth had at least nine children.
+49 ii. Robert A. Clendenin was born c1826 in Giles Co., VA and died c1896, probably in Kanawha Co., WV. He is believed to have married Jane Trail with whom he had 11 children. Robert and Jane lived in Gauley Bridge, Fayette Co., WV in 1860 and in Loudon, Kanawha Co., WV in 1880.
+50 iii. John Burnham Clendenin was born in c1828 in Giles Co., VA and died after 1880, probably in Kanawha Co., WV. He married Elizabeth (?) c1849 and lived in Gauley Bridge, Fayette Co., VA/WV in 1860 then in Loudon, Kanawha Co., WV by 1880. He and Elizabeth had at least 11 children.
+51 iv. Rencenvey Robert Clendenin was born c1829 in Giles Co., VA and died after 1880, probably in Kanawha Co., WV. He married Mirshel (sic) (?) c1855 and had moved to Gauley Bridge, Fayette Co., VA/WV by 1860. By 1870 they had moved to Loudon, Kanawha Co., WV where he was enumerated on the 1880 census. He and Mirshel had 10 children.
+52 v. Ballard Preston Clendenin was born c1834 in Giles Co., VA and died after 1854. He may have married Eliza Jane Mahone 10 July 1858 in Kanawha Co., VA/WV. We have no further information on this family.
9. Andrew Pennington was born about 1802 in Monroe Co., VA/WV and died 16 Aug 1835, Whitley Co., Kentucky. He married Sarah "Sally" Thomas c1825 and moved to the Clear Fork of the Cumberland River in Whitley Co., KY by 1828. He was taxed for this land in 1828, 1830 and 1835. He may have lived across the stateline in Campbell Co., TN for a short time between leaving Monroe Co., VA and arriving in Whitley County. The evidence is convincing that Andrew Pennington was the brother of William Pennington (WV-2) and Elizabeth ( Pennington) Ellison. He was living on the Clear Fork of the Cumberland River in Whitley Co., KY before his death in 1835. In his will, Andrew lists "William Pennington" as his brother and executor. His nephew, James Ellison, is listed in the settlement. We believe Andrew Pennington and Sarah Sally Thomas had only one child. After Andrew's death, Sarah married Willis Senter, with whom she had four children by 1850; Willis died before 1870.
+53 i. Rebecca Pennington born c1828 in Whitley Co., KY and died c1887 in Campbell Co., TN. We believe she married Calvin Smith 31 July 1856 in Campbell Co., TN. Calvin was born in Whitley Co., KY 30 November 1836, the son of James and Nancy (Meadors) Smith. Rebecca, Calvin and their children were enumerated in Lower Elk, Campbell Co., TN in 1880. Living with them is Rebecca's 70-year-old mother, Sarah Center (sic), the widow of Andrew Pennington and Willis Senter.
10. Ida Pennington was born c1806 in Monroe Co., VA/WV and died after 1870, probably Loudon, Kanawha Co., WV where we find her on the 1860 census. The evidence is convincing that Ida was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Pennington (WV-1), the latter giving permission for Ida to marry John Garretson / Garrison on 25 Feb 1825 in Giles Co., VA. Surety was provided by Ida's brother-in-law, Archabald S. Clendenin, and John Garretson. John Garretson also authenticates the will of Ida's brother, Hiram Pennington, in 1854. We believe Ida Pennington and John Garretson Sr. had the following children:
+54 i. John Garretson Jr. was born c1826 in Giles Co., VA and died after 1870, probably in Kanawha Co., WV. He married Ardelia Blankenship c1854, with whom he had 14 children.
55 ii. Daughter Garretson was born before 1830 in Giles Co., VA and died before 1850.
56 iii. Daughter Garretson was born before 1830 in Giles Co., VA and died before 1850.
57 iv. Gilmore Garretson was born c1837 in Giles Co., VA and died after 1850.
58 v. Floyd Garretson was born c1833 in Giles Co., VA. He died after 1850.
59 vi. Rhoda Garretson was born c1835 in Giles Co., VA. She died after 1850.
+60 vii. Hiram J. Garretson was born c1838 and died after 1870. He may have married twice; first to Elizabeth (?) then to Naomi (?). He and Naomi were enumerated in Loudon, Kanawha Co., WV in 1870.
61 viii. Milton Garretson was born c1839 in Mercer Co., WV and died after 1850.
62 ix. Perry Garretson was born in 1841 in Mercer Co., WV and died after 1850.
63 x. Minerva Garretson was born c1843 in Mercer Co., WV and died after 1850.
64 xi. Pelitha Paulina Garretson was born c1845 in Mercer Co., WV and died after 1850.
65 xii. Wilson Garretson was born c1849 in Mercer Co., WV and died after 1850.
11. Rencenvey Pennington was born c1812 in Monroe Co., VA/WV. He married Dorcas Whitecotton in Campbell Co., TN about 1835 before moving to Reynolds Co., MO, where he was a school teacher and died in December 1858. Strong circumstantial evidence supports Rencenvey Pennington as the youngest son of William and Elizabeth Pennington. Marriage records in Giles Co., VA in 1833 link Rencenvey with his sister Shada (Pennington) Clendenin and his brother-in-law Archibald S. Clendenin. More importantly, Shada (Pennington) Clendenin named her fourth son Rencenvey Robert Clendenin, who was born in 1830 in Giles Co., VA. Finally, he was enumerated in Campbell Co., TN in 1840 living near his cousin, Fielding Pennington, the son of William and Susannah (Nossman) Pennington (WV-2). Rencenvey's name has been found spelled as: Reccney, Recanvy and Rucanda. Rencenvey Pennington’s given name is spelled Rencenvey in several public records in Giles Co., VA; Rencenvey Robert Clendenin's name is spelled Rencenvey in multiple censuses in Kanawha Co., West Virginia.
We believe Rencenvey and Dorcas had the following children:
66 i. Newton P. I. Pennington was born c1837 in Campbell Co., TN and died after 1880, possibly in Union, Iron Co., MO, where he was enumerated with his wife, Susanna (sic) and four of their children in 1880. On this census, both listed TN as their places of birth.
67 ii. Isaac Pennington was born c1838 in Campbell Co., TN and died after 1850.
68 iii. William Pennington was born c1840 in Campbell Co., TN and died after 1870.
+69 iv. Julia Ann Pennington was born on February 17, 1842 in Missouri and died 17 June 1895. She is believed to have married James Morris c1860 in Reynolds Co., MO.
70 v. George W. Pennington was born c1844 in Missouri and died after 1880, when he was enumerated in Webb, Reynolds Co., MO with his wife Ellen (?) and six of their children.
+71 vi. Daniel Martin Pennington was born on December 11, 1846 in Missouri and died after 1850.
72 vii. Wayne Whitecotton Pennington was born c1848 in Ruble, Reynolds County, MO, died 17 February 1913 and was buried in 1913 in Reynolds Co., MO. He may have married four times, including his first to Mary J. Parrot c1871 in Reynolds Co., MO.
73 viii. Mary Ann Pennington was born in 1850 in Reynolds Co., MO and died after 1850.
The Question of William "Thomas" Pennington in Whitley County, Kentucky and the PRA's former Family Group 15.
Written by Ric Blake, Group Leader, January 15, 1999. Updated in 20 February 2006.
This is to clarify the question about William "Thomas" Pennington in Whitley Co., KY in the early 19th century. For many years, researchers believed a William Thomas Pennington lived in [1]´Knox and Whitley Counties, Kentucky. They created the PRA Family Group 15 based on this belief and hoped to link him with the Penningtons who migrated west from North Carolina in the early 1800s. The William Pennington who lived in on the Clear Fork of the Cumberland River in Knox and Whitley Counties, however, was the son of William Pennington (WV-1) who lived in Monroe County, WV and Giles County, VA from at least 1798 to 1821. We have no record of anyone named William Thomas Pennington in this area during these years.
Unfortunately, William Pennington (WV-2) has been incorrectly identified as William Thomas Pennington in the Pennington Pedigrees ( see Vol. 9, No. 2, pp 37-38) [1] and the files of the Church of Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ in Salt Lake City. This error was the foundation upon which the PRA Family Group 15 was created. Group 15 is now part of Group 26.
The name Thomas and the unproven link to the North Carolina Penningtons came from Buford Lay's aunt, Ollie Pennington of Oneida, TN. Buford Lay did not prove or disprove either the name "Thomas" nor the lineage, and many researchers continue to believe and pass this incorrect information on to others. However, there is not even circumstantial evidence to support this belief. The William Pennington listed in Knox Co., KY (later Whitley Co., KY) beginning with the 1820 federal census (on which he is listed as William Pendleton) through his last enumeration on the 1870 census is William Pennington (WV-2). He was the son of William Pennington, Sr. (WV-1), of Monroe Co., VA/WV, and the brother of Elizabeth (Pennington) Ellison and Andrew Pennington, also found in Whitley Co., KY before 1830.
William and Susannah (Nossman) Pennington married in Monroe Co., VA/WV on 8 June 1808 (married by James ELLISON, surety by John NOSSMAN). William and Susannah Pennington were listed on the 1810 census in Monroe Co., WV. The household of William Pennington in Knox and Whitley Counties can be tracked through land, marriage and census records through at least 1870. Throughout that time, he is living next to or near his sister Elizabeth (Pennington) Ellison, and his brother Andrew Pennington in an area that became known as Ellison’s [1] Creek. Elizabeth married Asa Ellison, Sr., in Monroe Co., VA/WV on 2 April 1805. Duplicate deeds in Whitley Co., KY, and Monroe Co., VA/WV, prove it is the same Asa and Elizabeth (Pennington) Ellison living in Whitley Co., KY, (then Knox Co., KY) by at least the 1810 federal census. (For documentation sources see History of William and Elizabeth Pennington in Monroe Co., West Virginia, 1798-1830, by Ric Blake, published February 2006 and other histories available at the PRA's Members only website hosted by MyFamily.com.) Beginning in 1819, we have Asa and Elizabeth (Pennington) Ellison and William Pennington buying land next to each other on the Clear Fork in Whitley Co., KY. There are dozens of deeds from 1819 to at least 1845 linking these siblings, plus their brother, Andrew Pennington, who buys land there from 1829 until his death in Whitley County, Kentucky on 16 Aug. 1835. Andrew Pennington names William Pennington as his brother and executor in his will [Whitley County, KY Will Book One, 1818-1854, page 84 of Stephen H. Broyles' abstract.]
Buford probably assumed the name Thomas to be correct because it is found as a given name among the next generation of Penningtons in Whitley Co., KY. We believe Hiram Pennington and Andrew Pennington, both sons of William Pennington, Sr. (WV-1) of Monroe Co., VA/WV, married women from the Thomas family, bringing the name into both Pennington families for the first time. The name is also found as a given name among some of William and Susannah (Nossman) Pennington’s children's in-laws. From both sources, within a generation, the name entered the family naming pattern as a given name, but there is NO evidence the William Pennington on the Clear Fork of the Cumberland River was named Thomas.
This issue is not confusing if you follow the trail marked by public records from 1800 in Monroe County through 1870 in Whitley County. The proof is there. The best advice for any researcher is to trust no documentation you haven't proven yourself. Too often proof turns out to be someone's assumption.
Continue to look for additional PRA Group 26 histories and research summaries on the PRA's Members only website hosted by MyFamily.com and this website.
For the more information concerning Family Group 26, please contact Ric Blake, Group Leader.
Copyright
© 2006 Pennington Research Association,
March 30, 2006.
Page Last Updated: 05/11/2008
