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Author: duchy2
Surnames: David Calhoun in VA - case solved!
Classification: queries
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.calhoun/203.465.2/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
Karen -- been trying to find your current email address.
Hope you get this.
This is Garland Bigley, we corresponded for awhile a couple of years ago re our Calhoun
family.
Perhaps you have already done so, but I think I just cracked the code for our forebears.
I have been at this day and night (again) for weeks now, but am so excited.
In case you don't have this yet--
I found a document in old Wythe (or Washington)County files wherein David Calhoun and his
wife "Fereby" both signed to transfer some land in the 3rd quarter of the 18th
C.
Also, David was a signatory to a petition to the VA legislature in 1785 to create from
Washington Co. a new county (which became Russell Co. in 1786).
So he was indeed in S.W. Va from mid 1700s. His son was David who married Eda Ayers, who
begat Thomas in abt.1826 and our respective branches from there. By the way, I also found
that "Old Tommy" was David's (abt. 1790) brother and our Thomas' uncle.
But I was having a devil of a time finding the right lineage for parents of David Ist. It
seemed that no one was born at right times and had a son documented as named David. I had
tracked ADAM Calhoun who lived in Pr. Edward Co. VA. but no kids of right name and age.
Also William and James Calhoun, who lived in VA, but again nothing clear emerged. I found
some genealogies listing William (1730)(married to Elizabeth), but found no proof of a son
David of right age.
Then I began to think we were probably descended from Audley Calhoun (James Patrick's
brother and son of Rev. Alexander and Judith Hamilton). I read passages from Orville
Calhoun's Vol II book and saw that he had concluded that Audley had, indeed, come to
America w/ his 3 brothers in 1733. He ended up going back to Ireland in later life, to
tend to matters involving his vast estates there, and he died in Ireland, which no doubt
threw everyone off the chase.
BUT -- he did go south to VA and so did his son George (1700) who came over w/ his parents
and James Patrick's family (his uncle and first cousins). I found Augusta Co.
documents related to George living in VA near his Calhoun cousins, and doing survey work,
etc.
And David was listed in Orval's Vol II as the 6th son of George (they have him listed
as born in PA in 1750, w/ no listing of wife or children. George was listed as being
married to Elizabeth Wilson. But I am pretty sure David was born in VA (as I think some
old census docs. show). I am pretty sure that George and Audley (and their wives) went
So. with Patrick and his mom and the Hamilton's,et.al., in 1746 or so. In fact
Audley's wife is buried in Augusta Co. VA.
Most of the Audley Calhoun family ended up in TN and N.C., but David obviously married
Pharibee (Fereby)(Phoebe) and stayed in S.W. Va. I may have found her family name too,
the folks to whom he transferred land(forget it now, but I have seen the name before in my
research and have copies of the documentation).
I talked to Owen Calhoun about this, and told him that Audley's descendants (that his
father wrote about as going to TN, NC & VA) had to have taken the same Old Indian
Trail (Old Phila. Road) that Patrick's family took. Some just continued on to NC and
TN and our branch later went through the Pound Gap to KY.
My mother always told us that Grandad Taylor P. said his ancestors traveled w/ Patrick
Calhoun down to VA.
It all fits perfectly now and I am so excited.
I could never find any proof of the William or James connection (or even Andrew), but this
links us to George and Audley. Mom told me she had a cousin George Calhoun who went to
Mich state and was a diving or swimming champ there. He was about Mom's age and
handsome like John C. when he was young and like Taylor who was quite handsome. Nice
Scots-Irish faces they had.
George and his wife are buried in Steel Creek Presbyterian cemetary in Mecklenburg Co.
N.C. just across the VA line.
So what do you think? Let me know if I am off base for any known reason.
With the 1750 date for David's birth being exactly what I had found years ago, I
figured that there was no record of his offspring because they are us -- the lost VA &
KY Calhouns.
I will be happy to send my research to you on all this -- managed to do it all online, but
was getting ready to drive out to Russell Co. I may go there anyway, and to Pr. Edward
Co. (just an hour or so from me)and NC instead.
Another connection to Pr. Edward. Adam Calhoun ended up there married to ________ Davis.
Her parents gave him some land there. They were near Cub Creek, which is now in CHarlotte
Co. and that is where the Caldwells lived (John Caldwell was father of Martha Caldwell,
John C's mother).
So they cousins were all around that area visitng with Audley and Adam's families in
mid 1700's.
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