| James Jennings | Charity Burch | William Bills | Susan Hutchins |
 |
|
||
| John Jennings | Alcey Bills | ||
 |
|||
| John Nelson Jennings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| m.(1) Annie Stillwell | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| m.(2) Ann Reed | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
Notes: FOREWORD This brief narrative is an attempt by the author, Harold R. Blevins, to record as accurately as possible the history of the descendants of John Nelson Jennings, in particular those who settled in Izard County, Arkansas. It would be impossible of course, to record every descendant o f this man; the author is a fifth generation descendant and after this point the numbers grow too far beyond the scope of this effort. It can, however, provide a framework upon which a person can build and add his own later generations. The research is by no means finished, but perhap s by putting the existing information down, others will be encouraged to furnish any family records they have which will make the history more complete. The author is indebted to many people for sharing the enclose d information, but special thanks must go to Carl Jennings of Sage, Arkansas and Spellman Jennings of Viola, Arkansas, without whose help this effort would not have been possible. John Nelson Jennings was born about 1810 in the state of North Carolina . The exact place of birth remains unknown at this point, although indications are that it was either Surry or Wilkes County. His parentag e is also unknown, but a daughter-in-law left records indicating that his father was named either Thomas or John. The reason for the uncertainty i s not clear, but if accurate, the record at least gives a starting point. The most likely possibility for John Nelson's parents is found in the marriage records of Surry County, North Carolina, which show that on 25'December 1806, a marriage was performed for a John Gennings and Ails ey Bills. The name, place and date fit, plus the fact that John Nelson Jennings later named one of his daughters Aley. (The name is variously spelled Ailsey, Ailse, Aley, Alce and Alise; this and the variant spelling of "Gennings" is not particularly significant since county clerks in those days spelled things pretty much like they sounded.) Another bit of supporting evidence for this theory is that the Bills family was a well known Surry County Quaker family that later moved to Marshall County, Tennessee and settled in the same area of the county where John Nelson Jennings later lived.' The Bills family has been well researched and much information on them is contained in Hinshaw's "Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy" (Ref. 1). The first positive records of John N. Jennings appear in Marshall Count y, Tennessee. He appears in both the 1840 and the 1850 census records. Marshall County was formed out of Bedford, Maury, Giles and Lincoln Counties in 1836; the 1830 census of these counties does not show a Joh n Nelson Jennings, so it is not known exactly when he settled there. Fami ly records (Ref. 2) indicate that John Nelson married Annie Stilwell. No. record has been found of where this marriage occurred, but the Stilwell family was in Bedford County as early as 1830, presum- ably having come there from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Annie Stilwell-Jennings apparently died some'time before 1850, leaving John Nelson with at leas t three children; Elias Stilwell (1831), Alcy Caldonia (1835) and Martha Ann (1837). Another son, Thomas, who was born in 1848, was probably by a second. wife, since there is an 11 gap between him and Martha Ann. The 1840 census did not give names of family members or their ages but the 1850 census gives the following: John Jennings, age 40 born North Carolina; Frances, age 30, born Tennessee; Alcy, age 16; Martha, age 13 ; Thomas, age 2; John, age 8 months (all children born in Tennessee). Eli as Jennings was already married and was shown in the census as a 19 year o ld living in the household of his father-in-law, Daniel Morris. The "Frances" mentioned above was evidently John's second wife, since it appears unlikely that a woman of only 30 would have a 19 year old son. A s stated previously, Thomas and John were likely children of this wife. Marshall County marriage records (Ref. 3) show'a marriage for John N. Ginnings and Ann Reed on 25 February 1847. There is no obvious explanation for the difference in names on the census and marriage records unless her name was "Frances Ann" or one of the names was a nickname. It is not known how long this family remained in Marshall County, Tennessee, but family records indicate they were in Fulton County, Arkansas as early as 1860. They lived in Kentucky for a short period in between, probably from about 1852 to 1858. They lived in both Warren and Graves Counties in Kentucky, one of Elias Jennings' sons was born near Bowling Green which is in Warren County, Kentucky. Since they were there between census years, no records have been found which place them in a particular area. Both Elias Jennings and his father-in-law Daniel Morris appear in the 1860 census of Fulton County, Arkansas. The y are shown in Big Creek Township, Union Post Office. John Nelson Jenning s does not appear in the 1860 census but is shown in the 1880 Fulton Coun ty census living with the J. S. Hutchinson family. His relationship with this family has no.t been determined and his date of death and burial place are unknown, but he probably is buried somewhere near Union in Fulton County. A search of cemeteries in this area has failed to locate a gravesite. If anyone knows its location this information would be most appreciated Before leaving the Tennessee area, it might be well to look at two families who were closely associated with the Jennings family, namely t he Stilwell and Morris families. THE STILWELL FAMILY Not much is known of Annie Stilwell, since very few records still exist for the area where she and John N. Jennings reared their family. 1840 census of Marshall County, Tennessee listed several Stilwells, one of whom was Elias Stilwell. Jennings.on the same census page. He was liste d together with John N. The-fact that Annie Stilwell named first son Elia s Stilwell Jennings led to the conclusion that he might be her father. However, further research of the records of Marshall County uncovered t he will of Elias Stilwell, which made no mention of a Jennings connection. The will bf a Jesse Stilwell, however, was discovered (Will Book A, pag e 177) and gave the following information: He left most of his estate to his wife Mary and his son James 0. Stilwell with the following proviso, "Third, I give and bequeath to Elias S. Jennings, Alce Jane Jennings an d Martha Ann Jennings, ten dollars each". The will was recorded 3 July 1848. Further investiga- tion revealed that Jesse Stilwell was born in the 1760's and that Elias was his son. (Ref. 10) Annie Stilwell was probably a daughter of Jesse,Stilwell and a sister to Elias. The fact that only three children were mentioned in the will lends support to th e previous theory that all of John N. Jennings other children were by a second wife. Jesse Stilwell is shown in the 1790, 1800 and 1820 censuse s of Meekleburg County, North Carolina and probably came to Bedford or Marshall County, Tennessee during the 1820's or 1830's. THE MORRIS FAMILY Mary Amanda Morris was born I June'1834 in Rutherford County, Tennessee . She was the daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Clark Morris, this family was in Bedford County by the 1840's. Daniel Morris was born in Tennessee in 1811, Elizabeth Clark was born in North Carolina in 1806 o r 1807. Mary Amanda Morris and Elias Jennings were married near Lewisburg , Marshall County Tennessee on 21 December 1849, the date is verified by courthouse records. The Daniel Morris and Elias Jennings families left Tennessee about 1852 and after spending a few years in Kentucky, permanently settled in Fulton and Izard Counties in Arkansas. THE CHILDREN OF JOHN N. JENNINGS Although this short history will be primarily concerned with the descendants-of only one of the children of John N. Jennings and Annie Stilwell, namely Elias Jennings, it seems appropriate at this time to tell what is known of the other s. Also, whatever information has been gathered will be listed in detail as an appendix to this narrative on standard genealogical forms known as Family Group Sheets. The form used here is copyrighted by the Everton Publishers, P. 0. Box 368; Logan, Ut ah 84321 and is published here with their permission. A Family Group Sheet for each family in the lineage of the author, with all known informatio n about the husband, wife and children, appears in this appendix. Martha Ann Jennings was born 19 June 1837 in Marshall County, Tennessee . Martha Ann. children. She first married Jackson Height and they had one daughter, She then married a Mr. Black, it is not known if they had Martha Jennings later married Pryor Anderson Nimmo and they had four children; Albert Philetus, Tempa Ann, Elnorah Miranda and Sarah Ellen. Martha.died 8 April 18I2 at Union Arkansas. Aley Caldonia Jennings was born I April 1835 in Bedford County Tennesse e. Marshall County, Tennessee marriage records show that Alcy C. Jennings and Wm. M. Loving were married on 23 June 1849. Whether Mr. Loving died or the marriage was dissolved is not known; in any event 1852. Aley Jennings and Enoch P. Eakin were married on 13 December This informatio n and the children of this couple are recorded in the family Bible, owned by a granddaughter, Mrs. Seddie Eakin Jennings of Melbourne, Arkansas. Unfortunately, the Bible only records initials of many of the children, so their given names are missing from the family group sheet. (see Fami ly Group Sheet #4) Nothing is known of Thomas or John Jennings, the two youngest children listed in the 1850 census record of the John N. Jennings f ami ly. At least 3 marriages are recorded in Marshall County, Tennessee records fo r a Thomas D. Jennings, the dates being 1838, 1842, and 1859. These dates borne out by the 1850 Marshall County census. It lists a Thomas Jenning s, born in 1817, making him near the same age as John Nelson Jennings and living very near to him. A similarity of children's names indicates tha t the two might possibly be brothers. THE ELIAS STILWELL JENNINGS FAMILY Elias and Mary Amanda Jennings were the parents of thirteen children, a ll but two of which grew to maturity. One peculiarity of this family is th at all the children had three given names. The family came into Fulton County near Union, Arkansas about 1859. They made several trips back an d forth between Arkansas and Kentucky over the next few years, some of th em during the Civil War. It was necessary on at least one occasion to negotiate themselves through the Union picket lines and to justify thei r passage through to return home. The family moved to Izard County someti me during the late 1860's and settled in the area between Sage and Lacross e. Mauibers of this family were instrumental in the founding and support o f the Caney Springs Presbyterian Church, located about 2 miles northwest o f Sage, Arkansas. The cemetary there is the resting place for Elias, Mary Amanda and many of their descendants. No attempt has been made here to follow the families of all the children of Elias Jennings. Some stayed i n Izard and Fulton Counties, some went to Oklahoma and other points far a nd wide. The record from this point will be confined to Daniel Green Franklin Jennings and his children. THE DANIEL GREEN FRANKLIN JENNINGS FAMILY Daniel Green Franklin Jennings, the third child of Elias and Mary Jennings, was born near Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky on 19 March 1855. He was married first to Frances P. Wamack on 28 May 1876. This marriage produced four children, Bartha, Jason Lucious, Ethel and Homer. Frances Jennings died in 1894 and is buried at Caney Springs. In 1900 Daniel G. P. Jennings married Lottie Morris, this union produced four children; Carl, Talmadge, Millicent and Havron. The families of'th e children of D.G.F. Jennings ate listed as follows: I . Bartha Jennings - (see Family Group Sheet #7). Bartha Jennings was born in August 1877, s he married Joe Turnbull on 26 December 1896. This couple had four children ; Lilly, Clara, James and Amelia. Bartha died in 1903 at the age of 26, s he is buried at Caney Springs 2. J. L. Jennings - (see Family Group Sheet li8) - Jason Lucious Jennings was.born 4 August 1880 near Sage, Arkansa s, he married Susie Troxler in July 1898. This union produced nine childre n, two of which died in infancy. The seven remaining children were Clarenc e, Olen, Cecil, Velma, Veona, Lucille and Leo. J. L. Jennings died in Augu st 1974 at the age of 94 years and is buried at Caney Springs. 3. Ethel Jennings - Ethel was born 11 March 1883 and died in October 1899 at the age of 16. 4. Homer E. Jennings - (see Family Group Sheet #9). Homer E was born in June 1887 near Sage, Arkansas. In 1907 he married Laura V, Heim, the daughter of James T. and Martha Spence Helm. The couple had four children, one of which died in infancy. The three surviving childr en are Spellman, H. E. Jr., and Lynn. in 1950. Homer E. Jennings died The children of Daniel G. F. Jenning.s and Lottie C. Morris: 1. Carl Jennin gs - (see Family Group Sheet #10). Carl Jennings was born near Sage, Arkansas in 1904. He was married to Elsie Blevins in January 1930; they have one son, Conway Jennings. 2 . Talmage Jennings - (see Family Group Sheet #11) - Talmage Jennings was born near Sage, Arkansas in 1907. He was married to Ethyl Arnold in 1926; they have two daughters, Ina and Matra 3 . Millicent Jennings - Millicent was born in 1909 and died in 1915 at the age of 6 years. 4. Havron Jennings - Havron was born in 191 2 near Sage, Arkansas; he never married. Information on this family was gathered from various sources, (Refs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). RELATED FAMILIES Two other families related to.this Jennings line deserve mention at thi s point; the Wammack and Troxler families; THE WAMMACK FAMILY Frances P. Wammack the first wife of Daniel G.. F. Jennings, was born i n April 1849 in Wright County, Missouri. She was the daughter of Charles R . and Jane W. Wammack, who were born in North Carolina and Georgia respectively. "Uncle Rough", as he was called, lived in Wright County -near Seymour, Missouri as early as the late 1840's and moved his famil y to Izard County during the 1860's. His children (see Group Sheet #13) were Frances, John Wesley, Mittrell (Mitt) Malinda (Lynn), Sarah, Marth a and William. Many descendants of this couple still live in Izard County , although the spelling of the name has varied over the years. (Wammack, Wamack, Womack and Wommack) THE TROXLER FAMILY Susie Troxler was born near Zion in Izard County in August 1880. She wa s the daughter of Samuel and Sarah Jane ("Sally") McElmurry Troxler (see Group Sheet #12). The Troxler family came into Izard County in the late 1840's and the first Troxler family appears in the 1850 census. This family is probably a branch of the large Bedford County, Tennessee Troxler family, although no positive connection has been made. Sam and "Sally" Troxler had four surviving children; Susie, Albert, Jennie and John. Sam and Sally Troxler are buried in Bethlehem Cemetary near Sage, Arkansas. LUSION As stated in the beginning, this short history is not intended to be a comprehensive genealogy of all the descendants of this family. It does not discuss personalities nor relate incidents in the life of any one individual. A genealogy of this type becomes increasingly cumbersome wi th each succeeding generation. For example, the five children of Daniel G . P. Jennings who had families, produced 16 grandchildren and over 35 great-grandchildren (see Family Group Sheet #14 for a listing of these) . This brief narrative is only a limited attempt to record the direct lineage of the author and provide a framework of information for person s related to this line. Every care has been taken to make the information as factual as possible; where assumptions have been made they are clear ly stated as such. In spite of this, some errors are bound to be made; whe n such are discovered the author would welcome receiving the correct information so that the record can be set straight. Any information on related families not covered by this history would also be greatly appreciated. REFERENCES 1. "Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy" by William Wade Hinsha w, Vol. I and supplement (1936) p. 527, 777, 800, 971. 2. Family Records "The Jennings Family Tree" in possession of Spellma n Jennings; Viola, Arkansas. 3. Records of Marshall County, Tennessee; Marshall County Courthouse ; Lewisburg, Tennessee. 4. United States Census Records, 1790 to 1880, Micrafilmed by the National Archives. 5. Huntsville Public Library, Huntsville, Alabama. 6. Records of Izard County Arkansas; Izard County Courthouse, Melbourne, Arkansas. 7. Tombstone Inscriptions of Izard County, Arkansas, copied by the author and various other individuals. 8. Records of and conversations with; Spellman Jennings, Carl Jenning s, and other family members. 9. Correspondence with Mrs. E. 0. Staffel of Covington, Louisiana and other Jennings family researchers. 10. Various Family Group Sheets from the Archives of the L.D.S. Genea- logical Society Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. 11. "Historic Southern Families", Volume IV, by John Bennett Boddie; pp. 101-120, chapter entitled "Jennings of Hanover . 12. Documented Notes on Jennings.and allied Families" by Beatrice M. Doughtie, 1961. 13. Various tax lists, Bible records, tombstone inscriptions, and othe r miscellaneous records contained in the Tennessee State Library and Archives; 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee.
