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as John1 Casebolt of Little Levels should have been about 54 in 1800. I suspect that Elizabeth was considerably younger than John1 that she was not aware of his exact age, and that she answered the census questions during one of his absences. This age report could also be used as evidence that this John was not the John1 of Little Levels, but at present there is almost no other evidence to support that position.

In September 1803, John was a defendant before the superior court of Washington County, Tennessee.1

On 6 May 1804, he was granted 200 acres on the Kentucky River just below Line Fork, Floyd Co. Certificate #86.3  While living there, Polly Davis the 14-year-old step daughter used to walk back to Turkey Cove, VA for provisions like flour!  Doubtless she would stay there with her mother's sister, Susan (Helvey) Hobbs, wife of Absalom Hobbs, who lived just north of Turkey Cove.4

In 1807, he shows up for the first time on the personal property tax lists of Lee County, Virginia, his eldest son Thomas11 having appearing there as well starting the year before, in 1806. Lee County began record keeping in 1793 and until 1814 included the western parts of present-day Scott and Wise Counties, Virginia. The personal property tax lists are available from 1795 through 1813 except for 1808. They show that John's eldest son from Little Levels, Thomas11 now grown, lived in the county from 1806 through 1810.

John and family lived just north of Turkey Cove in the adjoining Powell Valley as did Absalom and Susan Helvey Hobbs (John's wife's sister).  The eastern section of Lee County was called "Turkey Cove" by the early settlers.  Some claim it was named for an Indian Chief named "Turkey Foot".  Others say it was so named because of the large flocks of turkeys that roamed the forests there.3

John1 himself is listed in 1807 with 1 stud and 14 other horses. He is listed in 1809 and thereafter through 1813 sometimes with one horse, sometimes with none. He evidently had given up the horse trade.

Lee County deed records show only one Casebolt entry during John's lifetime, and the Will Book that might have included his will no longer exists. On 30 November 1815, Job Casebolt, "a resident of Lee County", purchased for 85 Pounds, a 50 acre tract of land "on the river" from Andrew Howard.2 Census and tax data both suggest that no other adult male Casebolt besides John was living in Lee County in 1815. He did have a son named Job, but that son would have been 9 years old in 1815! I conclude that for reasons of his own, John1 executed this purchase under the name Job. Unfortunately, since this was a purchase and not a sale, he was not required to sign his name on the agreement.

This 50 acres remained in the family until 1831. In March of that year, John's son John1B J. bought it

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1 Washington, Docket, Minutes 1803-1809 Washington County, TN p.4 (WPA Transcripts) "Thomas Byerson Assessee or Asignee vs. John Caseboll and Geo. Mattock, Sept. 1803" reference given by Jeanne Bigger in 1976 -- so far I have been unable to find this publication or to verify this event.

2 Lee, Deeds, 3:195-96.

3 Swanson, Berniece letter to rak, 25 July 2000 {kld}.

4 Story told by Rev. John Jay Dickey to John Stamper on 21 April 1898. {kld}

CASEBOLT -- An American Family         Copyright 1992 - RAK

Ch.4 - Second Generation, South                   Page 4-17

Last Revised: 21 September 2001

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