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THE FAMILIES OF JAMES SHELTON OF MCMINN COUNTY, TENNESSEE, AND HIS FATHER, RODERICK SHELTON, OF BUNCOMBE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, AND THEIR ANTECEDENTS
Arthur Paul
Shelton, to September 1, 1987
CHAPTER I
LINEAGE
Because of the lack of information on the McMinn County,
Tennessee, branch of the Sheltons in available genealogical tracts, the writer
has over the years devoted much time and research to developing the ancestral
history and lineage of the families of James Shelton, a McMinn County pioneer,
and his father, Roderick Shelton, of Buncombe County, North Carolina, and the
results are written herein. There is
included considerable material which is extraneous to the writer’s ancestry,
particularly with the other sons of Roderick and his daughters, namely: Martin, David, Armistead, Lewis, John
William, Sarah, Eliza, Nancy and Elizabeth and their descendants. It is here, however, because of its worth to
others not of this direct lineage in connecting their lines. It is intended that the data at hand be
developed in a lucid manner so that the reader will not be lost in a maze of
names and dates. The index in the back
shows in alphabetical order the name of each person mentioned, his parentage if
known, the approximate date of birth and the pages where found.
In the beginning, without prior acknowledgement of the
sources, the lineage will be set forth showing the male ancestor in each
generation from James of McMinn County to his earliest antecedent in America,
James Shelton of Jamestown, Virginia.
The line as given has been accepted by the Tennessee Society of the Sons
of the Revolution for the writer’s membership therein.
8. James Shelton,
born Patrick County, Virginia, on March 1, 1791, moved with his father’s family
to Buncombe County, North Carolina, in about 1795. In 1810 he went over to nearby Greene County, Tennessee, and wed;
and from there he enlisted in the army for service in the War of 1812.
He served as a private in Captain Thomas Wilson’s company of Tennessee
militia. He moved to McMinn County,
Tennessee, in 1819 where he settled on the Hiwassee River, reared his large
family and lived out his life, having died there on October 9, 1879. He is buried in the family cemetery on the
homeplace.
7. Roderick Shelton,
born in Amelia County, Virginia, in about 1754, moved with his father’s family
to Halifax County, Virginia, the portion of which is now Patrick County, in 1763. He is said to have served from Henry County,
Virginia, in the Continental Army under General George Washington in the
Revolution. He moved to Buncombe
County, North Carolina, to what is now Shelton Laurel in Madison County in
about 1795. He died there in about
1816, leaving a large family. He is
buried in the Shelton cemetery on a ridge near head of Laurel.
6. John Shelton,
born in Essex County, Virginia, in about 1732, at 13 moved with his father’s
family to Amelia County, Virginia, in about 1745. He wed there in about 1750, and in 1763 with his family moved
with his father to the portion of Halifax County which is now Patrick
County. Further data on John is
scant. He
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was a brother of
James, a captain in the Henry County militia, the one whom this writer originally
believed to be Roderick’s father, further research having indicated otherwise.
5. Ralph Shelton, born Middlesex County,
Virginia, in 1709, died in Henry County, the portion of which is now Patrick
County, in 1789, having moved there from Amelia County in 1763. He served in the Amelia County active
militia in 1758.
4. Ralph Shelton, born Middlesex County,
Virginia, in 1685, died in that county in 1733.
3. Peter Shelton, born in Virginia or Bermuda
in 1664, died in Middlesex County, Virginia, in 1718.
2. Ralph Shelton, b. England 1610, lived there
and in Bermuda.
1. James Shelton, born in England about 1580,
son of Sir Ralph, Lord of Shelton, came to America in 1610. He was residing in Jamestown, Virginia, in
1620, moved to Bermuda in 1630. He died
on Barbados Island in 1668, is buried there.
There is evidence
that the ancestry of James (8) differs in the 5th and 6th
generations from that shown. It is
possible that the lineage is as follows:
James (8), Roderick (7), Gabriel (6) instead of his brother John,
Crispin (5) instead of his brother Ralph, Ralph (4), Peter (3), Ralph (2) and
James (1). Gabriel, born about 1737, son of Crispin, had several sons among
whom was one shown as Reddick Shelton, born about 1757. In reviewing my notes, I find that one of my
early correspondents, Jeanette Robertson Trotter, a cousin now deceased, a
descendant of James (8), in writing about Reddick, followed his name in
parenthesis thus, (Roderick, son of Crispin’s son Gabriel). Perhaps the name Reddick is a misreading,
and the name is really Roderick. The
handwritten name could easily be misread.
If true, it would tend to clear up some of the uncertainty as to
Roderick’s lineage.
It may be significant
that Gabriel’s brothers, the uncles of Reddick (possibly Roderick), bore the
names William, Lewis and Armistead, and that he had aunts Elizabeth and Jane,
names that Roderick gave three of his sons and 2 of his daughters, and that
Roderick’s son, James (8), used the names William, Lewis, Jane and Elizabeth in
naming his children. Besides his sister
Jane, Gabriel had an aunt Jane, a name common in Roderick’s descendants.
Following is data on
Gabriel and Crispin as heads of families:
6. Gabriel Shelton, born Essex County,
Virginia, about 1737, moved with his father’s family to the area of Halifax
County which later became Pittsylvania County.
He served in the Revolution, having been a captain of militia, appointed
September 7, 1775. He along with his
brother Ensign Vincent Shelton marched their company to the Battle of Guiliford
Court House and fought against the British there on March 15, 1781. He served until 1789. His will, which he wrote in 1803, listed
only his younger children.
5. Crispin Shelton, born Middlesex County,
Virginia, April 1, 1713, left will dated February 17, 1794, in Pittsylvania
County where he moved in 1764. He had
been granted 1,515 acres on Whitehorn Creek.
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