Tunis Anthony McElwain (1773 - 1851)

Born 19 Aug 1773 in Rockingham, Virginia

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 4 Nov 1851 at age 78 in Arnoldsburg, Calhoun, Virginia, United States

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Biography

It seems that in almost every family history, the lineage goes back to one individual who fathered the clan, a sort of "Devil Anse", as it were. We have chosen as patriarch of the Waynes one Tunis Wayne, beyond which very little is known at this time. From the time of Tunis on down to (but not including) the present generation, the Waynes have been a prolific lot and according to all the rules of mathmatics, should have overpopulated the earth by this time, but such is not the case. The following bits of information should serve to get any of the female members of the family into the DAR, if they be so inclined.

We first find the family of Wayne (sometimes written as Wain, McIlwain, Mucklewaine), in Rockingham County, Virginia. Tunis was born there between 1759 and 1773. His Revolutionary War record says he was born in 1759; the 1850 census indicates he was born between 1760 and 1770; and his gravestone says he was born in 1773. This discrepancy in dates is not unusual--the lack of accurate records have left many people not knowing the exact date on which they were born. In any event, it is interesting to note at this point that our great-grandfather was old enough to fight in the Revolutionary War. This strikes us as being very unusual in the present-day generation.

Tunis fought in the Revolution from Pendleton County, Virginia as an Indian spy. ^[1]How much spying he actually did is a question that no one can answer. Most of the younger boys at that time fought and tracked Indians. He later drew a pension for his Revolutionary service, but after two years it was taken away. View letter about loss of Pension Application for his pension was made in Kanawha County, Virginia (WV).^[2]

Tunis married Catherine Propst between 1792 and 1794, and around 1810, he moved to Holly River, Webster County, W. Va., which was at that time Randolph County, Virginia. He brought at least three children with him, the rest were born in Webster County. They crossed the *Elk River in a canoe and came into the Appalachian wilderness to make a new home. From the "History and Folklore of Webster County" we find that "George McElwain, son of Tunice McElwain, accompanied his father from Pendleton County to the Holly River about 1810. Returning to Pendleton to drive their stock through, he arrived there at the outbreak of the Second War with England and entered the American Army. When months and years passed without his return, his family decided he had met with misfortune by encountering Indians or wild animals and mourned for him as dead. He did not rejoin his family until the end of the war.

We have been unable to find a satisfactory explanation of the different surnames used over the years. The spelling seems to have been the option of whomever was doing the writing at the time. Perhaps the original name was Wayne but at this time we have no records to indicate this. The records of Rockingham County, Virginia may yield this information some of these days.

Grandfather Jacob Wayne, son of Tunis, moved from Webster to Calhoun County, Lee District, around 1830. He owned land there at the age of 20, was married three times and had eighteen children. He died and was buried there at the age of eighty-three.

Note: The above entry came from the geni.com entry for Tunis Wayne, which itself was taken from "Tunis, The Patriarch By Curtis Nelson Wayne, December 1968". From research available to us now, that was not easily found before the age of the internet, we know that the "Wayne" name was a shortened form of McElwain. The spelling and use of the McElwain name has changed many times, often with even siblings spelling it differently, or historically, sometimes within the same source document the individual mentioned will have the name spelled differently. Other versions of the name are M'Ylveyne, McIlvaine, Muckelvane, Macelveen, and McElveen.

In 1850 Tunis can be found living in the home of Solomon Nichols Sr. who is the spouse of his deceased daughter Dorotha McElwain in Nichols, Gilmer county, Gilmer, Virginia, United States. ^[3]

Burial in Winner Cemetery, Calhoun County, West Virginia, USA Find A Grave: Memorial #43691895 View Headstone

Family Data

• Named as mother in the death record for daughter Barbara Ann (McElwain) Davis^[4]
• Named in the marriage record for Jacob Wayne and Rebecca McCune. ^[5]
• Named in the marriage record of Jacob Wayne and Nancy Burnhouse. ^[6]
• Named in the death record of son Thomas McElwain. ^[7]

Birth

Birth Date: 19 AUG 1773

Place: Rockingham, Virginia, United States

Birth: Date: 19 AUG 1759

Place: Rockingham Co., Colony and Dominion of Virginia

Found multiple copies of BIRT DATE. Using 19 AUG 1773

Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War lists Tunis as an Indian Spy

In 1797, the family moved from Pendleton County to Franklin County, VA and lived there until 1802, when they returned to Pendleton County, where they remained until 1812. In 1812 they moved to the banks of the Elk River and settled at the mouth of the Holly River. Tunis had 54 acres surveyed October 18, 1815 and received a land grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia December 30, 1816. In 1830, the family moved to the West Fork of the Little Kanawha River in Kanawha County, VA near the present site of Arnoldsburg, Calhoun County, WV. The 1850 Gilmer County census lists Tunis in the household of his son in law, Soloman Nicholas. Tunis Anthony and Catherine (Propst) McElwain are buried in the Ball-Winter Cemetary, near Arnoldsburg, Calhoun County, WV.

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestry.com. Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 1997. (accessed 9 Sept 2017) McAllister, J.T.. Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War. Hot Springs, VA, USA: McAllister Publishing Co., 1913. [1] Record of Tunnis Muckelwaine, Ind. Spy, Lewis Co., W. Va. in the Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War
2. ↑ Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (NARA microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. National Archives, Washington, D.C. - Ancestry.com. U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.[2] Record of Tunis Mucklevaine Pension Year: 1834 in U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M8DS-MQP : 12 April 2016), T Mccevain in household of Solomon Nichols, Gilmer county, Gilmer, Virginia, United States; citing family 239, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. ↑ "West Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1854-1932," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XR49-JLF : 4 December 2014), Barbara Davis, 16 Oct 1878; citing Braxton, West Virginia, reference 62; FHL microfilm 163,711
5. ↑ "West Virginia Marriages, 1854-1932," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XRZF-8P3 : 4 December 2014), Tunis Wayne & Catherine in entry for Jacob Wayne and Rebecca Mccune, 06 May 1856; citing Calhoun, West Virginia, reference ; FHL microfilm 807,456
6. ↑ "West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FRD2-GXL : 4 December 2014), Junis Wayne & Catherine in entry for Jacob Wayne and Nancy Barnhouse, 21 Jun 1860; citing Calhoun, West Virginia, v 1 p 8, county clerks, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 807,456
7. ↑ "West Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1854-1932," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XR49-XFK : 4 December 2014), Tunis Mcelwain & Catherine in entry for Thomas Mcelwain, 17 Aug 1872; citing Braxton, West Virginia, reference 42; FHL microfilm 163,711.

• "West Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1854-1932," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XR49-JLN : 4 December 2014), Tunis Mcelwain in entry for Barbara Davis, 16 Oct 1878; citing Braxton, West Virginia, reference 62; FHL microfilm 163,711.
• Tunis Wayne on Geni.com [3] [4]
• Genealogy Report: Descendants of Alan McElveen [5]
• "Tunis, The Patriarch" By Curtis Nelson Wayne, December 1968[6]

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile McElwain Muckelwain Muchlevaine-1 created through the import of Reynolds8-18-11.ged on Aug 18, 2011 by Christina Miller. See the Muckelwain Muchlevaine-1 Changes page for the details of edits by Christina and others.

West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2ZF-73HH : 28 November 2018), Tunis Wayne in entry for Jacob Wayne and Rebecca Mccune, 2 May 56; citing Marriage, Calhoun, West Virginia, United States, county clerks, West Virginia; FHL microfilm .

"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKN-1HBY : 13 December 2015), Tunice Mucklewain, 1851; Burial, , Calhoun, West Virginia, United States of America, Winner Cemetery (Lee District); citing record ID 43691895, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

"United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8DS-MQP : 12 April 2016), T Mccevain in household of Solomon Nichols, Gilmer county, Gilmer, Virginia, United States; citing family 239, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

"United States Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Applications, 1800-1900," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NS7Z-KXQ : 9 March 2018), Tunis Mucklewaine, pension number S. 9043, service Va.; from "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files," database and images, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d); citing NARA microfilm publication M804 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1974); FHL microfilm 971,786.

"United States Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Applications, 1800-1900," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NS7Z-KXS : 9 March 2018), Tunis Mucklewaine, pension number S. 9043, service Va.; from "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files," database and images, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d); citing NARA microfilm publication M804 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1974); FHL microfilm 971,786.

"West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FRD2-2KR : 11 February 2018), Tunis Wayne in entry for Jacob Wayne and Rebecca Mccune, 06 May 1856; citing Calhoun, West Virginia, v 1 p 2, county clerks, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 807,456.

"West Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1854-1932," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR49-JLN : 11 February 2018), Tunis Mcelwain in entry for Barbara Davis, 16 Oct 1878; citing Braxton, West Virginia, reference 62; FHL microfilm 163,711.

"West Virginia Deaths, 1804-1999," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NM6Y-96K : 21 November 2018), Lewis Mcelwain in entry for Thomas Mcelwain, 17 Aug 1872; citing Braxton County, West Virginia, County Records, v 1853-1886 p 27, county courthouses, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 572,705.

"West Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1854-1932," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR43-23B : 11 February 2018), Tunis Mcelwaine in entry for Thomas Mcelwaine, 17 Aug 1872; citing , reference ln-32; FHL microfilm 175,032.

"West Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1854-1932," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR49-XFK : 11 February 2018), Tunis Mcelwain in entry for Thomas Mcelwain, 17 Aug 1872; citing Braxton, West Virginia, reference 42; FHL microfilm 163,711.

"West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FRD2-GXL : 11 February 2018), Junis Wayne in entry for Jacob Wayne and Nancy Barnhouse, 21 Jun 1860; citing Calhoun, West Virginia, v 1 p 8, county clerks, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 807,456.

"West Virginia Marriages, 1854-1932," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XRZF-8P3 : 10 February 2018), Tunis Wayne in entry for Jacob Wayne and Rebecca Mccune, 06 May 1856; citing Calhoun, West Virginia, reference FHL microfilm 807,456

Title: CEMETERY: WINTER-BALL CEMETERY, ARNOLDS CEMETERY: WINTER-BALL CEMETERY, ARNOLDSBURG, CALHOUN, W.V. Morton Family Genealogy, pg. 233, FHL, 929.273 M846s