Anthony Bledsoe
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Anthony James Bledsoe (1733 - 1788)

Colonel Anthony James [uncertain] Bledsoe
Born in Culpeper County, Virginiamap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 1760 (to 1788) in Virginiamap
Descendants descendants
Died at age 55 in Bledsoe's Lick, Sumner County, Tennesseemap
Profile last modified | Created 3 Jul 2011
This page has been accessed 2,680 times.
This profile lacks source information. Please add sources that support the facts.

Biography

1776 Project
Colonel Anthony Bledsoe served with Sullivan County Regiment, North Carolina Militia during the American Revolution.

Revolutionary War Militia Officer. The eldest of two brothers (the other being Col. Isaac Bledsoe), who helped to establish what is now Sumner County, Tennessee. Born in Culpeper County, Virginia, he moved to the wilderness of south-western Virginia - north-western North Carolina. Becoming a prominent citizen in Fincastle County, he became a member of Virginia's House of Burgesses and justice of the peace, and served as a military leader in the French and Indian Wars. At the beginning of the Revolutionary he was commissioned by the Virginia Commission of Safety, under Governor Patrick Henry. He led a force to rescue Ft. Watauga from the British led Indian force. Governor Caswell of North Carolina promoted him to Colonel in his state's militia. With his brother Isaac, the Shelby and Desha families they settled the Holston River Area. During the struggle for Independence he was sent to defend the Wyoming Valley against the Indians, who allied themselves with the British and might cause another slaughter of the defender's families. At the same time he sent a subordinate, Capt. Isaac Shelby on to King's Mountain. Colonel Bledsoe moved to Greenfield in 1781, following his brother's, Isaac, in 1780. In 1781 at his daughter's wedding to Robert Desha he met and later married Susan Hart, daughter of General Nathaniel Hart, Jr. In 1785 Col. Anthony was elected as Sumner's Representative to the North Carolina Legislation. During 1787 the natives began attacks on the settlers along the Cumberland. Many wished to move back to the Holston. In defense of staying he was reported to say: "If we perish here others will sure to follow to avenge our death and complete the wok which we have begun. If they find not our graves nor our scattered bones, they will at least revere and lament our memories as having deserved a better fate." On July 20th, 1788 he and his friend, John Campbell, spotted a party of Indians near Bledsoe's Lick, in the evening. Rushing to warn their fellow settlers, a stampede was creating - either by the Indians or the noise of both parties - rushing towards the settlement. Trapped in the open both men were shot. This Man had a famous Slave also, yes a slave that fought right beside his master Abraham named for His Father? Anthony's father was Abraham.

He is known to have killed the Indian chief Mad dog One day passing the Bledsoe lick fort. within a quarter mile of the monument shown in this profile.

Bio by: K M

Sources

  • Marriage: "U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900"
    Source number: 16516.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: WAY
    Ancestry Record 7836 #114616 (accessed 20 March 2024)
    Anthony Bledsoe marriage to Mary Ramsey in 1760.
  • Residence: 18 Jan 1768, Augusta County, Virginia. Alexander Bruce's estate appraised, by James McDowell, Anthony Bledsoe, Josiah Ramsey. "Virginia, U.S., Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850"
    Book: WB4-173
    Ancestry Record 7832 #10104 (accessed 25 March 2024)
  • Military: 1 Feb 1773. Rec'd right to French & Indian War bounty land from Matthew Robottom. Witnessed by William RamseyAncestry Record 6131 #523797627 (accessed 25 March 2024)
  • Military: Payroll list from November 1776, Fort Patrick Henry, Capt. James Shelby's company under command of (Major?) Anthony Bledsoe. Ancestry Record 6131 #521176256 (accessed 25 March 2024)
  • Land Grant: "Kentucky, U.S., Land Grants, 1782-1924"
    Collection: The Kentucky Land Grants; Volume Number: 1; Part: 1; Title: Chapter II Virginia Grants (1782-1792); Section: The Counties of Kentucky; Source Page Number: 22
    Ancestry Record 2073 #784 (accessed 20 March 2024)
    Grantee: Anthony Bledsoe; Number of Acres: 1,400; Survey Date: 6 Oct 1780; County: Kentucky; WaterCourse: Fk Tates Cr; Book Number: 1.
  • Tax Record: "Tennessee, U.S., Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895"
    The Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Early Tax Lists of Tennessee
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2883 #197251 (accessed 20 March 2024)
    Name: Anthony Head Bledsoe; Residence Date: 1788; Residence Place: Sumner, Tennessee, USA.
  • North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000
  • Probate: "Tennessee, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008"
    Will Books, 1789-1842, Sumner County, Tennessee; Author: Historical Records Project (Tennessee); Probate Place: Sumner, Tennessee
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 9176 #3560786 (accessed 20 March 2024)
    Anthony Bledsoe probate on 20 Jul 1788 in Sumner, Tennessee, USA.




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Anthony by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. Y-chromosome DNA test-takers in his direct paternal line on WikiTree: It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Anthony:

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Comments: 15

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Profile managers - please review this profile. I retained the Unsourced template, but if the Wikipedia article has sources that you can add to support his information, it can be removed (many people do not consider information from the DAR-grs database to be reliable because it does not include source/s for the genealogical information).

Also, please check his death date. Upon saving, I received the following automated message:

Warning: Check the data.
  • A father's death date (Bledsoe-101 died 20 Jul 1788) should not be more than nine months before one of his children's birth dates (Bledsoe-102 born 23 Apr 1789).

Thanks!

posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
The duplicate profiles for his wife and daughter Mary are in proposed merges, but it looks like two profiles for a son named Isaac are also attached. Please take a look and propose a merge or edit the profiles as needed (the birth years seemed to indicate a possibility that he had named two sons Isaac and one died young, but both profiles are attached as husband of Margaret Neely (which are also duplicate profiles that need to be merged).
posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
edited by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
update - merge completed

Bledsoe-1275 and Bledsoe-101 appear to represent the same person because: same dates/places/wife (albeit duplicate profiles for her too). Please merge. Thanks!

posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
edited by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
From 1850 lawsuit of Polly (Bledsoe) Weathered much can be ascertained on property and family relations, but also definitvely that Anthony did not marry Susan Hart before his death. WEATHERHEAD'S LESSEE v. BASKERVILLE ET AL, 52 U.S. 329 (1850)
What is source for biography listed above (only find a grave?) If confirmed source above, Susan Hart is listed as a wife, but why is she not in the tree? Any known children of marriage with Susan Hart and Anthony's death in 1788? Also the reference to Robert DeSha leaves a hole..which of Anthony's daughters does he marry?
Bledsoe-101 and Bledsoe-1469 appear to represent the same person because: Same birth date. Same father. Please merge. Thank you.
posted on Bledsoe-1469 (merged) by Patricia (Sparkman) Thomas
I have found the issue and posted it on on the brother *Abraham JR? profile who has him as a son.

Abraham sr is the father of Issac, Abraham, Thomas, Moses, Jacob, Arron, and Anthony, plus more.

posted by David Martin
funny my aunt shows as DNA relative but not me? that's because these profiles have the whole family messed up. the DNA tree is not in sync. Because wrong mothers on wrong children separate the DNA profiles to the different profiles, right or wrong!
posted by David Martin
I have 5 bibliography's telling me Anthony is the younger of the 3 three bore in 1733 his mother was the step mother of the elder brothers Issac and Abraham. this Bio Says he is the Eldest, it is impossible if you just look at the dates of marriage and dates of birth. He is indeed the Younger half brother of Issac and Abraham, Thomas. who took Anthony and left because of cruel treatment by their step mother, his (Anthony's) own mother, like Cinderella.
posted by David Martin
Child Prudence was born after father’s death?
Bledsoe-101 and South Carolina-1 appear to represent the same person because: Known historical figure

Same person in history.

posted by David Martin
South Carolina-1 and Bledsoe-101 are not ready to be merged because: matched
posted by David Martin
Bledsoe-101 and South Carolina-1 appear to represent the same person because: ok here's one
posted by David Martin
Bledsoe-1231 and Bledsoe-101 appear to represent the same person because: similar dates, bio has same info, same FAG link