Jacob Headrick (abt. 1791 - abt. 1863)

I have made changes to the profile of Jacob Headrick. His birth year is approximately 1791, according to two census listings. This is supported by evidence from a published letter written by Thomas H. Callaway in about 1865 (Source: History of the Rebellion in Bradley County, East Tennessee). In the letter, Callaway, a prominent man and a neighbor, mentions "Hadrick" as an old dutchman (supporting the 1791 birth year and softly supporting German ancestry). Callaway also mentions Jacob's death, which can be calculated to about early 1863, using the letter and the timeline of events in the book. In addition to that evidence, his son's pension application contains a letter from a soldier who was nursed by the widow, Polly Headrick, in 1864 (note that she was widowed by 1864). Also, an 1866 deed in Murray County, Georgia, divides land among Jacob Headrick's known heirs, supporting the fact that Jacob died before 1866. The land in the deed can be traced back to Jacob's earlier purchase, and is transferred again, years later, after Polly's death.

Jacob's connection to John Headrick cannot be proven and is not universally accepted. John Headrick would have been fairly young at the time that Jacob Headrick was born. A well-known genealogy moves Jacob's birth year and death year forward, but ignores census evidence, the neighbor's testimony, the soldier's testimony, and the deed evidence. That genealogy is often cited, but cites no sources.