Benjamin is an ancestor of noted actor Bill Paxton.[1]
Birth
Benjamin was born on 22 or 23 Jan 1762 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania[2][3]
Family of birth
Benjamin was the youngest of nine children and three sons of John and Jane Hamilton Sharp, who were married in Pennsylvania in 1740[4][5][6] and had the following children:
According to Rose, Pioneer Families, Benjamin and Hannah's children were: James F,, John D., Polly C., Jacob L., Catharine E., Atossa P., Hannah D., Peter L., Elvira E., Malinda M., Margaret J., and Benjamin F.[7]
On the other hand, according to A History of Pioneer Families of Missouri, Benjamin was the son of Thomas Sharp, a native of Ireland who migrated to Pennsylvania and then moved south to Virginia. and by his first wife had John, Thomas, Jr. (settled in KY), and Benjamin (Rev War soldier). By his second marriage, he had David.[8]
At some point the Sharps left Pennsylvania and moved to the Holston River Valley near the present-day Virginia-Tennessee line east of Bristol.
Military activities
On 17 May 1833 Benjamin made a deposition regarding his military history. The documents are archived at the Daughters of the American Revolution (aka DAR) Library in Washington, D.C. In this document he stated that he engaged in the following military activities:
~~ in June-July 1776, at the age of 14, in (Washington County, Virginia, he volunteered and entered the service under Andrew Colville and did duty at Blacksfort... (this is the militia)
~~ At The Glade Hollows Fort he engaged in guarding, ranging, spy (scouting)
~~ 1778 or 1779... torry [sic. Tory?] hunting
~~ 1780... Sept. marched to NC... and fought in Kings Mountain, S.C.[9] (Benjamin Sharp's recollection of the Kings Mountain Battle is included in "American Pioneer" [10][11][12]
John Sevier
~~ 1780 He served with John Sevier in the Revolution, probably at the Battle of Kings Mountain[13]
Benjamin was in the House of Delegates for the Virginia General Assembly, at least in 1804. He was listed as Benjamin Sharp, Esquire.[15]
Benjamin was one of the commissioners appointed to oversee the presidential election of 1811 [sic. 1812?]. He was appointed by Gov. James Monroe (later President Monroe).[16]
Miscellaneous
Tax records reveal that he had at least 5 male slaves.[17]
Actually, Missouri was not formed until 1821 and Benjamin may have been living in Shelby County, Kentucky, in 1820. A Benjamin Sharp appears there in the 1820 census whose household would fit for "our" Benjamin. When he did move to Missouri, his home was about 350 miles due west of present-day Shelby County, Kentucky.
Free White Persons - Under 20: 3; 20-49: 5. Total: 10.
Total Slaves: 14.
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 24[20]
1840 census
Benjamin Sharp appears in the 1840 United States Federal Census living with a female in her 70s, presumably his wife.
For a larger view of the 1840 census entry below, click here.
1840 census entry for Benjamin Sharp
Name: Benjamin Sharp; Home in 1840: Pinckney, Warren County, Missouri; Birth Year: c1762; Age: 78; Military Service: Veteran[21]
Will
His will, written in his own hand, was made out in 19 June 1845. Estate to be divided equally among his children. He declared his servant Bill & Judy shall not be separated and declares that they are given the livestock that belongs to them. He also gave him a choice to improve land that Benjamin had bought or to settle under the protection of one of Benjamin's children. He also declares that none of his slaves can be sold against their will to strangers. He also reminds his descendants to treat their slaves with humanity.[22]
Death
The date of Benjamin's death is unclear. It has been given as 25 Dec 1840, (no source) 1842,[23]1843,[24] and Jan 1846.[25][26]
He is buried in what is now overgrown woods and was once his own land.[27]
From Findagrave.com
Maj Benjamin Sharp
Birth: Jan. 23, 1762, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; Death: Jan. 1, 1846, Warren County, Missouri, USA.
Benjamin Sharp was a Revolutionary War soldier who fought many battles including King's Mountain.
Benjamin was born in 1762. In about 1770 Benjamin's family settled in the Holston River Valley in what is now Tennessee. He came to Missouri in 1816 and settled in what later became Warren County, Missouri.
Family links: Spouse: Hannah Fulkerson Sharp (1769 - 1844); Children: John DeBough Sharp (1789 - 1853), Jacob Lake Sharp (1793 - 1869), Attossa Pinckney Sharp Wyatt (1797 - 1840), Hannah Debo Sharp Callahan (1799 - 1846), Peter L. Sharp (1802 - 1871), Emerline M. Sharp Carpenter (1806 - 1873), Margaret Sharp Hamilton (1809 - 1858), Benjamin Frederic Sharp (1811 - 1893).
Burial: Sharp Cemetery, Warren County, Missouri, USA[28]
Citations
↑ "Bill Paxton." Who Do You Think You Are (US) (Season 6 Episode 7). TLC. 19 April 2015.
↑ Aronhime card index, LOV Internet 990920 Title: Aronhime card index, LOV Internet 990920. Card 7
↑ "Bill Paxton." Who Do You Think You Are (US) (Season 6 Episode 7). TLC. 19 April 2015. - Note: he is referencing the DAR files for this information.
↑ Bryan, Wm S. and Robert Rose. A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri... (Reprint of facsimile copy- 1935 - of first edition - St Louis, 1876). p289. Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc.: Baltimore, Maryland, 1992. Scanned images of reprinted facsimile edition. Ancestry.com. Nd. Accessed 27 April 2015.
↑ Bryan, Wm S. and Robert Rose. A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri... (Reprint of facsimile copy- 1935 - of first edition - St Louis, 1876). p289. Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc.: Baltimore, Maryland, 1992. Scanned images of reprinted facsimile edition. Ancestry.com. Nd. Accessed 27 April 2015.
↑ "Bill Paxton." Who Do You Think You Are (US) (Season 6 Episode 7). TLC. 19 April 2015. - Note: he is AT THE DAR reading the deposition archived there.
↑ "Bill Paxton." Who Do You Think You Are (US) (Season 6 Episode 7). TLC. 19 April 2015. - Note: he reads excerpts from the account.
↑ Aronhime card index, LOV Internet 990920 Title: Aronhime card index, LOV Internet 990920. Page C7
↑ Aronhime card index, LOV Internet 990920 Title: Aronhime card index, LOV Internet 990920. Card 7
↑ Aronhime card index, LOV Internet 990920 Title: Aronhime card index, LOV Internet 990920. Card 7
↑ "Bill Paxton." Who Do You Think You Are (US) (Season 6 Episode 7). TLC. 19 April 2015.
↑ "Bill Paxton." Who Do You Think You Are (US) (Season 6 Episode 7). TLC. 19 April 2015. - Note: he is viewing the actual document at the Library of Virginia.
↑ "Bill Paxton." Who Do You Think You Are (US) (Season 6 Episode 7). TLC. 19 April 2015.
↑ Bryan, Wm S. and Robert Rose. A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri... (Reprint of facsimile copy- 1935 - of first edition - St Louis, 1876). p289-290. Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc.: Baltimore, Maryland, 1992. Scanned images of reprinted facsimile edition. Ancestry.com. Nd. Accessed 27 April 2015.
↑ "Bill Paxton." Who Do You Think You Are (US) (Season 6 Episode 7). TLC. 19 April 2015. - Note: he is reading the will, likely the original document, at the Historical Society in Warren Co, Missouri.
↑ "Bill Paxton." Who Do You Think You Are (US) (Season 6 Episode 7). TLC. 19 April 2015. - Note: he is referencing the DAR files for this information.
↑ Bryan, Wm S. and Robert Rose. A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri... (Reprint of facsimile copy- 1935 - of first edition - St Louis, 1876). p290. Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc.: Baltimore, Maryland, 1992. Scanned images of reprinted facsimile edition. Ancestry.com. Nd. Accessed 27 April 2015.
↑ "Bill Paxton." Who Do You Think You Are (US) (Season 6 Episode 7). TLC. 19 April 2015. - Note: he is reading the information off his tombstone
↑ "Bill Paxton." Who Do You Think You Are (US) (Season 6 Episode 7). TLC. 19 April 2015. - Note: visiting the grave, with the permission of the property owner, in Warren Co, Missouri.
Hersch, Jane, "Migration from Lancaster, PA to East Tennessee," Sharp Family Genforum #4568.
sharp, a <stemmatis-at-gmail.com>, Migration from Lancaster, PA to East Tennessee Sharp Family Genforum #4220 11 June 2002
Acknowledgments
WikiTree profile Sharp-1163 was created through the import of McChesney_Susan Berry m Abram McConnell.ged on Oct 16, 2012 by Patricia Hickin.
Thank you to Terry Duncan for creating WikiTree profile Sharp-1832 through the import of J Duncan.ged on Jul 13, 2013.
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Benjamin by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known yDNA test-takers in his direct paternal line.
Mitochondrial DNA test-takers in the direct maternal line: