Gideon Crews Sr. (1730 - aft. 1815)

Born 1730 in Hanover, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Jemina (Whicker) Crews — married 1755 in Hannover, Virginia

Descendants

Died after 16 Oct 1815 after age 85 in (Oxford), Granville, North Carolina, United States

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Biography: The following article written by the Hon Archibald A Hicks, Pres of the Granville Historical Society, & Miss Jeanette Biggs, County Historian, indicates Gideon bought land in Granville as early as 1778.

"Gideon Crews, from the family history & reports believed to be true about him, ws a wide awake, hustling farmer. When he first came to this county he bought 101 acres of land on Harold's Creek, now in Salem Township, & near the place where the Pleasant brothers now live. He later bought a tract of land adjoining this farm from the State in 1779.

Another 100 acres he bought from Nathan Bass adjoining the others in 1778. H bought an additional tract of 62 acres from Reuben Talley in 1794, & still another tract from Thomas Wicker, supposed to be his bro in law, in 1795. In 1806 he bought 130 acres of land from Daniel & Co, which had been the homeplace of his father in law, Thomas Wicker, Sr. He later moved to this place & remained there during his life, & he & his wife are buried there; it is described as follows: The said Daniel & Brothers in consideration of the sum of $450.00 to them in hand paid, have bargained & sold, granted & conveyed unto the said Gideon crews a certain tract of land called & known by the name of Wicker's Tract, conveyed to us by Payton Wood in a deed bearing date of Sept 6, 1806, being in county aforesaid & lying on the waters of Fishing Creek.

This deed is found in Bk T, Pg 90. Gideon did not buy land for purposes of specultation, but only as he needed it for himself & his large family...The said Gideon was a Methodist in religion, lived & served his day & generation well. He died in Oct 1815, his wife in Jun 1825. They are both buried at the grave yard on the Pleasant farm, now occupied by Mr Charles Pleasant & his brothers about three miles NE of Oxford." (My husband, Gene & I visited the site of these graves. They are in a small patch of woods, overgrown with brush, & the only evidence that someone was buried there is the fairly regular intervals between medium sized stones placed at the head & fool of the graves. There are no other makers of any kind.)

The best impression we can obtain from the deeds is that the Gideon Crews lands & the John Earl lands adjoined, around & just east, north & northwest of where Salem Church now is, three miles east & northeast of Oxford; and that James Crews bought them & more, comprising more than a thousand acres, & lived there until his death in 1875.

Revolutionary Army Accounts; Vol I Pg 88 Folio 4; An Account of Specie Certificates paid into the Comptrollers Office by John Armstrong Entry Taker for Land in NC. Number 955, By Whom Granted: Mebane & Nichols, To Whom Granted: Gideon Crews, Date: 10 Jun 1783, Sum: 9 pounds, 2 shilings, Interest: 8 shillings, 3 pence, To What Time: 13 Mar 1784, Total Amount principal & interest: 9 pounds, 10 shillings, 3 pence certified copy in file

Land:1788 Made first land purchase in Salem,NC

Census:1790 Granville NC Ragland Dist

Census:1810 Granville NC; 2 white males, 4 white females; 10 male slaves, 7 female slaves

Note: There is a William Crews between 25 & 30 on 1810 Granville Co Nc census; Could this be a son, bro?

Census:1820 Granville NC Ragland Dist

Census:1830 Granville NC

Gideon Crews Sr. performed Patriotic Service in North Carolina in the American Revolution.

Gideon Crews Sr. is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A027782.

Military:Gideon was a patroit & signed Oath of Allegiance to State of NC against George III 30 May 1778. Received pay for army service as a soldier. His musket has been kept in the museum at Guilford Battleground (DAR Nat. Nos. 215247, 416667, & 451867 - records in DAR File Case, Nat. DAR Library). Also DAR # 476399.

Will of Gideon Crews

"In the name of God amen, I Gidion Crews of Granville Co & State fo NC being very sick but of perfect mind & memory, thanks being given unto God, calling into mind the mortal of my body & knowing that it is appointed once for all men to die do make & ordain this my last will & testament that is to say principally & the first of all I gice & recommend my soul into the hand of Almighty God who gave it & my body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in decent christian burial at the discretion of my executors nothing doubtin but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the Almighty power of God & as touching such worldly estate where with it has pleased Bod to bless me in this life. I give & devise & dispose of the same in the following manner & form.

Item I lend to my well beloved wife Jemina Crews during her natural life the tract of land whereon I now live with the mansion house & kitchen & all the out houses with all the appertnainces in any wise thereto belonging.

Item I likewise lend to my well beloved wife Jamina Crews during her natural life my two negroes Betty & Burrell my felix sorrel horse & sorrel mare & colt & her choice of seven head of my stock of cattle with three sows & pigs & twelve head of sheep & all the fowls on the plantation.

Item I likewise lend to her during her life such of my plantation tools & Utensils as she thinks proper to take with her two fetherbeds & one half of her choice of my household & kitchen furniture with my Cart of & yoke of steers.

Item is that my executors hereafter named shall sell at Public sale & twelve months credit all my negroes with all the property found on the plantation not hereto fore divided by my loving wife Jamina Crews & the money arising from such sale after all my just debts are paid off be equally divided amongst my eight children (To Wit) Milly Hester Elizabeth Currin Joseph Crews Gideon Crews Abby Daniel James Crews Littlebury Crews & Jamina Crews to them & their heirs & assigns forever.

Item my will & desire is that my executors after the decease of my loving wife Jamina Crews should sell all my property devised to her during her natural life at public sale & the money arising by such sale to be equally divided amongst my eight children before named to them & their heirs & assigns forever.

Item I nominate & appoint my two sons Gideon & James Crews my sole executors of this my last will & testament...in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this 16th Oct one thousand eight hundred fifteen." Witness: John Lemay & Richard D. Lemay. Signed: Gideon X Crews

Probated Nov Court 1815.^[1]

Household goods of Gideon Crews divided so that widow might take her 1/2 of furniture, etc

Inventory of the estate of Gideon Crews, Dec 6 1815 included 5 Negroes :Andrew 56 years, Nanny 47, Pleasant 45, Davy 3, and Yancy 2.^[2]

Sale of the estate of Gideon Crews on 7 Dec 1815 included:

Negro Man Andrew to Wm. H. Clay for £150-1-0;

Negro Pleasant & Child (likely, Yancy) to Jas. Crews for £90-19-0;

Negro child David to Lemuel Currin for £65-3-0;

Negro Woman Nanny to Joseph Crews for £30-3-0. (image 920) ^[2]

Sale of estate of Gideon Crews, Sr Deceased, Dec 20 1826, on credit till Dec 1827; mentions as buyers; Gideon, James, Wyatt Currin, Littleberry Crews

Biography

Gideon Crews and his brother James enlisted in the Revolutionary Army in Buckingham County, Virginia, which is located in the upper reaches of the James River.

It is believed that Gideon Crews was a descendant from the Crew(s) who settled at the mouth of the James River. Walter Crew may have been their father.

During the Revolution, Gideon served in the 6th Virginia Battalion of Continental Forces commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Hendrick. He was a private. He signed Oath of Allegiance to State of NC against George III on May 30, 1778 and was paid for army service as a soldier. His musket was kept in the museum at Guildford Battleground Courthouse site for years until it was stolen.

He married Jemima Wicker in 1755 in Virginia. She may have been his second wife, but nothing is known about his first wife. Around 1770 they moved to Granville County, North Carolina and had eight children together.

Slaves

• Betty
• Burrell
• Andrew
• Pleasant
• Yancy
• David
• Nanny

Sources

1. ↑ Wills, 1746-1943; index, 1749-1943: "Wills, 1746-1943; index, 1749-1943"
   Catalog: Wills, 1746-1943; index, 1749-1943 Wills, vol. 7 1808-1816
   Film number: 007639740 > image 575 of 710
   FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-L9GW-Y9CZ-J (accessed 10 November 2022)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Granville County, North Carolina, estate records: "Granville County, North Carolina, estate records"
   Catalog: Granville County, North Carolina, estate records Estate records 1746-1919 Cazart, Allen (cont.) - Currin, Cornelia
   Film number: 007641250 > image 895 of 1843
   FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-89GN-N3VQ (accessed 9 November 2022)

• DAR https://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A027782
• FindAGrave Memorial #33282645
• http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/b/e/a/Rosalieann-F-Beasley/GENE10-0010.html

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile Crews-149 created through the import of The-Direct-Lineage-of-Selby-Edward--Chip--Stokes--III-25-Aug-2011.ged on Aug 25, 2011 by Chip Stokes. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Chip and others.