Temperance Dillon (1812 - 1900)

Born 1812 in Franklin County, Virginia

Ancestors

Died 1900 at about age 88 in Franklin, Virginia, United States

Biography

Temperance Dillon was born about 1812 in Franklin County, Virginia. She was the daughter of Asa Dillon and Elizabeth Greer.

Temperance never married, formally, but she did have a relationship with William Pasley, best described as a common law marriage. They got together around 1830-33 and Temperance was much younger than William, who had two sons from his first marriage to Elizabeth Dillon (daughter of Jesse Dillon and Mary Elizabeth Blankenship). The couple had five children: Augustus, Jerome, Mary S., Sarah and Selbon Pasley. William's will of 1858 acknowledges sons Robert and William (by wife Elizabeth) and also acknowledges the other 5 children to be his own. The text of the will lists the 5 children with Temperance and says "the mother of who is Temperance Dillon but I acknowledge the above named children of Temperance Dillon to be my own children, born, raised and educated by me in my own house...".

The family relationships do get confusing here, but Temperance Dillon "Pasley" would have been the niece of William's first wife, Elizabeth Dillon Pasley.

Sources

• Franklin County, Virginia Will Book 10, p. 539-540; Will of William Pasley, written 27 March 1858, proven 6 December 1858.

• The Descendants of Aquilla Greer, Sr., 1719-1790, Bertie "Bea" Greer O'Quin, 2005. www.familysearch.org, title #1283505. Page 551.