David Abernathy Sr. is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A000235.
David Harwell Abernathy was born May 29, 1726 in Bristol Parish, Prince George County, Colony of Virginia and Baptized on June 6, 1726.[1][2] He is the son of Robert Abernathy and Mary Harwell.
David married Martha Turner about 1748 probably in Prince George County, Virginia. Known children are;
Joseph Abernathy, b. 1749.
Robert Abernathy, b. 1751.
Martha Abernathy, b. 1756.
David Abernathy, b. 29 Jul 1759.
John D Abernathy, b. 20 Dec 1761.
Turner Abernathy, b. 1763.
Elizabeth Abernathy, b. abt 1765.
Nancy Abernathy, b. 1 Mar 1766.
Moses Abernathy, b. abt 1767.
William D Abernathy, b. 16 Oct 1768.
Miles David Abernathy, b. 21 Sep 1774.
David Harwell Abernathy passed away in 1814.
Abstract Will of David Harwell Abernathy
[William Perry Johnson, Wills of Tryon and Lincoln Counties, 1769-1824, copy in Gaston County, NC Library - 929.3/W/N.C.C., manuscript. Mr. Johnson's abstract of an unrecorded will]:
ABERNATHY, David, Sr. - of Lincoln County - Will dated 24 Aug 1808. Wife Ann. "Having heretofore given unto my Children Joseph Abernathy Robert Abernathy Patty Abernathy David Abernathy John Abernathy Turner Abernathy William Abernathy Moses Abernathy Nancy Forney & Betsey Perkins all the property I intended to give them and which I judged consistent with my Circumstances and considering my son Miles Abernathy having charge of myself and his mother in old age after my own and my wifes decease I do hereby give and bequeath unto my son Miles Abernathy his Heirs and Assigns forever the Plantation on which I live supposed to contain two hundred and twenty Acres or thereabouts joining lines with Turner Abernathy, William Abernathy, Richard Rosdale and Peter Forneys Lands."
Negroes are also bequeathed.
Executors, son Moses Abernathy and son-in-law Peter Forney. Signed by name.
Witnesses: Jno. D. Graham, Saml. Saunders. Probated July 1814.
↑ "David Son of Rob* and Mary Abertnarthy born May 29th bap' June 6th. 1726." ~ Churchill Gibson Chamberlayne, The Vestry Book and Register of Bristol Parish, Virginia, 1720-1789. (Richmond, VA: Priv. print. [by W.E. Jones] 1898), page 276 (accessed 29 October 2022).
ABERNATHY, DAVID (son of ROBERT III) - 22 AUG 1808, LINCOLN CO., NC (Raleigh Loose Papers, CR060.801.1, ROBERT ABERNATHY Will)
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with David 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:
Looking for members of this family in the Bristol Parish Register (the archive.org copy), I found an entry for an Ann, daughter of Joseph & Elizabeth Turner, born 8 November 1730 (page 374). Could that be his wife Ann named in the will? I don't see anything that says who her parents might have been.
On page 277 of the register is an entry for Lucy, daughter of David and Ann Abernathy, born 14 February 1740, but that Lucy is probably not the daughter of David baptized in 1726 (and definitely not the daughter of Ann Turner born 1730).
edit - forgot to add the first link to the register
Robert Abernathy (Abernathy-448) b.1751 m Abigail Harwell is the son of David Sr. David's will clearly says Son-in-law is Peter Forney. Marriage records and other records connect the children of Robert-448 with children of Peter Forney, in NC and GA. This line is proven thru CDXVIIC and DAR. This site has Robert-448 as the son of John and Lucy which is incorrect. How can this be corrected
Is there a primary source that proves the correct relationship? If not, is the Forney relationship the only circumstantial evidence? Can you please provide the CDXVIIC and DAR citations?
I looked for DAR info in the online database (DAR-grs) and found a DAR record that matches this David (born 1726 in Virginia/died before 1814 in North Carolina). It is flagged: "PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED WITH AT LEAST ONE PREVIOUSLY VERIFIED PAPER - SEE ANCESTOR’S FULL RECORD"
In the Comments section of the main entry for him is the note "SON DAVID'S WIFE IS NOT CHRISTINA FORNEY."
Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 29 October 2022), "Record of David Abernathy Sr", Ancestor # A000235.
Not entirely sure what's being asked... While David Sr's DAR record does support a daughter Nancy Abernathy who married Peter Fornay, it does not list a son Robert. So DAR records do _not_ support that the Robert Abernathy (Abernathy-448, not Robert-448) is the son of David Sr. I'm not clear on what David's will naming Peter Fornay has to do with proving his son Robert married Abigail Harwell. What am I missing?
The profile for a son Robert that is attached to this profile (Abernathy-1085) has little information, just his name & born 1751 in Virginia.
DAR has three records for a Robert Abernathy (all three flagged). None of them mention a wife named Abigail or a daughter Frances who married Francis Bird.
The transcription of the will for Robert Abernathy of Lincoln County, NC posted on Abernathy-448 (written 1830/proved 1846) does include a daughter named Frances Bird, but there is no mention of his wife (or his parents). The profile also links to the transcription of a pension application for a Robert Abernathy of Lincoln County, NC who was 80 in 1832. It states that he had been living in Brunswick County, Virginia when he enlisted 1776 (which seems odd, considering David's DAR record says that his service was in Lincoln County, NC - you would think his son, who would have been 14 in 1776 if 80 in 1823, would have been living with him in NC at the time). The application makes no mention of any relationships, which makes me think this is a different Robert than either the Robert who married Abigail or a son of David named Robert. However, the application does have testimony from a Francis Harwell:
"Francis Harwell, Resident of the county of Lincoln & State of No. Ca. who after being duly Sworn according to Law deposeth and saith; that he has been acquainted with Robert Abernathy from his youth, and knows that he went two tours in the service and the third, Robert Abernathy hired a substitute in the Revolutionary War; that he has known him up to the present and the last forty years has lived a neighbor to him in No. Ca"
A "Frederick Abernathy" also testified on Robert's behalf, with Francis, but did not mention a relationship (a Frederick is named as son in the 1830/46 will of Robert Abernathy posted on Abernathy-448):
"We Frederick Abernathy & Francis Harwell, certify that we are well acquainted with Robert Abernathy above & from his age & infirmities, as we believe, that he could not get to the court house, being about eighteen miles distant, without great inconvenience & trouble."
Perhaps "CDXVIIC" has proof that Robert who died between 1830 and 1846 had a wife named Abigail Harwell & was the son of this David (who himself is attached as a son of a Robert Abernathy and a Harwell).
Samuel Harwell will 1793, probated 1796 Lincoln Co, NC list sons Francis, Samuel, Rolley, Buckner, Herbert and daughters Abby Abernathy, Susannah Abernathy. Estate after bequests to be divided listing husbands of daughters Robert Abernathy, Herbert Abernathy. Estate records list Ephrim Perkins owing money to estate, he is the husband of Elizabeth (Betsy) Abernathy daughter of David
David's will lists his children, son David m Christina Forney 27 May 1782, sister of Peter Forney, children of Jacob Forney Sr, Peter m. Nancy Abernathy. (Sketches of Western NC, Hunter, p 270-275) Turner Abernathy was Peter's business partner in the Iron works (The Annals of Lincoln Co, Sherrill, p 57). Peter and Nancy' son, Daniel M. Forney witnessed the marriages of Samuel Abernathy m Sally Sherrill, 2 Jan 1810 and Francis Bird m Frances Abernathy 29 Jul 1808, children of Robert Abernathy b 1751 m Abigail Harwell, Bondsman for both these marriages is Temple Shelton, husband of Lucy, daughter of Robert. As these records connect David's children with Robert's children and there are no records that connect Robert to John, conclusion Robert is the son of David. My CDXVIIC national # is 034839
Is project protection still needed for Abernathy-430 ? This profile has been project managed since 2016. Comments from that time indicate there was a question about a sourece for his middle name. There have been no changes to his middle name since that time.
Middle names were not as uncommon during that time as in late 1600s and were used a lot in Southern families for two reasons, they tended to use the same first names a lot and to perseve family history. Middle names were almost always last names of ancestors.
The middle name in this case distinguishes him from another David Abernathy of the close dates and from the same place. I will look to see if there is a document which includes the middle name. That family line used middle names frequently during that time, thank goodness!
Abernathy-983 and Abernathy-430 do not represent the same person because: Should be merged with Abernethy-12 since Abernathy-430 is being merged into Abernethy-12
Abernathy-983 and Abernathy-430 appear to represent the same person because: same profile although primary source states he was born Bristol Parish, Prince George County. Thank you
Abernethy-12 and Abernathy-430 appear to represent the same person because: Same profiles, correct spelling is Abernathy. i will source as many profiles that i have records on. Thank You
Middle Names Were Rare Prior to the American Revolution.
On page 277 of the register is an entry for Lucy, daughter of David and Ann Abernathy, born 14 February 1740, but that Lucy is probably not the daughter of David baptized in 1726 (and definitely not the daughter of Ann Turner born 1730).
edit - forgot to add the first link to the register
edited by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
In the Comments section of the main entry for him is the note "SON DAVID'S WIFE IS NOT CHRISTINA FORNEY."
edited by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
The profile for a son Robert that is attached to this profile (Abernathy-1085) has little information, just his name & born 1751 in Virginia.
DAR has three records for a Robert Abernathy (all three flagged). None of them mention a wife named Abigail or a daughter Frances who married Francis Bird.
The transcription of the will for Robert Abernathy of Lincoln County, NC posted on Abernathy-448 (written 1830/proved 1846) does include a daughter named Frances Bird, but there is no mention of his wife (or his parents). The profile also links to the transcription of a pension application for a Robert Abernathy of Lincoln County, NC who was 80 in 1832. It states that he had been living in Brunswick County, Virginia when he enlisted 1776 (which seems odd, considering David's DAR record says that his service was in Lincoln County, NC - you would think his son, who would have been 14 in 1776 if 80 in 1823, would have been living with him in NC at the time). The application makes no mention of any relationships, which makes me think this is a different Robert than either the Robert who married Abigail or a son of David named Robert. However, the application does have testimony from a Francis Harwell:
"Francis Harwell, Resident of the county of Lincoln & State of No. Ca. who after being duly Sworn according to Law deposeth and saith; that he has been acquainted with Robert Abernathy from his youth, and knows that he went two tours in the service and the third, Robert Abernathy hired a substitute in the Revolutionary War; that he has known him up to the present and the last forty years has lived a neighbor to him in No. Ca"
A "Frederick Abernathy" also testified on Robert's behalf, with Francis, but did not mention a relationship (a Frederick is named as son in the 1830/46 will of Robert Abernathy posted on Abernathy-448):
Perhaps "CDXVIIC" has proof that Robert who died between 1830 and 1846 had a wife named Abigail Harwell & was the son of this David (who himself is attached as a son of a Robert Abernathy and a Harwell).
edited by David Douglass
Virginia, Births and Christenings, 1853-1917 database, FamilySearch, David Abernathy, 29 May 1726; citing , reference ; FHL microfilm 1036590 IT 2.
Middle names were not as uncommon during that time as in late 1600s and were used a lot in Southern families for two reasons, they tended to use the same first names a lot and to perseve family history. Middle names were almost always last names of ancestors.
The middle name in this case distinguishes him from another David Abernathy of the close dates and from the same place. I will look to see if there is a document which includes the middle name. That family line used middle names frequently during that time, thank goodness!
Thanks!