James Blevins (abt. 1724 - 1801)

Born about 1724 in Prince George's County, Province of Maryland [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1801 at about age 77 in Grayson County, Virginia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Michele Hevingham [send private message], Scott McClain [send private message], Anonymous Crane [send private message], US Southern Colonies Project WikiTree [send private message], Sandra Evans [send private message], and Jim Burleson [send private message]

James Blevins resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776. Join: US Southern Colonies Project Discuss: southern_colonies

Biography

James Blevin (aka Blevins) was the son of James Blevin and Margery Tosh. He was probably born in about 1724; and it was probably in Prince George's County, Province of Maryland, but possibly in Westerly, Rhode Island Colony.^[1]

Sometime between 1718 and 1733, his family migrated from Westerly, Rhode Island to settle on the western Maryland frontier in the Monocacy Hundred of what was then Prince George's County, Maryland.^[2]

His father James appears as the head of his household in the Monocacy Hundred in 1733, and his brother Daniel also appears as male aged at least 16 years old in that same household. James does not appear on the list.^[3][4] However, he was likely living in the same household and simply too young to be counted as a taxable at that point. His father appears again in the Monocacy Hundred in 1734.^[5]

Goochland County Virginia

Some time between 1734-36, the family migrated from the Monocacy Hundred to Goochland County, Virginia. His father James and his brother John both begin appearing in the Goochland County records between 1736-37. ^[6]

Brunswick/Lunenburg/Halifax Counties, Virginia

Beginning in the early 1740s, these Blevins brothers migrated west to what was then Brunswick County on the southwestern Virginia frontier. The first reported Blevins appearance in this area is a reference to James' brother William on surveyor's records in 1741.^[7] Land records record a "Will. Blevins" with land near Allen's Creek and "William Bliven" with land astride little Cherrystone Creek in Brunswick County in 1745.^[8]

James begins appearing in the same area shortly after that. Lunenburg County was carved from Brunswick in 1746, and James appears as the defendant in an action for debt in Lunenburg County during May 1747 term of court.^[9] He was awarded a bounty of 280 pounds of tobacco for two wolves' heads during the December 1747 term.^[10] He received a land grant of 400 acres on the south branch of Marrowbone Creek in Lunenburg County on 11 March 1747/8.^[11]

James and his brother Daniel Blevins are identified as "well known hunters" among the earliest settlers further west along the Smith River in western Lunenburg County in 1748. Their wagon road was used as a reference by early surveyors in this area.^[12]

Marriage

He is said to have married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Margaret Ward, daughter of Rebecca (Osborne) and Wells Ward.^{[citation needed]}

French & Indian War

During the French and Indian War, the frontier settlements in western Virginia were left undefended and exposed after the disastrous defeat of Braddock's Expedition in 1755. As a result of the British retreat back from the frontier, "[t]he French and Indians crossed the Alleghany mountains into the valley and to New river, killing and scalping, in the most horrible manner, men, women, and children without distinction...."^[13] In 1752, Halifax County had been carved from Lunenburg, and several of the Blevins men in this region, including one James Blevins, appear on the list of soldiers serving in the militia for Halifax County, commanded by Col. Abraham Maury, in Capt. Thomas Callaway's unit.^[14]

Between the Wars

There are several entries in the land records of Halifax County, and later Pittsylvania County (created from the western portion of Halifax in 1767), relating to property adjoining the Smith River and referring to "James Blevins," likely this one, between 1762-69.^[11]

In 1767, a "Jas. Blevins, Jr." appears on the list of tithables in Pittsylvania County taken by Robert Chandler in that year. Several other Blevins men, as well as Elisha Walling Jr., also appear on the same list.^[15] In August 1767, "James Blevins" and others were "ordered to mark a road from the Pittsylvania county courthouse to Hickey's Road leading toward the upper Saura Towns. The Saura Towns belonged to the Saura Indians of North Carolina and this road led from Callands towards the state line."^[16]

In 1770, Botetourt County was created in the unsettled land west of Pittsylvania County. In 1772, the southern portion of Botetourt was reorganized as Fincastle County. A "James Blevins," again likely this one, appears on the list of tithables taken by William Herbert for Botetourt County in 1772. Elisha Walling Jr., and his brothers Joseph and James Walling also appear on the same list, so it seems likely that at least some of the Blevins and Wallings migrated together again further west from the Smith River to the New River valley around this time.^[17] According to an 1805 court action brought by John Blevins, James Blevins, father of that John Blevins, acquired a tract of land along New River known as Peach Bottom in 1772 from Andrew Baker who had settled there between 1765-68.^[18]

A second lawsuit also provides evidence that this is the same James Blevins. In 1792, James Blevins brought a chancery court action against the executor of the estate of James Spencer, who had issued a bond to settle a debt with James Blevins in the 1770s. One of the witnesses in that case, Moses Parsley (son-in-law of James Blevins), deposed that James Blevins had migrated from Henry County (which was carved from Pittsylvania in 1777) to the New River area in the 1770s.^[19]

Lord Dunmore's War

In 1774 he and his father-in-law, Wells Ward, reportedly fought in Lord Dunmore’s War, against the Shawnees.^{[citation needed]}

American Revolution

Some or all of the Blevins men living in the New River area of southwestern Virginia during the American Revolution appear to have been Tories or Tory sympathizers. The records of the Fincastle County Committee of Safety reflect an order on 11 June 1776 requiring that "William Blivens, James Blivens, & John Blivens be summoned to appear at Cap. Evan Shelbies on Saturday the 22d day of this month to answer the following Complaint, that they have refused to bear Arms of muster in Cap. John Shelby's Company of militia agreable to the ordinance of Convention by reason of their Attachment to the Enimies of american Liberty and their Correspondence with Tories in the Cherokee Nation."^[20] Several of them apparently relented not long after this summons, and a "James Blevens Junr (along with several other Blevins men) signed an oath of allegiance to the Commonwealth of Virginia in Henry County, Virginia, on 31 December 1777. There is also a John Blevens, Williams Blevens Senr & Junr, and Elisha Walden on the same list, but, interestingly, no "James Blevens Senr."^[21] However, two years later, on 3 August 1779, a James and John Blevins both confessed involvement in "the late Insurrection in this County," took an oath of allegiance, and were granted a pardon.^[22] This refers to a Loyalist insurrection among the many Tory loyalists in the New River area of Montgomery County in 1779.^[23]

Later Life

Beginning in 1782, it gets challenging to determine who the extant records refer to because there were at least three different adult men named James Blevins living in Montgomery County by that time. These three included a James Blevins Senr, a James Blevins, Junr, and a James Blevins.^[24] These appear likely to be the same related Blevins families, as Elisha Walling Sr. and his sons John, Joseph & James all appear on the same list.^[25] The James Blevins Senr on this list is very likely this same James Blevins.

Several Blevins men, including multiple men named James Blevins, then appear on the tax lists for Montgomery County, Virginia, from 1787-1789. These again include a James Blevins Sr. who appears in 1788. Significantly, also appearing on the same list are Moses Parsley, identified in the chancery court action as this James Blevins' son-in-law; and George Sizemore, who is identified by many researchers as the father of Lydia Sizemore who married James Blevins.^[26] As noted below, a younger James Blevins testified in the 1792 chancery court action on this older James Blevins' behalf and is likely one of his sons.^[19] Clustered with James Blevins Senr. on the 1788 Montgomery County tax list are likely sons John and James Jr. (both named in the lawsuits described above).

In 1790, Wythe County was formed from the southwestern half of Montgomery, including the New River area where the Blevins had settled. On 19 July 1792, James Blevins Jr. gave a deposition in Wythe County in support of the older James Blevins chancery claim against the Executor of James Spencer's estate (pending in Henry County).^[19] In 1793, James Blevins Senr., John Blevins, and James Blevans (likely this James Blevins and two of his sons) all appear close together on the tax lists for Wythe County.^[27] Several other Blevins men also appear, some of whom may be additional sons of this James Blevins.

In 1793, Grayson County was carved from the southern portion of Wythe County. This same group of Blevins men appears again several times in the Grayson County tax lists from 1794-1800.^[28]

According to testimony in the 1805 lawsuit, James Blevins died in Grayson County, Virginia, in 1801, on the land he had acquired along the New River in 1772.^[18]

Children

There is much confusion in online genealogies concerning the children of James Blevins. Based on the 1805 lawsuit, the Henry County chancery lawsuit, and the tax lists for Montgomery, Wythe, and Grayson County from 1782-1800 cited above, his likely children include at least the following:

1. John (identified as his son in 1805 lawsuit)^[18]
2. James (James Jr testifying concerning James Sr. land transaction in 1792 chancery action)^[19]

And based on the clustering of men in the Montgomery, Wythe & Grayson tax lists, and/or their common migration to Ashe County, North Carolina beginning in the early 1800s:

1. Joseph
2. Wells

And also an unknown daughter, who married Moses Parsley.^[19]

Research Notes

Proof of Parental Relationship

Although there is no direct proof of the relationship, the claim that James is the son of James Blevin and Margery Tosh is probable based on the following:

1. The older James brought his family from Westerly, Rhode Island, to the Monocacy Hundred before 1733. He appears there as the head of his household in 1733-4. He and Margery Tosh are almost certainly the parents of the Blevin family that appears in the Monocacy Hundred.^[2]
2. The only Blevins man other than this older James who appears in Monocacy Hundred in 1733 is Daniel, who appears as an adult male in James' household, indicating Daniel is likely the oldest son of James. James' other sons were likely living in the same household, but had not yet reached the age of 16 in 1733. The younger James was likely one of them.
3. In 1737, the James Blevin who was head of the 1733 Blevin household in the Monocacy Hundred acquired Virginia land patents for a total of 695 acres in Goochland County. He is then referred to as "James Bleavin Senior" in the 1745 deed reflecting his sale of part of that land, implying that there was a younger James living in Goochland County by that time.
4. Several of the Blevins men migrated west from Goochland to Lunenburg County in the early to mid-1740s, as did Elisha Walling, the husband of their likely sister Mary Blevins.^[29]
5. This James Blevins first appears in the records in Lunenburg County in 1747.

Disputed Parents

Many published sources and online family trees incorrectly identify the father of James and his siblings as William Blevins. The earliest researcher known to have made this claim is Bill Dwayne Blevins, in his book Blevins Ancestry, self-published in 1972. Blevins does not identify his source.^[30] Other researchers have repeated this claim, but all appear to ultimately be relying upon Bill Dwayne Blevins.^[31]

This claim has been disproven. For details, see the profile of William Blevins, the profile of James Blevin, and "The Unique Signature Marks of Two James Blevins: A Key Clue to the Origin of the Southern Blevins Family".

Some have also identified their mother as Anna Bunch, or as Mary Bean. These claims are disproven for the same reasons.

Disputed Spouse

A prior version of this profile, without source, identified his wife as Sarah Stetson. There does not appear to be any basis for the claim. Please do not reattach her as his spouse with citing a source for the claim.

Distinguishing References to James Blevin (Blevin-33)

As described in more detail in the profile for his father James Blevin, a James Blevin was the grantee of a Virginia land patent dated 15 August 1737 for 400 acres of land along Muddy Creek in what was then the southern portion of Goochland County on the central Virginia frontier.^[32] He then sold that land as reflected in a series of deeds dated from 1743-45.^[33]

Some researchers interpret these records as referring to this James rather than to his father, but this is clearly incorrect. This James was still living in his father's household and younger than 16 in 1733; he therefore could not have acquired 695 acres of land in 1737 because he would not yet have reached the age of 21. The identification of the James who did acquire that land as "James Bleavin Senior" in 1745 also implies that it was the older James who was the purchaser (and that his son James had come of legal age by then).

In addition, while it is possible that some or all of the early references to "James Blevins" on the Virginia frontier refer to the father rather than the son, James Blevin Senior would at that point have been at least 60 years old in the late 1740s when James Blevins first begins appearing in Botetourt County and was possibly several years older. It is therefore more likely that it was the young man who struck out west to join his brothers on the remote frontier.

Disputed Children

Nathan

Many researchers identify Nathan Blevins as an additional child. Nathan migrated to Ashe County, North Carolina, around the same time as many of the other sons of James Blevins; and as a boy Nathan lived in the same part of Fincastle (later Grayson) County as James Blevins family. However, there were several other Blevins men living in the same area who could also have been his father, and this child has been detached because the connection appears to be speculative.

Elisha

Many researchers also identify Elisha Blevins as a son of this James. That is unlikely. Elisha did migrate from Grayson County to Ashe County around the same time as several of the likely sons of James identified in this profile, but unlike the others, Elisha does not appear clustered with James Sr. and his likely sons on the Montgomery, Wythe & Grayson County tax lists cited above. Instead, he appears clustered with Daniel Blevins (the nephew of this James) and with James & John, who are identified in the lists as the sons of Daniel. Therefore, Elisha is also likely a son of Daniel, not James.

Disputed Birth Date/Basis for Birth Date Estimate

Many online genealogies, without source, give a birth date of 1740 for this James. The original source or basis for the estimate is unknown. However, the estimated birth date in this profile of about 1724 is more likely for the following reasons:

• He was younger than 16 and living in his father's household in the Monocacy Hundred in 1733, therefore born after abt 1717.
• He had likely reached the age of 21 by 1745, based on the deed referring to his father as James Bleavin Senior in Goochland County in that year, therefore likely born in 1724 or earlier.
• He is likely the youngest son, as he begins appearing in the records after John and William.

Sources

1. ↑ See Research Notes.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} See "The Unique Signature Marks of Two James Blevins: A Key Clue to the Origin of the Southern Blevins Family." and the profile for James Blevin.
3. ↑ Maryland Hall of Records, Calendar of Maryland State Papers, No. 1, The Black Books, (1943), 42; Digital images, Hathitrust, (https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uva.x000475038 : accessed 8 May 2021).
4. ↑ Robert P. Blevins, The Blevins Men of Monocacy and Goochland: The Southern Migration of the James Bliven Family, (Acme, Penn.: s.p., 2020), 5-7; digital image, Robert P Blevins Publications.
5. ↑ Grace L. Tracey, & John P. Dern, Pioneers of Old Monocacy: The Early Settlement of Frederick County, Maryland 1721-43, (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987), 368-69 (citing Prince George's County Court Records V:98); Digital Images, Ancestry.com, (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/49295/ : accessed 8 May 2021) [subscription required].
6. ↑ See profiles for James Blevins and John Blevins.
7. ↑ Maude Carter Clement, The History of Pittsylvania Virginia, (Lynchburg, VA: J.P. Bell Company, Inc., 1929), 44; FamilySearch, Digital Images : accessed 25 Apr 2021. Clement's work is generally well-researched but it is unclear what record she was referring to in making this statement, and it may be an error. One of the leading recent Blevins researchers argues that she was mistaken. See Robert P. Blevins, The Blevins Men of Monocacy & Goochland, (Acme, Penn.: Robert Blevins, 2020), 14-15; digital copy, Robert P Blevins Publications.
8. ↑ Marian Dodson Chiarito, Entry record book, 1737-1770 : land entries in the present Virginia counties of Halifax, Pittsylvania, Henry, Franklin, and Patrick (Nathalie, Va.: Clarkton Press, 1984); Blevins excerpts indexed by Jeff Fansler, “Blevins Land Entries in Southern Virginia,” Ancestry Message Boards, https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.blevins/2023 : accessed 3 May 2021 (entries for 4 Apr 1745 & 28 Oct 1745).
9. ↑ Lunenburg County Order Book 1, p. 183.
10. ↑ Lunenburg County Order Book 1, p. 322.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Marian Dodson Chiarito, Entry record book, 1737-1770 : land entries in the present Virginia counties of Halifax, Pittsylvania, Henry, Franklin, and Patrick (Nathalie, Va.: Clarkton Press, 1984); Blevins excerpts indexed by Jeff Fansler, “Blevins Land Entries in Southern Virginia,” Ancestry Message Boards, https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.blevins/2023 : accessed 3 May 2021.
12. ↑ Clement, History of Pittsylvania County Virginia, 44.
13. ↑ Lewis Preston Summers, History of Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County 1777-1870 (Richmond, Va.: J.L. Hill Printing Co., 1903), 56; Digital Images, Hathitrust, (https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001263694 : accessed 6 May 2021).
14. ↑ William Waller Hening, The Statutes at Large, Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia, from the First Session of the Legislature, in the Year 1619, 13 vols (New York, Philadelphia & Richmond: [various publishers], 1819-23), 7:220; Digital Images, Hathitrust, https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009714930 : accessed 26 Apr 2021); Searchable Transcription, Freddie L. Spradlin. VaGenWeb. http://www.vagenweb.org/hening/ : accessed 26 Apr 2021.
15. ↑ Mrs. N.E. Clement, "Tithables of Pittsylvania County, 1767 (cont.)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 23 (Oct. 1915): 371-380, at 378; JSTOR, Digital Images : accessed 25 Apr 2021.
16. ↑ "Clement, History of Pittsylvania County Virginia, 103.
17. ↑ Robert Douthat Stoner, A Seed-Bed of the Republic (Kingsport, Tenn: R.D. Stoner, 1962), Section X, "Tithables," §4, at 2; FamilySearch, Digital Images : accessed 25 Apr 2021.
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1 18.2} Lyman Chalkley, Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, extracted from the original court records of Augusta County, 1745-1800, 3 vols. (Rosslyn, Va.: Commonwealth Printing Co., 1912-13), 2:143; Hathitrust, Digital Images : accessed 6 May 2021.
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4} Henry County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1783-1946. James Blevins vs. Executor of James Spencer, Index No. 1794-001. Local Government Records Collection, Henry Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. Digital Images, "Chancery Record Index," Virginia Memory: Library of Virginia, (https://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/chancery/ : accessed 13 Aug 2021).
20. ↑ Richard Barksdale Harwell, The Committees of Safety of Westmoreland and Fincastle: Proceedings of the County Committees 1774-1776, (Richmond, Va.: Virginia State Library, 1956), 92; Hathitrust, Digital Images : accessed 5 May 2021.
21. ↑ C.B. Bryant, "Henry County. From Its Formation in 1776 to the End of the Eighteenth Century, et seq.," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 9 (Jul 1901): 11-18, at 12-13; JSTOR, Digital Images : accessed 1 May 2021.
22. ↑ Lewis Preston Summers, Annals of Southwest Virginia 1769-1800 (Abingdon, Va.: Lewis Preston Summers, 1929), 717-18; Hathitrust, Digital Images : accessed 4 May 2021.
23. ↑ For background on the loyalist insurrection, see Albert H. Tillson, Jr., “The Localist Roots of Backcountry Loyalism: An Examination of Popular Political Culture in Virginia’s New River Valley,” The Journal of Southern History 54 (Aug 1988): 387-404; JSTOR, Digital Images : accessed 4 May 2021.
24. ↑ Montgomery County Personal Property Tax List 1782 (microfilm); digital images, FamilySearch, "Personal property tax lists, 1782-1857," (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS79-27CM-F : accessed 14 Dec 2020); citing FHL microfilm 1,870,170, item 1, DGS 7,856,149, image 12.
25. ↑ Montgomery County Personal Property Tax List 1782, images 21-22.
26. ↑ Montgomery County Personal Property Tax List 1787-1789 (microfilm); digital images, FamilySearch, "Personal property tax lists 1787-1812 (Missing 1808)," images 156 (Blevins men), 165 (Moses Parsley), and 168 (George and Owen Sizemore); FHL microfilm 1,870,165; DGS 7,856,147.
27. ↑ Wythe County Personal Property Tax List 1793 (microfilm). FamilySearch, “Personal property tax lists 1793-1801,” (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS79-1HMN : accessed 14 Aug 2021), images 575 (James Senr & John) and 576 (James); FHL microfilm 1,905,750, Item 6; DGS 7,856,355.
28. ↑ Grayson County Personal Property Tax Lists 1794 (microfilm). FamilySearch, “Personal property tax lists, 1794-1827,” (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQ2-Q3Q5-M : accessed 14 Aug 2021), images 15-16 (1794), 40 (1795), 54-5 (1796), 77 (1797), 105 (1798), 131-2 (1799), 153-4 (1800); FHL microfilm 2,024,555; DGS 7,849,125.
29. ↑ See profile for Elisha Walling, and the profiles for Daniel, and John.
30. ↑ Blevins, Blevins Ancestry, 7.
31. ↑ See, e.g., Wilder, A Wallen-Walling Genealogy, 161-63; Wallin, Elisha Wallen The Longhunter, 59.
32. ↑ Virginia Land Patent Book No. 17, pp. 394-95; Digital Images, Library of Virginia, “Virginia Land Office Patents and Grants Index,” (http://image.lva.virginia.gov/LONN/LO.html : accessed 13 Jun 2021).
33. ↑ Goochland County, Virginia, Deed Book 4, 218-19 (13 Aug 1743, James "Bleving" to Robert Douglas, 295 acres, south side of James River on little Muddy Creek); FamilySearch, "Deed books [with wills, inventories, etc.], v. 4-5 1741-1749," (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9P6-9SBV : accessed 13 Jun 2021); FHL microfilm 31,654; DGS 7,645,025; id. p. 263 (9 Aug 1744, James "Blevin" or "Blavin" to Edward Booker Jun., 400 acres on both sides of Muddy Creek); id. p. 563 (17 May 1745, James "Bleavin Senior" to Robert Douglas, 295 acres on both sides of Muddy Creek; correcting error in the 1743 deed).