Richard Fortune (1763 - 1832)

Born 4 Dec 1763 in Albemarle County, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Lavender) Fortune — married about 4 Sep 1786 in Amherst, Virginia, USA [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 2 Dec 1832 at age 68 in Burke County, North Carolina, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Eric Weddington [send private message] and Linda Fortune [send private message]

Biography

There has been discussion at the Ancestry.com website about family stories concerning Richard Fortune. This is what has been said:

"In the 1820s, Mexico opened up Texas to American settlers. One reason given for this was that the Comanches held absolute rule over the western two-thirds of Texas. They were raiding deep into Mexico proper every year, and the Mexican Government was helpless to stop them. Mexico hoped the Comanches would turn their raids east against the Americans and leave Mexico alone. The idea didn’t work, but thousands of Americans did move to Texas. In about 1828, Milly Fortune Clement’s father, Richard Fortune, who was about 60 at the time, set out with his son to explore Texas before deciding to move the family. They never returned nor were they heard from again. The family never knew if they fell victim to Indians, disease, robbers or flood. Their disappearance caused Cornelius and Milly Clements to move to the Fortune home place in what was then Burke county. They are listed in the 1830 Burke county census as living next to Milly’s brother Fletcher Fortune (1799-1874). Later in the 1830’s, after Richard and Mary Fortune’s remaining children were married, the Clements moved back to Flat Creek (next to Cornelius’ parents). Milly’s mother, Mary Lavender Fortune, moved in with her daughter, and though she visited her other children, she remained with Milly the rest of her life."

"This family story may not be true, Several years ago, a descendant of Uncle Walter Fortune called me. He said Walter Fortune came home to see his parents in what is now McDowall County, He said Grandpa Richard Fortune went home with Uncle Walter Fortune who lived in Georgia, and Grandpa Fortune married a young gal (I doubt he had gotten a divorce) and had several kids by her and never returned home. The Texas story may have been a story created for Grandma Milly and the family to save face. There was an older Richard Fortune who married a younger woman in Madison Georgia in 1826." 04 Mar 2015

"Sounds plausible to me that it may have been a cover-up. Where did the descendant get his information? Is he on ancestry?" 05 Mar 2015

"Is the Walter Fortune who is mentioned as the son of Richard, born in 1795? I found a Walter Fortune buried in Dallas County, Arkansas; died in 1877, and his tombstone says he was born in Burke County, NC, in May 1795. This same Walter Fortune married a lady in 1833 in Pike County, GA. I did find an 1830 census for Madison County, GA, with a Richard Fortune listed; it gave his age as 60ish, with a wife aged between 20 and 30, and two children under five years. This Richard married Margaret Hales in 1826 in Madison County, GA. WOW!! This does seem to back up the story of Richard leaving North Carolina and never coming back." 19 Feb 2016

Sources

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZ8Q-BFF