John Martin Key (abt. 1776 - 1861)

Ancestors Descendants

Biography

John Martin Key
was possibly born in Louisa or Amherst County, Virginia. The birth date of 1776 is based on John's 1850 Walker County, Alabama Census appearance, as well as the ten year date ranges of all other censuses on which he appeared.

A brief summary of his life, from Family Search.com (a more detailed account follows):

John Key was one of Walker County [Alabama]'s earliest settlers. He lived in Amherst County [Virginia] until 1797 or later, and then moved to North Carolina; then he moved to Alabama. Some believe that he reached Walker County not later than 1816, but the first authentic record is a government land entry made in Section 10, Township 15, Range 8, on December 25, 1824. This entry was on Lost Creek, north of Oakman. He was one of the pioneers of the Methodist Church in Walker County, and the earliest record of that church in the county is a report of a quarterly conference held at his home on Lost Creek on June 14, 1833. Mr. Key spent his entire life on the farm. He died in 1861, at the age of 96 and is buried near Sipsey. On July 15, 1797, he was married in Amherst County, Virginia to Belinda Milstead. They were the parents of 11 children.^[1]

Since John's father, MARTIN KEY, was apparently required to give his consent for John to marry BELINDA MILSTEAD on 15 July 1797,^[2] John had to have been under the age of 21 years. (If older than that, he would not have needed parental consent for the marriage.) Therefore, based on his marriage and census records, John's birth date must have been between 16 July and 28 November 1776. John was enumerated on the Federal Census for 1850 at 74 years of age on 29 November 1850.

Where JOHN KEY spent his infancy has not been determined but by 1782, John's father, MARTIN KEY, began appearing on the Amherst County Tax List, and his family is listed there every year through 1799. In 1799, MARTIN KEY'S name was first written but then marked through and that of JOHN KEY inserted. In 1795, JOHN KEY received the deed for property located on Enchanted Creek in Amherst Co., Virginia that belonged to his brother, RICE KEY. John may have farmed this land as a tenant until a 60 acre tract on Brown's Creek (branch of the Pedlar River) was surveyed in his name on 13 June 1797. After marriage, John and Belinda acquired more land along Brown's, Lovelady, and Horsley Creeks, and later along the Pedlar River. John appeared on the Amherst County, Virginia Tax List from 1799 to 1803 and in Amherst County deed records as a landowner until April 1807.

13 June 1797

....a certain tract or parcel of land containing sixty acres by survey bearing date the sixteenth day of July one thousand seven hundred and ninety five lying and being in the County of Amherst on Lovelady Creek and the branches thereof and bounded as followeth, to the west beginning at chesnut in NICHOLAS PRYOR'S line, corner to HEZEKIAH SHOEMAKER, running thence new lines north eighteen degrees west seventy two poles to a gum corner in JOHN ROBERT'S line, thence new lines, north eighty six degrees west forty four poles to pointer, north fifty five degrees west sixty four poles to white oak, south eighteen degrees west ninety six poles to pointer corner to HEZEKIAH SHOEMAKER'S line, thence with his line south eighty three degrees, east and forty six poles to the first station....

21 September 1801

JNO. KEY & wife BELINDA, to JNO. BURKS for 80 pounds, 117 acres Pedlar. Part of two tracts of JNO. ROBERTS. Original delivered to JNO. BURKS on 2 Jul. 1831.

On the same day of the above transaction, John and Belinda bought property located a short distance to the north, also in Amherst County.^{[citation needed]}

Note: On the 2 July 1831 deed in which JONATHAN BURKS sold this property to GEORGE T. PLEASANTS, he stated he had acquired the property from "JONATHAN KEY."

21 September 1801

WM. HALL & wife MARY, to JNO. KEY for 100 pounds, 100 acres south branches of Horsley Creek on Bankston's Mountain, part of 900 acres patented by WM. HALL. Lines: MOSES HALL, JEREMIAH DEAN, NELSON CRAWFORD. Original delivered to JNO. KEY on 26 November 1801.

John and Belinda owned this tract for a little over a year.

14 December 1802

JNO. KEY & wife BELINDA, Amherst County, to THOS. MORRIS, Amherst County, for 100 pounds, 100 acres south branches of Horsley Creek on Bankston's Mountain, part of 300 acres given WM. HALL by patent. Lines: MOSES HALL, JEREMIAH DEAN, NELSON CRAWFORD, JNO. BROWN. Wit: DANL. WARWICK, ABRAM CARTER, THOS. N. EUBANK, HENRY BROWN, THOS. O'NEILL, JNO. RICHESON, JNO. FLOOD.'

JOHN and BELINDA KEY owned property in the Pedlar River area until at least 1807 when John was named in a deed as owning property adjacent to a tract that was being sold there.

13 April 1807

JOS. HENSON & wife JEMIMAH, Amherst County, to CHAS. P. TALIAFERRO, Amherst County, for $410, three (3) tracts Lovelady Creek. 1) 300 acres. 2) 60 acres. Lines: NICHL. PRYOR, HEZEKIAH SHOEMAKER, JNO. ROBERTS. 3) 50 acres. Lines: JNO. KEY, NELSON CRAWFORD, his own. Wit: PETER TALIAFERRO, JAS. BROWN, WM. CLEMENTS.

The year of JOHN and BELINDA KEY'S move to Surry County, North Carolina is not known. Land records show that John began purchasing property in Surry County, North Carolina on 1 March 1806. It is not known whether he traveled to North Carolina and left the family behind in Virginia until he secured property and a home or if Belinda and the children accompanied him and were in North Carolina by this time as well. JOHN MARTIN KEY, son of JOHN and BELINDA KEY, was born c.1805. Records (all secondary sources) regarding his birthplace disagree on whether that location was in Virginia or North Carolina. If John Martin was born in North Carolina, JOHN and BELINDA KEY must have continued owning property in Amherst Co., Virginia after moving to North Carolina, if John Martin was born in Virginia, the date for their move to North Carolina might have been the winter of 1805/1806.

Surry CO., North Carolina land records on which JOHN KEY appears are:

1 March 1806

GEORGE WOOTEN, SR. to JOHN KEYS. $150, 133 acres on south bank of Skin Cabin Creek adjacent NATHAN HOLT and JOHN GRAVES.^[3]

9 September 1806

GEORGE WOOTEN, SR. to JOHN KEYS $100, 50 acres on Skin Cabin Creek adjacent GRAVE'S line. The iron ore on said land excepted; part of a tract of land granted by the State of North Carolina to THOMAS A. WORD.^[4]

According to tax lists, John later accumulated over 600 acres but deed records are apparently incomplete in Surry County, as his later land buying/selling activity is not fully documented. From 1806 until 1814, JOHN KEY appeared on several Surry County, North Carolina records:

He served on juries in Nov. 1810, February 1811, February 1813 and May 1813.

He served as constable in February 1811, February 1812, February 1813, February 1814, March 1814 and May 1814.

He also appeared on a Surry County "Overseers of Road" record in May 1810, but was replaced in that capacity in November 1814, by which time he had apparently moved on to Iredell County, North Carolina.

John's family appeared on the 1810 Surry County, North Carolina Federal Census as follows:

"JOHN KEYS - males: 3 under age 10, 0 10-16, 0 16-26, 1 26-45, 1 45 and over; females: 3 under age 10, 1 10-16, 0 16-26, 2 26-45,1 45 and over; - 3 slaves"

John would have been about 34 and Belinda would have been about 33 at the time of this census. The older couple listed in the household may have been John's parents (MARTIN and ANN KEY) since Belinda's parents (JOSEPH and ELIZABETH MILSTEAD) were already deceased by this time. Both of John's known brothers who were already over the age of 45 are accounted for in their own households on this census. The second female between the ages of 26 and 45 is unknown. Two of the three male children were William S. Washington (b. 1800/1801) and John Martin (b. 1805). The third may have been a son who died young or a child of the unknown female (26/45). Three of the four female children were Nancy L. (b. 1799), Elizabeth (b. 1802) and Jane Mills (b. 1807). The fourth may have been a daughter who died young OR, some researchers maintain that John and Belinda were also the parents of SARAH "SALLY" KEY who was the wife of GENERAL GARNER (later of Walker Co., Alabama). Several references cite JOHN and BELINDA KEY being the parents of eleven children but only ten are known. Yet thirteen are connected here. The three slaves listed could possibly be the same as those listed on JOHN KEY'S 1803 Amherst Co., Virginia Tax List appearance. John and Belinda's next move was to Iredell Co., North Carolina where the following records can be found:

'24 February 1814 - Deed Book. J, Page 883: FREDRICK RUMBLE to JOHN KEY. For the sum of $600, 329 acres lying on Third Creek and joining WILLIAM MCKNIGHT.'

'21 May 1818 - Deed Book. J, pg. 405: RICHARD SHELTON to JOHN KEY. For the sum of $700, 148 acres lying on both sides of Third Creek. Witness: WILLIAM S. WASHINGTON KEY.'

• Note: RICHARD SHELTON/CHILTON was the husband of NANCY L. KEY and son-in-law of JOHN KEY. WILLIAM S. WASHINGTON KEY was the eldest son of JOHN KEY.

'5 June 1818 - Deed Book. J, pg. 699: JOHN KEY to ALEXANDER MCKINZEY. For the sum of $700, 148 acres lying on both sides of Third Creek and joining mouth of small branch.'

'24 December 1819 - Deed Book. J, pg. 964: JOHN KEY to NICHOLAS NORTON. For the sum of $500, 328 acres lying on the waters of Third Creek and joining ELLIS.'

Very little is known about JOHN and BELINDA KEY'S time spent in Iredell Co., North Carolina or their migration into Alabama, only that it appears to have taken place after Christmas, 1819. The route probably took the KEY family across the Blue Ridge Mountains into Tennessee and then along the Tennessee River Valley into Northeast Alabama. Whatever the route, the KEY family was in Alabama by 1820 where John (along with RICHARD SHELTON/CHILTON) was enumerated in St. Clair Co. on the state census:

1820 Alabama State Census:

'J. KEE - Males Over 21 yrs: 1, Males Under 21 yrs: 3, Females Over 21 yrs: 1, Females Under 21 yrs: 4, Total White Inhabitants: 9, Other Free Persons: 0, Slaves: 1, Total Inhabitants: 10'

John would have about 44 at the time of this census and Belinda would have been about 43. The three males under the age of 21 were John Martin (b. 1805), Lindsey N. (b. 1813) and Charles Rice (b. 1814) - William was already married by this time. Two of the four females under the age of 21 were Elizabeth (b. 1802) and Jane Mills (b. 1807) - Nancy was already married by this time. If SALLY KEY was a daughter of John and Belinda, she would account for number three. The fourth female under the age of 21 is unknown. These could also be daughters who died young or the children of friends or relatives. On Christmas Day, 1824, JOHN KEY'S only documented land purchase in Alabama was recorded at the land office in Tuscaloosa when he homesteaded 80 acres of government land. The property was located along Wolf Creek a little over halfway between Jasper and Oakman. Today, State Highway 69 cuts through the northern part of this tract and Morris Cemetery is located on the southwest corner of the tract. This 80 acre farm was probably where the JOHN KEY family was living when enumerated on the following three federal censuses:

1830 Federal Census:

JOHN KEY - males '1,2,1,1,0,0,0,1' females '0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1'

JOHN KEY would have been about 54 years of age at the time of this census while Belinda would have been around 53. The five male children listed in this census can be identified as Lindsey N. (b. 1813, 15-20 yrs.), Charles Rice (b. 1815, 10-15 yrs.), Joseph Garland (b. 1822, 5-10 yrs.), James Hezekiah (b. 1824, 5-10 yrs.) and Doctor Clifton (b. 1825, 0-5 yrs.).

1840 Federal Census:

JOHN KEY - males '0,0,1,2,0,0,0,0,1' females '0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1'

1850 Federal Census: John and Belinda were living with three sons: Joseph and Dock, who were married to Rachel and Eliza (or Louisa) and their (combined) children, and Hezekiah, who is described on the document as insane and as such was certainly the "inmate" incorrectly listed on the line above his. Their married daughter, Elizabeth Key Buzbee, is listed on the previous page.

JOHN KEY 64 Iowa[sic, doc. says 74, Va.]

Belinday Key 73 Iowa[sic, doc. says Va.]

Joseph Key 28 Alabama[sic, doc. says inmate]

Hezekiah Key 26 Alabama, insane [see above]

Docter Key 25 Alabama

Racel Key 24 Alabama

Eliza Key 22 Alabama

Sarah Key 8 Alabama

John Key 6 Alabama

John Key 6 Alabama

Burd Key 3 Alabama

Eliza Key 1 Alabama^[5]

John Martin Key died on 1 July 1861 in Walker, Alabama, and was buried in Sipsey, Alabama.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Unnamed contributor, Family Search, "Life Sketch," citing John Martin Dombhart, History of Walker County: its towns and its people (Thornton, Arkansas: Cayce Pub. Co., c.1937).
2. ↑ "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XRDN-8WL : 29 January 2020), Belinda Milstred in entry for John Key, 1797.
3. ↑ Surry County North Carolina Deed Book L, p. 117.
4. ↑ Surry County North Carolina Deed Book L, p. 245.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH5C-C4Y : 19 December 2020), John Key, Walker, Alabama, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 29 December 2020), memorial page for John Martin Key (1776–1 Jul 1861), Find A Grave: Memorial #24576292, citing Drummond Cemetery, Sipsey, Walker County, Alabama, USA ; Maintained by Jan Landers (contributor 48556003) .