Ewell Venable Unthank II (1854 - 1929)

Born 24 Jan 1854 in Harlan County, Kentucky USA

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Anne (Ledford) Unthank — married 22 Feb 1888 in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States

Descendants

Died 7 Jul 1929 at age 75 in Jonesville, Lee County, Virginia USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Michael Brown [send private message]

Biography

Ewell Unthank II lived in Appalachia, in Kentucky.

Ewell was born in 1854. He passed away in 1929.

Research Notes

Immediately before the Civil War, according to a slave schedule of the 1860 census for Mt. Pleasant in Harlan Co, E.V. Unthank is indicated as having 2 black slaves, one a 44-year-old female and the other a 14-year-old boy.

In December 2015, the Knox Historical Museum’s genealogy center received a 10- generation family history of the Unthanks in America.

The 24-page document was submitted by Judith Callebs Unthank, the wife of David Unthank. Both were born, raised and still live in Knox County, Krntucky.

The document is a snapshot of America’s history over the years: beginning in England, traveling by ship to America and settling part of the new country, traveling west on the Oregon Trail during which one Unthank child (Alvah) died and was buried in 1831, and continuing right up to the present day.

Ancestors such as Ewell Venable Unthank, believed shown in photo at left, led interesting lives, to say the least.

One of the most interesting parts of the document deals with the Unthanks's Quaker origins, beginning with Joseph Unthank, 1715-1780, (Generation 1) who married Ann Allen, 1713/23-1769, in 1742 in Yorkshire, England and sailed to the America and helped settle Bucks Co, Penn., with the Quakers. Joseph and Ann’s first nine children were born in Pennsylvania. Five died in an epidemic of scarlet fever and diphtheria in the 1740’s. In 1755, the family moved to New Garden, NC, a colony for the Quakers, and was received into the New Garden Quaker Church.

One story in these early years concerned Joseph’s descendant Josiah Unthank, 1780-1833. Researchers are split on the identity of Josiah. Some believe that he was the son of Joseph, while others, and this is most likely, say he was the son of Joseph’s son, also named Joseph.

Regardless of his paternity, Josiah was disowned by the New Garden Meeting in 1801 for marrying Ann Brittain, 1779-1875, “out of unity.” He reconciled to the Quakers before 1830.

Joseph had another son, John, 1741-1781, who married Sarah Hunt, born 1747, of Frederick Co., VA. Sarah was a Revolutionary War nurse. She died in 1846 at the age of 99.

Old Joseph’s final son was Allen Unthank, which brings us to the next generation.

Allen Unthank, 1752-1822, (Generation 2) was a Revolutionary War soldier. He married Jemima Hunt (Sarah Hunt’s sister) in 1774. Their firstborn, Rachel, born in 1776, was married at age 16 to Isaac Cook, then 33. Four months later they had a child and were then disowned by New Garden Friends.

The couple stayed married, however, and had a total of 11 children over the years.

Rachel’s brother Jonathan, 1778-1836, leads us to the next generation being followed in this history.

In 1808, Jonathan Unthank (Generation 3) married Sarah Parnell Franklin, a daughter of Jessie Hardin Franklin, who obtained the rank of major in the Revolutionary War and later was a governor and U.S. Senator in North Carolina. Jonathan left the Quakers in 1800 when he was disowned by New Garden for “his obstinate refusal to take responsibility for having a child laid to him by a young woman.” This young woman was Sarah Venable, who reportedly met Jonathan Unthank on his route delivering mail between Quaker colonies.

Jonathan Unthank and Sarah Venable’s child was named Ewell Unthank and lived with his stepmother Sarah Franklin Unthank and his father Jonathan for a while. After Jonathan Unthank died in 1836, his stepmother Sarah Unthank reportedly cast out Ewell, who was not named in his father Jonathan’s will.

Before moving on with Ewell Unthank’s story, here is an interesting tidbit: Mount Airy, N.C., was established in the early 1800’s and named after

Jonathan Unthank’s plantation. “The Unthank house became a favorite stopping place for travelers on the stage road.”

In 1839, Ewell Venable Unthank, 1808-1883, (Generation 4) married Sarah Jones, 1822-1858, of Mt. Pleasant, Ky., which later changed its named to Harlan. Ewell ran a grocery store there and is buried in the Pineville Cemetery in Bell County. According to this family history, “Harlan Co. seems to have been a safe haven for ex-Quakers.”

Ewell’s second marriage was to Artemis Cole, 1843-1910, in 1867. The couple had two children, including Isom, born 1874/1876, and Catherine, born 1876/78. Catherine, also known as “Kittie,” married John Peter Rasnick in 1898. She died in 1912 and is buried on old U.S. 25E near Barbourville on a hill above the “Old Bally Frazier house” before the Bimble exit.

In 1894, Isom Dean Unthank (Generation 5) married Mary Beddow, 1878-1968, daughter of William M., 1854-1928, and Rosa Belle Cain Beddow, 1860-1942. Rosa Belle died of cancer of the utreus. William was a farmer in the Boone Heights area of Knox County, Ky. Many Beddow family members are buried in Barbourville Cemetery, Goshen Graveyard, Grindstaff Cemetery and Hutchins Cemetery, Knox County, Ky.

Children of Isom, who died in 1910, and Mary include their firstborn, Forest Unthank (Generation 6) born in 1894/1895. In 1916, Forest married Emma Boles, 1900-1965. The couple had four children, Ella Mae, 1917-1981, who married Hugh Smith; Axie, 1919-1920; Dorothy, 1923-2006, who married Roscoe Smith; and Earl, 1930-1974.

Earl Unthank (Generation 7) married Francine Laws, 1930-1985, Tinsley, Ky. Earl served in World War II and is buried in the Barbourville Cemetery.

Earl and Francine had one child, David Forest Unthank (Generation 8), born 1949. In 1970 he married Judith Callebs in Bell County. Their children include Generation 9: Todd, born 1973 and twin brothers, Erik and Derik, born 1976.

All three sons are married and have children (Generation 10).

SEE ATTACHMENT BELOW to read more about the Unthank story and visit the Knox Historical Museum’s Genealogy Center to do further research.

Sources

• Data from family records
• https://www.knoxhistoricalmuseum.org/genealogy/museums-genealogy-resources/family-histories/114-family-history-summaries/337-khm-receives-fascinating-family-history-beginning-with-joesph-unthank-1715.html