Elisha Walling (1708 - aft. 1783)

Born 26 Jul 1708 in Cohansey, Salem County, Province of New Jersey

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Blevins) Walling — married about 1729 in Prince George's County, Province of Maryland [uncertain]

Descendants

Died after Feb 1783 after age 74 in Henry Co., Virginia

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

Biography

Early Life

Elisha Walling (aka Wallen) was born on July 26, 1708, in Cohansey, New Jersey. He was the son of Thomas Walling and Sarah Elwell.^[1][2]

Elisha's father died in Salem County, New Jersey, in 1724, and left a will which was probated there in October 1724. ^[3] In this will, his father reportedly provided that Elisha would be apprenticed for a trade:

"[I] authorize my wife to binde out my son, Elisha Walling, to a trade as she shall see meet till he hath attained the age of twenty-one after my death and that my said wife shall not be controlled for doeing by any person or persons whatsoever." ^[4]

According to family legend, Elisha absconded to avoid being bound out as an apprentice. He is said to have run away to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he associated with the Blevins family which (along with Cox, Roberts, and other families) was en route from New England to Maryland.^[4][5]

Marriage

According to the notes of his great-great granddaughter Mattie Elisabeth (Rice) Howard, written in 1868, his wife was Mary Blevins.^[6]

Elisha and Mary Blevins reportedly had between seven and nine children by 1746.^[7][8]

From Maryland to the Virginia Frontier

In 1733, Elisha Walling (along with his brothers James and William Walling) appear on the list of Taxables in the Monocosie Hundred in Prince George's County, Maryland.^[9] They appear again on the lists there in 1734.^[10] Not long after that, however, Elisha and his family migrated southwest to the Virginia frontier.

In 1741, Elisha patented a tract of land on the remote southwestern Virginia frontier along Cherrystone Creek, near modern-day Chatham, Virginia, in what was then Brunswick County, later Lunenberg (1746-52), then Halifax (1752-1767), and finally Pittsylvania (after 1767). ^{[11] [12]} On October 10, 1746, he patented another large tract of land further west on the north side of Smith's (Irwin) River, near modern-day Martinsville, Virginia. This was also in what was then Lunenberg County, later Halifax, Pittsylvania, and finally Henry County after 1776. He established a plantation there called "Roundabout," where he and his family appear to have lived for many years.^{[13] [14]} He also patented a tract of land along the Sandy River in what is now Pittsylvania County on July 6, 1748.^[13][12]

In 1748, he was appointed constable in Lunenburg County "on Smith's River and the Wart Mountain [now, Bull Mountain]," in the area that was later to become modern Henry and Patrick counties. ^[15]

In 1757, he appears as the defendant in a Chancery Court case brought in Halifax County by Richard Ratliff. ^[16]

In 1767, Elisha Wallen Senr. appears on the tax lists in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, immediately adjacent to his son Joseph. ^[17]

During the American Revolution

In 1776, Henry County was carved from Pittsylvania. In 1777, Elisha Walling appears in Henry County, Virginia, where he swore an oath of allegiance to the Commonwealth of Virginia after the colonies declared independence from Great Britain. ^[18] He appears on the tax lists in Henry County in 1779-1780. ^[19] On February 27, 1783, he is credited with having contributed two pecks of meal and 37 pounds of bacon to Lt. Col. Lee's Legion of the Continental Army in furtherance of the patriot cause. ^{[20] [21]}

In 1782, "Elisha Wallen Senr" appears on the tax lists for Montgomery County, Virginia, where Elisha's sons Joseph, James, and John, and likely son-in-law William Roberts also appear. ^[22]

Death

According to many family stories, Elisha Sr was killed on an extended hunting expedition. ^[23] This is said to have occurred in about the autumn or winter of 1783 in an area that was then far beyond the settled frontier, and today is in modern-day Harlan County, Kentucky. Mabel Condon describes the handed-down stories like this:

There are several versions of the story or account of Wallin's death. On their return to camp the other men saw blood on the snow and found the remains of him and his companion. Some say that Wallins' dog led them to his body while others say that his dog stood guard over the bodies, protecting them from wild beasts. At any rate these men had been killed by Indians and it is the first known death of a white scout to be scalped in Harlan County. ^[24]

While the details of his death are uncertain, there is no record of Elisha Walling Sr after 1783. Most researchers seem to agree that he likely died between 1783-1785, possibly in Harlan County, Kentucky. ^{[25] [26]}

Children

Maribelle Wilder lists the following children of Elisha and Mary, which may not be in the correct birth order: ^[27]

1. Thomas, b. abt 1730, m. Mary Cox
2. Elisha, b. abt 1732
3. Joseph, b. abt 1734, m. Milly Jones
4. Sarah, m. Clem Lee
5. Margery, m. Isaac Rice
6. Elizabeth ("Betsy"), m. Will Roberts
7. James, b. abt 1746
8. John, b. abt 1750, m. Elizabeth Roberts

Of these, Margery, Betsy, Sarah, John, Joseph, and Thomas (and their spouses) are named in the Bible Notes of Mattie Elisabeth (Rice) Howard. ^[6]

In addition, Carolyn Wallin identifies "Allen" as a possible additional child. ^[28]

Research Notes

Distinguish Elisha Walling Sr. from son Elisha the Longhunter

Many family trees confuse Elisha Walling Sr. with his son Elisha Walling Jr., who was a contemporary of Daniel Boone and led a series of well-documented long hunts beyond the frontier beginning in 1761. As described in more detail in the profile of Elisha Jr., John Redd -- a contemporary of Elisha the long hunter -- reported that "when [he] became acquainted with [Elisha the longhunter] in 1774, he was about 40 years of age," and thus born in about 1734. He was therefore clearly the younger Elisha. ^[29] The longhunter's father Elisha Sr. was also a frontier settler and undoubtedly a skilled hunter, but he was not the Elisha Wallen who led those trailblazing long hunts.

Disputed Child

Some, without source, have identified an "Agnes" as an additional child of Elisha Walling. There is no known basis for this claim. Please do not reattach "Agnes" as a child without first posting a comment on this profile for discussion and citing a reliable source for the claim.

Sources

1. ↑ James Newell Arnold, Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850 (Providence: Narragansett Historical Pub. Co. , 1891), 2:252-53.
2. ↑ Maribelle Wilder, A Wallen-Walling Genealogy (Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1985), 14.
3. ↑ Thomas Walling of Salem Co., Calendar of Wills, Administrations, Etc. 1670-1730. Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. (Trenton, NJ: Archives of the State of New Jersey), volume 23, page 488
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Ancestry, Find a Grave, database, (accessed 12 Oct 2021), Find A Grave: Memorial #229874843, Elisha Walling (1708-1783), no gravestone or burial information; transcription of will excerpts; profile managed by Paul Gunnels.
5. ↑ Carolyn D. Wallin, Elisha Wallen The Longhunter (Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 1990), 59-60; citing Kenneth C. Walden, McLean, Virginia; and Goldene Fillers Burger, The Southside, (self-published, 1977).
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Bible Notes of Mattie Elisabeth Rice Howard, 1868; copied by Mary C. Howard, 1939; contained in the "Allen Papers," Research notes of Penelope Johnson Allen; Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, Knoxville, Tennessee; transcription, Daniel Mahar, "Re: McClung Collection/Rice Family Rec.," (https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/rice/3514/ : accessed 26 May 2021).
7. ↑ Wilder, A Wallen-Walling Genealogy, 161-63.
8. ↑ Wallin, Elisha Wallen: Longhunter, 59; citing Kenneth C. Walden, McLean, Virginia.
9. ↑ Maryland Hall of Records, Calendar of Maryland State Papers, No. 1, The Black Books, (1943), 42; Hathitrust, Digital Images : accessed 23 Apr 2021.
10. ↑ 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].
11. ↑ Wilder, A Wallen-Walling Genealogy, 158-59.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Wallin, Elisha Wallen: Longhunter, 60.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Wilder, A Wallen-Walling Genealogy, 160.
14. ↑ Wallin, Elisha Wallen: Longhunter, 60-61.
15. ↑ Maude Carter Clement, The History of Pittsylvania Virginia (Lynchburg, VA: J.P. Bell Company, Inc., 1929), 50; FamilySearch, Digital Images : accessed 18 Dec 2020. Note that Clement sometimes confuses Elisha Sr. with his son Elisha Jr., who was the well-known longhunter who led the first long hunt in 1761. However, based on their ages it is clear that it was Elisha Sr. who was named the constable in 1748.
16. ↑ Halifax County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1753-1911. Richard Ratliff vs. Elijha Walling, 1757-001. Local Government Records Collection, Halifax 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 9 Jul 2021).
17. ↑ Mrs. N.E. Clement, "Tithables of Pittsylvania County, 1767 (cont.)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 24 (1916): 180-192, at 183 (tithables taken by Peter Copland, Joseph Wallen); images, jstor.org, (https://www.jstor.org/stable/4243515 : accessed 5 Dec 2020).
18. ↑ 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 (1901): 11-18, at 13, Elisha Walden.
19. ↑ Wilder, A Wallen-Walling Genealogy, 164; citing Lela C. Adams, 1778-1780 tax lists of Henry County, Virginia (Bassett, Va.: L.C. Adams, 1973).
20. ↑ 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, 11 (1903): 90-92, at 91-92, Elisha Wallen.
21. ↑ Judith Parks America Hill, A History of Henry County, Virginia (Martinsville, VA: Bulletin Printing & Publishing Co., 1925), 325; Ancestry.com, Digital Images : accessed 8 Dec 2020) (subscription required).
22. ↑ FamilySearch, "Personal property tax lists, 1782-1857," (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS79-27CM-F : accessed 14 Dec 2020); FHL microfilm 1,870,170, images 19 (William Roberts), 21 (Elisha) & 22 (John, Joseph & James); citing Commissioner of Revenue, Montgomery County, Virginia.
23. ↑ Wallin, Elisha Wallen: Longhunter, 63-64.
24. ↑ Mabel Green Condon, A History of Harlan County, (Nashville: Parthenon Press, 1962), 48-50; FamilySearch, Digital Images : accessed 9 Nov 2020.
25. ↑ Wilder, A Wallen-Walling Genealogy, 165.
26. ↑ Wallin, Elisha Wallen: Longhunter, 63-64.
27. ↑ Wilder, A Wallen-Walling Genealogy, 163-4.
28. ↑ Wallin, Elisha Wallen: Longhunter, 59; citing Kenneth C. Walden, McLean, Virginia.
29. ↑ John Redd, "Reminiscences of Western Virginia, 1770-1790," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Apr 1899), 337-346, at 338; images, JSTOR, (https://www.jstor.org/stable/4242182 : accessed 21 Dec 2020).

See also:

• Van Name, Elmer Garfield, author. The Elwell Family (Seventeeth and Eighteenth Centuries - Southern New Jersey) (1963) .
• Wilde, Kenneth C. "Tracking the Wallin(g)s," Rootsweb. (http://sites.rootsweb.com/~vahsswv/historicalsketches/trackingwallin.html : accessed 13 Dec 2020).
• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed December 31, 2019), "Record of Elisha Wallen", Ancestor # A120025.