James Weatherspoon Genealogy

Record modified: 2025-03-22
This is my ancestor 6 generations back.

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 / William Weatherspoon|
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James Hardy Weatherspoon |
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Born: 1781-03-06 near Raleigh?, North Carolina? USA
Died: 1870-03-21 Allen Co, Kentucky USA
Marriages:
1. 1805-07-17 Nancy Motley
2. 1843-12-27 Martha Ann Elizabeth Johns
Children of James Weatherspoon and Nancy Motley:
Simpson Lemuel Weatherspoon b. 1807-03-00
Penelope Witherspoon b. 1809-03-00
*Elizabeth (Bettie) Witherspoon b. 1811-02-22
Simeon Wesley Weatherspoon b. 1812-00-00
Lucy Catherine Witherspoon b. 1814-11-09
Cyrene Witherspoon b. 1817-10-19
John Weatherspoon b. 1819-09-25
Nancy Motley Witherspoon b. 1819-09-25
Melinda E Witherspoon b. 1822-11-15
Marthinsey Olif Weatherspoon b. 1823-11-30

Children of James Weatherspoon and Martha Johns:
Joseph Holiday Witherspoon b. 1844-05-04
Mary Witherspoon b. 1846-06-06

Notes:

married in Wake Co NC
buried in Witherspoon-Sledge cemetery, Allen Co KY

John and Nancy were in a set of triplets. The third died within a day.

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from Sledge:
His father was James Witherspoon, brother of John Witherspoon "the Signer". He was probably raised by his oldest brother John after their father's death. He came to Kentucky in the early part of the century, and settled near the Allen - Warren County line on the west bank of Bays Fork Creek. According to Courthouse records, he had much trouble with his neighbors over boundary lines.
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The Sledge genealogy that I have then shows the father of James and John Witherspoon to be James Alexander Witherspoon III, descended from Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland.
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I have also seen trees which say his parents were John and Sara Hopson. (I have John as Hardy's oldest brother.) This would agree with the story that John raised him after James' death.
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It's pretty clear, though, that the father of James Hardy Witherspoon and his brothers was actually a William Weatherspoon, about whom little is known.

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Wake Co NC Deed Book 13

p144-145
Whereas Jesse Weatherspoon executed a deed of trust
to us by which he authorized the sale of his property
which deed is dated the 7th day of March 1838 and
we have sold the lands hereafter mentioned, Therefore in consideration of one hundred
and seventy dollars to us paid we Jas P Burt & Josiah Barbee Trustees have bargained
and sold and conveyed & by these presents do hereby bargain & sell and convey
unto Hardy Weatherspoon and his heirs the following tract of land in Wake County
to wit, on the waters of North East Creek, and bounded as follows. Beginning at Burtons Corner Post
and running north to a pine, then east to a hickory, then south to a post oak, thence west to a
prine thence north to the first station. containing three hundred and vied acres, be the same more or less
to have & to hold to him the said Hardy Weatherspoon & his heirs forever. Witness our hands and seals at
Wake County 10th day April 1838
witness
Jas Weatherspoon
William Barbee

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Allen Co KY land grants
1818-10-23 Hardy Weatherspoon 300 acres, Sulphur Fork

[Also listed as 1818-11-23]

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Allen Co KY deed book C

Pg338-39 Nov 18, 1824 ...between JAMES WEATHERSPOON of the county of Allen ... Kentucky ... and
MAJOR WEATHERSPOON of the same county and state afsd ... $518 ... parcel of land .. on Bays creek a
branch of Big Barren river .... JOHN TRAVIS 100 acres ... GILL... THOMAS JORDON ... PEALE ...
containing 100 acres ... Signed: JAMES (his X mark) WEATHERSPOON, NANCY (her X mark)
WEATHERSPOON ... NANCY WEATHERSPOON ... relinquished all her dower ..

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Allen Co KY deed book D

Pg 333 -334 This Indenture made this 25thd day of August 1830 between JACOB TABER of the county of Allen and
state of Kentucky of the one part and HERDY WEATHERSPOON of the county and state aforesaid of the other ... in
consideration of the sum of $250 ... sell ... unto the same HARDY WEATHERSPOON ... parcel of land containing 80
acres ... being in Allen County near Little difficult creek .... Teste: ISAAC SATTERFIELD, URIAH S. SMITH Signed:
JACOB (x his mark) TABER

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Allen Co KY Order book 1850
November 11, 1850
Hardy Weatherspoon appointed guardian of Mary E. Johns, infant daughter of Charles Johns.

[Is that Mary the same as the Mary I have as Hardy's daughter by his second wife Martha?]

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Genforum message 51

Will of Hardy Weatherspoon March 12, 1854 no date.
To my daughters, Penelope Landers, Elizabeth Willoughby and Katherine Coleman, $100 each. To my daughter Nancy Cline, $130. To children of Simeon, deceased: Elizabeth Motley, Penelope Weatherspoon and Simeon Weatherspoon, $33 1/3 each. To Malinda Henderson, my daughter, $50, I having already given her a nag and saddle. I have given my sons, Simpson S. Weatherspoon, John Weatherspoon and N.C. Weatherspoon, $100 each, and my daughter Cyrena Davis, $100.
To my wife Martha Ann E. Weatherspoon, two work beasts, 3 cows and calf, furniture, 10 head of sheep, feather beds, etc., and I wish these at her death to go to my son Joseph H. Weatherspoon, and Mary W. Weatherspoon. The land we live on I give to my wife her lifetime, and at her death, it is to be divided between Joseph H. and Mary W. Weatherspoon. Wife, Martha Ann, Executor. Witt: H.B. Willoughby, A.J. Christy, and Jeremiah Cassaday.

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1860 census Allen Co KY p172, Carolina district, Scottsville post office
Hardy Weatherspoon 79 NC
M A E 48 KY
J H (m)16 KY
W M (f) 14 KY
William Bechum? 15 KY
Mary Johns 81? VA
Nancy Johns 50 KY

He is a farmer. His real estate is valued at $1500, and his personal estate at $1000. He can read and write, but his wife cannot.
The age kind of looks like it was 49, then changed to 79.

1860 agricultural census Allen Co KY p39
H Weatherspoon 120? acres improved, 100 acres unimproved, value $1100?, implements $15; 4 horses, 2 mules, 4 milch cows, 2 oxen, 6 other cattle, 19 sheep, 17 swine, value $600; 50 bushels wheat, 375 bushels Indian corn, 100 bushels oats, 40 lbs wool, 15 bushels Irish potatoes, 25 bushels sweet potatoes, 100 lbs butter, 50 lbs maple sugar, 5 gal molasses, manufacture $30, animals slaughtered $125

1850 census Allen Co KY p162a, twp not given
Hardy Weatherspoon 70 NC
M A E (f) 40 KY
J Holiday (m) 6 KY
M W (f) 4 KY
Peter Cornwall 19

He is a farmer. His real estate is valued at $600. He and his wife cannot read and write.

1850 agricultural census Allen Co KY p29
Hardy Weatherspoon 55 acres improved, 125 acres unimproved, value $540, implements $100; 8 horses, 3 milch cows, 2 oxen, 3 other cattle, 24 sheep, 50 swine, value $275; 1000 bushels Indian corn, 120 bushels oats, 5 lbs wool, 100 lbs butter, 10 lbs flax, 1 lb flaxseed, manufacture $30, animals slaughtered $15

1840 census Allen Co KY p71a, twp not given
H Weatherspoon 1 M <5, 1 M 15-20, 1 M 20-30, 1 M 30-40, 1 M 60-70, 1 F <5, 1 F 15-20, 1 F 20-30, 1 F 40-50, 1 F 50-60
[William 1, Marthinsey 17, John 21, Simpson 33, Hardy 59, Nancy 2, Melinda 18, Elizabeth 15?, x, x]
[Elizabeth is Simpson's wife; William and Nancy their children.]

1830 census Allen Co KY p77, twp not given (division allotted to Charles M Henderson)
Hardy Witherspoon 1 M 5-10, 1 M 10-15, 1 M 15-20, 1 M 20-30, 1 M 50-60, 1 F 5-10, 2 F 10-15, 1 F 15-20, 1 F 40-50, 1 F 50-60
[Marthinsey 7, John 11, Simeon 18, Simpson 23, Hardy 49, Melinda 8, Nancy 11, Cyrene 13, Lucy 16, x, x]

Nancy died in 1824. Who are the two older women?

1820 census Allen Co KY p122, twp not given
Hardy Weatherspoon 2 M 0-10, 1 M 10-16, 1 M 26-45, 4 F 0-10, 1 F 10-16, 2 F 26-45
[John 1, Simeon 8, Simpson 13, Hardy 39, Nancy 1, Cyrene 3, Lucy 6, Elizabeth 9, Penelope 11, Nancy 39]

They are supposed to have moved to KY about 1809, but I don't see him anywhere on the 1810 census.
I think they may have moved in 1810 instead and been in transit during the census.

1800 census Wake Co NC p771
Jesse Weatherspoon 2 M 16-26, 1 F 16-26
[He is living with his brother, who married a few days before the census.]

1790 census Wake Co NC, twp not given
William Weatherspoon 3 M 16+, 2 M 0-15, 2 F
[James Hardy is 9.]
Hinds Site: Genealogy of Ken Hinds -- page 193
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