Family Legends - Part 3

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Tradition 3: The three brothers

"The Lewellen family trace their genealogy back to three brothers, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abed­nego, who left their native country, Wales, to seek homes for them­ selves in America. They settled in Virginia and one of them was the great-grandfather of our subject [Thomas Lewellen, b. ca.1826, Tennessee]. The latter was the son of Isaac Lewellen [b. ca.1787, North Carolina] and the grandson of Jesse Lewellen, who was born in the Old Dominion but subse­ quently moved to Anson County, North Carolina."^[1]

In pursuit of tradition: 3

From the biographical sketch of Tradition 3, it would appear that the father of this Jesse Lewellen, great grandfather of Thomas of the biographical sketch, was, according to family tradition, one of three original brothers to America, but not necessarily one of the three brothers of Traditions 1 and 2.

Who was this Jesse's father? Could he have been a Meshach?

Was this Jesse perhaps a brother of the William Lewalling listed in the 1763 tax list of Anson County, North Carolina? Was this William Lewalling the same William Lewallen in the 1779 tax list of Randolph County, North Carolina, and/or theWilliam Lewelling who left a will 1798/99 in Randolph County.

What follows has been pieced together from a variety of sources.

According to the biographical sketch in this county history, Jesse₂ Lewellen, son of "an original brother₁," was born in Virginia and moved to North Carolina, where his son Isaac3 was born in 1787.

Isaac's son Thomas₄, born 1826 in Tennessee, was a farmer and merchant, serving also in several civil positions in Tennessee and Mississippi. In Tennessee he was a justice of peace. He was county supervisor and county surveyor of Tishomingo County, Mississippi, as well as justice of the peace and deputy sheriff. Isaac Lewellen married Mary Watts, whose maternal grandfather was a "Wingerly and a Revolutionary soldier." (No Revolutionary records have been located for anyone by this name. We have also searched "Wimbly," as well as other spellings, to no avail.)

Thomas4 Lewellen, son of Isaac₃ Lewellen, was identified in the biographical sketch as a farmer of Woodbury [Hill County], Texas. He married Emily Robinson and they were the parents of nine children: Roxana, who married G.
C. Martin and died in 1881; F. Alexander, a farmer in Hill County; J. R. also in Hill County; Mary, who married J. H. Howell of Knox County, Texas; Love, wife of Frank Shelton; Emma, wife of Dick Fancher; John of Hill County; Walter of Knox County, and Bertha who remained in the family home

During the Civil War, which saw him doing duty in Company A, 26th Mississippi, Thomas Lewellen₄ was captured at Fort Donelson and was held prisoner for seven months at Camp Morton, until his exchange at Vicksburg. He subsequently served in Virginia and in "all the battles of Hills Corps."

Jesse₂ Lewellen and his son Isaac₃ are no doubt the two Le­wellens by those names in the 1820 census of Anson County, North Carolina, p.39. The 1830 census finds Jesse still in Anson, while in 1840 the only Lewellen in Anson County, North Carolina, was Jacob B. Lewellen.

In the Grantee Index to Deeds of Anson County we find that deeds were granted a Jesse Lewellen on Cowpens Branch and Vicars Branch in 1795 and 1796. Later grants were made to Jesse Le­wellen (perhaps more than one Jesse) in 1814, 1816, 1817, 1820, 1823, 1825, 1830. Names that appear in the index along with the name of Jesse Lewellen in some of these business matters are William Shepherd, Sr., Joseph Shepherd, Thomas Shepherd, Calvin Lacy, Stephen Hasty, Thomas Ward, John Osbourn (Osburn), James Poe, Isaiah Watson. Dorcas Le­wellen on 7 October 1840 relinquished her dower rights on land on Shepherd Spring Branch to Jesse Lewellen.

The will of Dorcas (perhaps Shepherd) Lewellen, widow of a Jesse, was drawn 1 April 1842 in Anson County, North Carolina. We believe this Dorcas was the mother of Isaac3, and paternal grandmother of Thomas₄ of this sketch. Listed in her will were the following children-sons: Alfred, Isaac, Jesse, Amon, Ellis, William and grandsons Jesse B. and Benjamin F. Lewellen; and daugh­ ters: Elizabeth Bennett, Sally Lewellen, Jemina Bivins and Mary Hough. The will was witnessed by Daniel Watts, Frederick Threatt, and Richmond Mc Sheppard. (Perhaps Daniel Watts was related to Mary Watts, who married Isaac₃ Lewellen, parents of Thomas₄ of the sketch.)

In the 1850 census of Tishamingo County, Mississippi, we find in household 1035, Tho­mas Lewallen, age 24, farmer, born Tennessee, with Emily, age 20, born Alabama, and Roxana, age 1, born Mississippi. In the next household (1036) is Jesse S. Lewallen, age 28, tanner, born North Carolina, with Rebecca, age 25 (?wife?), born Tennessee, Mary, age 4; Thomas, age 4; William, age 2; and Martha, age 6 months (all children born in Mississippi). It would appear that Thomas is the Thomas of the biographical sketch, and Jesse S. Lewallen perhaps his brother.

A search of the deeds listed above might reveal the father of Jesse₂ Lewellen and/or the father of Dorcas. It is our hope that a Llewellyn-Flewellen researcher will accept the challenge of this Lewellen line.

Read Part 4

Source: Llewellyn Traces, Vol. 1, No. 3 September 1989