Fielding Sexton married a Lewallen, Scott County, TN
Billie Harris - Apr 15, 2011
While Fielding Sexton married a Lewallen in Scott County, I also see other surnames on here that we've found connected to the Lewallens such as Hatfield.
A question came to my mind. Is it possible a Hatfield married a Lewallen who died and she then married a Sexton? We do know Rachel Lewelling, daughter of Shadrach married Jonas Hatfield but that wouldn't give us the Lewallen DNA. There are other names on here that I've come across - Wallace, Griffith.
Carol, I can't seem to find how your line went. Could you refresh my memory, after tax time is over that is?
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[NOTE: broken link]
WILLIAM SEXTON
William SEXTON, the son of Timothy and Esther (SISEL) SEXTON, Sr., was born about 1786 in York District, South Carolina and died on 10 Sep 1854 in Scott Co., TN, according to his War of 1812 pension. He married Rhoda GRIFFITH (b. 1800 in VA-d. 1877 in Scott Co., TN), the daughter of Joseph and Phoebe (HUDSON) GRIFFITH. William and Rhoda had ten children, all of whom are proven. In an affidavit in the War of 1812 pension of William SEXTON, written in 1871, Rhoda GRIFFITH SEXTON stated that their children were "Sarah whose birth was January 1st, 1817 this is the oldest child, then Rebecca, Pegee [Margaret], Barton, Manda, Lucy Ann, Hiram, Solomon, Rite [Wright], Feelin [Fieldin] all of whom is still living except Rebecca, Manda, Hiram the last named died a soldier in the late War of 1861 & 2" The only birth date given is of Sarah. The dates for the other children come from census records.
Sarah SEXTON:
Sarah SEXTON was born on 1 Jan 1817 and married William W. PHILLIPS. She was appointed the administrator of her mother's estate in 1877 in Scott Co., TN. She is listed as an heir of William and Rhoda SEXTON in Scott County, TN Deed Book C, page 98.
Rebecca SEXTON:
Rebecca SEXTON was born in 1819 and married Elswick THOMPSON. They only had one daughter, Rhoda Ann, who married James ASHER. Rhoda Ann and James ASHER sold their interest in the estate of William and Rhoda SEXTON in Deed Book 54, page 50.
Margaret (Peggy) SEXTON:
Margaret (Peggy) SEXTON was born in 1822 and married Fountain SEXTON, the son of Moses and Leander (HATFIELD) SEXTON. The death certificate of Julia Ann SEXTON THOMPSON lists her parents as Fount SEXTON and Peggie SEXTON. Also when Margaret and Fountain SEXTON were divorced in 1875, Margaret SEXTON was not restored to her maiden name. Of course, if Margaret SEXTON was a SEXTON before she was married, then there would be no reason to restore her to her maiden name. Their divorce is recorded in Scott County Chancery Minutes, 24 Nov 1875, pages 420, 422, 446 and 447.
Bartholomew (Barton) SEXTON:
Bartholomew (Barton) SEXTON was born in 1824. He married Martha (Patsy) Margaret THOMPSON
Amanda (Manda) SEXTON:
Amanda SEXTON was born in 1826 and she married Isaac WALLACE. Although there is no marriage record for Amanda and Isaac WALLACE, in the book, The Wallace Family, by J.K.P. WALLACE, it states that Isaac WALLACE married a SEXTON. Isaac and Amanda appear on the 1850 Anderson County, TN Census.
Lucy Ann SEXTON:
Lucy Ann SEXTON was born in 1828 and married Armstead H. GRIFFITH. In Scott County Deed Book 54, page 50. the children of Lucy Ann and Armstead H. GRIFFITH sold their interest in the estate of William and Rhoda SEXTON.
Hiram SEXTON:
Hiram SEXTON was born in 1830 and was a twin to Solomon. He died during the Civil War. He married Sophia GRIFFITH. In Scott County Deed Book 54, page 50, his two children, Solomon SEXTON and Arlena BROWN, sold their interest in the estate of William and Rhoda SEXTON.
Solomon SEXTON:
Solomon SEXTON was born in 1830 and was a twin to Hiram. He married first to Nancy RICH and second to Angeline GODDARD. In Scott County Deed Book 54, page 51, the children of Solomon SEXTON sold their interest in the estate of William and Rhoda SEXTON.
Wright SEXTON:
Wright SEXTON was born in 1838 and married Rachel FOSTER-WALLACE. He sold his interest in the estate of William and Rhoda SEXTON in Scott County Deed Book 34, page 589.
Fieldin (Feelin) SEXTON:
Fieldin SEXTON was born in 1840. His first wife was a LEWALLEN. His second wife was Mary Ann STEWARD and his third wife was Nancy Victoria WRIGHT (HULL).
All of the children and William and Rhoda SEXTON sold their interest in their parent's estate, except, Sarah, Margaret, and Fieldin. It is not known why there is no record of them selling their share of their parents' estate.
WILLIAM SEXTON
William SEXTON, the son of Timothy and Esther (SISEL) SEXTON, Sr., was born about 1786 in York District, South Carolina. He married 2 Feb 1815 in Anderson (now Scott) Co., TN, Rhoda GRIFFITH, the daughter of Joseph and Phoebe (HUDSON) GRIFFITH. William served in the War of 1812 in Captain James Tunnell's Company. He died on 10 Sep 1854 in Scott Co., TN. William and Rhoda had 10 children:
Sarah SEXTON (b. 1 Jan 1817 in Morgan (now Scott) Co., TN-d. after 1880) md William W. PHILLIPS
Rebecca SEXTON (b. 1819 in Morgan (now Scott) Co., TN-d. before 1850) md Elswick THOMPSON
Margaret "Peggy" SEXTON (b. 1822 in Morgan (now Scott) Co., TN-d. 1884 in Scott Co., TN) md Fountain SEXTON
Barton (Bartholomew) SEXTON (b. Apr 1824 in Morgan (now Scott) Co., TN-d. 1900-10 in Scott Co., TN) md Martha Margaret THOMPSON
Amanda SEXTON (b. 1826 in Morgan (now Scott) Co., TN-d. 1850-52 in Anderson Co., TN) md Isaac WALLACE
Lucy Ann SEXTON (b. 1828 in Morgan (now Scott) Co., TN-d. between 1880 and 1900 in Scott Co., TN) md Armstead H. GRIFFITH
Hiram SEXTON (twin to Hiram) (b. 1830 in Morgan (now Scott) Co. TN-d. 16 Feb 1864 in Belle Island Confederate Prison, Richmond, VA) md Sophia GRIFFITH
Solomon SEXTON (twin to Solomon) (b. 1830 in Morgan (now Scott) Co., TN-d. 1900-10 in Scott Co., TN) md 1st, Nancy RICH; 2nd, Angeline GODDARD
Wright SEXTON (b. 1838 in Morgan (now Scott) Co.,TN-d. 28 Jul 1921 in Scott Co., TN) md Rachel WALLACE
Fielding (Feelin) SEXTON (b. 1840 in Morgan (now Scott) Co., TN-d. after 1910) md 1st a LEWALLEN; 2nd, Mary Ann STEWART; 3rd, Nancy Victoria WRIGHT (HULL)
Copyright, 1992, Robert L. Bailey. All Rights Reserved.
Carol Redd - Apr 16, 2011
Billie
Thanks for posting this work of Robert Bailey, Roane Co, TN Historian. He was being polite when he said Fielding Sexton first md Lewallen. There is no marriage record for such a marriage. He was just repeating something he'd learned from "family stories". Wm. Sexton and Rhoda Griffith were Fielding's parents. The dna proves they were not John Preston Sexton's biological grandparents, though. Still, I'm sure he most likely considered them the only grandparents he ever knew.
Billie Harris - Apr 16, 2011
Carol, I posted it because I have a way of losing things here on my desk when I print it out. I knew there was no marriage record of Fielding with a Lewallen but didn't know that the DNA of his parents proved there was no Lewallen there. I can't find any Lewallens living near them. The census records show a lot of Sextons and Griffiths nearby, but no Lewallens. It makes me wonder if maybe a female Sexton cousin or a neighbor might have got pregnant by a Lewallen and he raised the child. Regardless, it's nice to know there were men that young and that nice to raise a child as though it was his own. You should be proud to call him an ancestor, even if not biological.
Carol Redd - Apr 16, 2011
Billie
We all have trouble keeping track of all these many facts. I'm amazed and impressed with how many facts you pull out for all of us!
The DNA results prove that John Preston Sexton, raised by Fielding Sexton from infancy, was fathered by a Lewallen. In the 1860 Morgan Co, TN census, Wm Lewallen and wife, Nancy, with their children were living a few households away from Mary Ann Stewart. Wm. & Nancy's son, John Lewallen and Mirah (Shannon) Lewallen were living next door. Since John and Mirah were not married until Dec 1859, and I believe whole-heartedly that Mary Ann Stewart was John Preston's mother, it only seems logical to conclude that John Lewallen was likely as anyone to be the father.
If this is the case, Mary Ann would have been only 16 or 17 when she conceived John Preston, nearly 2 years before John Lewallen md Mirah Shannon. The Sextons and the Lewallens lived in the 19th Subdivision of Morgan Co, in 1850 census. By the 1860 census, Fielding was listed in his mother's household in Huntsville, Scott Co, TN. I'm not sure of where the Morgan/Scott Co lines are drawn, so it's very possible they were just over the county line, but still close neighbors of the Lewallens and Mary Ann Stewart.
Before I did the dna test, I just figured that was a family story to save them the embarrassment that Fielding was really the father. DNA doesn't lie, though. And, since he went on to later marry Mary Ann, it's very possibly a case of true love and he'd have done anything for her - including raising a baby she couldn't manage. Who knows.... sounds good, though. PURELY speculation as to who his mother or his father was.
Billie Harris - Apr 16, 2011
It sounds like it could very well be the case. Often we don't find anything in writing to document our genealogies nor even paper trail, but logic has to step in at a point, and that sounds very logical to me. It sounds as though you've found the answer.
I still say Fielding was a pretty nice guy. Not many would do that.