Lewallen/Lewelling/Leuallen & Sessions
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Feb 20, 2013
Several Session family members have had the following matches turn up in their Family Finder results: Elizabeth Lewelling, born abt 1824 in Sevier Co, Tn; Charles P. Leuallen, born 1884 in Preoria, IL (descends from Samuel Lewelling, VA); Frances Lewelling, born abt 1716 in VA. Has anyone come upon a Sessions in your research? Also, there are LOTS of Sessions who trace their lineage back to Georgia. I know we have a branch of Llewellyns in GA. Does the name Sessions ring a bell? Mathew and Zachariah Lewallen descendants match 67 markers with Sessions.
Billie Harris - Feb 21, 2013
Darlene, I've noticed the Session DNA connection, too. So far, I haven't contacted the one who did the DNA test to find out about his ancestors. I'm going to be busy for the next couple of days so if you could e-mail him and ask, maybe we could work on finding a connection.
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Feb 21, 2013
Billie, I am in contact with all the Sessions matches. In fact, I spend a lot of time on the Sessions Cousins DNA Facebook page. We are all looking for our common ancestor. At least one of us tries to trace all leads. ALL of us have tried to make contact with Walter Cleveland Davis III who matches 67 markers, but other than his first inquiry to me, he does not respond. I, too, wish we had someone from the Alexander Lewelling/Lewallen line who would test. A 4th great granddaughter matched as a distant cousin to one of the Sessions. Of course, they could have matched on a totally different line. I would be glad to relay any questions that you might have for them.
Billie Harris - Apr 7, 2013
Darlene, can you tell us a little about the Sessions - where they lived and when.
I'm sure you know all of this since you've been in contact with the Sessions, but there was a Lewellin Sessions who was in the Florida War in 1835, G. W. Smith's Company. It would appear he was born 1817/18 in Georgia. His first son was born in Florida 1838 and he had a son also named Lewellin born Florida 1838. So my question is, could Lewellin Sessions have been a Lewellin and adopted by a Sessions?
I've gone through what we have for Georgia around 1820 and, of course, can't find anything because I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. I did note from Ancestry that there were a lot of Sessions living in South Carolina though so maybe that's where the family lived before moving to Georgia ? ? ? Just a thought.
Billie Harris - Apr 8, 2013
Still looking at the Lewellin Sessions born ca 1817/18. According to a family tree on the internet, he was the son of George Sessions born July 27, 1778 South Carolina, and Elizabeth Cornelia Robison. They were married 1804 Washington County, Georgia. His wife was born around 1850 and the 1850 census in Leon County, Florida showed sons John S. 24 and Romeo 21. George Sessions died in Florida Feb. 18, 1854. It could be Lewellen wasn't an adopted child at all but named after someone in the family or a relative.
Do you know if anyone from this line did a DNA?
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Apr 8, 2013
My Sessions "cousins" were equally surprised when we found Lewellin Sessions. They don't know how he connects to their trees. I suspect that Lewellin (Llewellyn) was probably a family name. I searched but did not find anything.
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Apr 8, 2013
The Sessions that my cousin Paul's DNA matches 67/67 and 66/67 share a common ancestor named Erasmus Sessions who was born abt 1820 in Alabama. We also match to another Sessions line that can trace their lineage back to a Joseph Sessions in the 1700s in Georgia (I think, it might have been SC). All of these lines match through DNA, but we can't find how. Keep in mind that Carl Lewallen's DNA also matches (and then there are all those pesky Davises). No one has been able to find Erasmus' parents or siblings (much like my Matthew). Erasmus does have a direct connection to Scott County, TN where Matthew & Zachariah and so many other Lewallens were. He served with Confederates from Alabama during the Civil War and fought in the Battle of Huntsville in Scott County. In fact, he spent several months in Huntsville recovering from some kind of illness. At some point he rejoined his regiment and died from disease later in the War. The question remains...who cared for him in Scott County? I think it is doubtful that the Confederates left a military hospital. Was he left in the care of Lewallen relatives? My Matthew was no longer living, but Zachariah was still there. Could they have been cousins or even distant relatives? We don't know. After the war Zachariah moved his family to Texas where he is buried not too far from where I lived for 6 years.
To muddy the waters even more, today one of the Sessions found a distant relative match who has Lewellens in his tree. This person traces his Lewellens back to Daniel Lewelling in VA. I KNOW I have seen that name of this site. I just got this info a few minutes ago so I haven't been able to pursue it. And I have a special lesson to get ready for my 2nd graders tonight so I may have to put it off until tomorrow night. Pooey!!
Billie Harris - Apr 9, 2013
Darlene, the only caution I would give is with the tracing of ancestors back to Daniel in Virginia unless it was a later Daniel, but this one didn't leave descendants apparently.
[NOTE: broken link]
Billie Harris - Apr 9, 2013
Here's some information I just found on Erasmus Sessions in Marengo County, Alabama. The first Erasmus appears to possibly have been the son of William Varner Sessions and it would seem Varner might have been a family name. I doubt any of this helps and it's already all known, but Erasmus (the father of Jr and son of William Varner) has a picture on Ancestry and most of the information came from a newspaper article which came from a family bible.
MARENGO COUNTY
Formed 1818 Choctaw Session
The Sessions are showsn as early pioneers of Marengo County.
1840 - Census shows Charles Lewellyn
1843 - Erasmus Sessions married Susan Stegall July 2. It shows him as T.W.E.K. Sessions when he married. (Erasmus is said to have been the son of William Varner Sessions born ca 1789 who's found 1830 in Loundes County, Alabama.)
1846 - Martha Sessions born April 22 and died Oct. 23, 1846
1848 - Frederick Erasmus Sessions born April 6, 1848 and died Feb. 13, 1850
1849 - William Varner Sessions born Dec. 18, 1849 and died April 1852
1850 - Census shows Erasmus Sessions born ca 1820 Georgia, wife Susan 22, William V. age 0. Living nearby was the Griffin Stegall family. Griffin was born 1790 Virginia (probably Susan's family.) Susan was born 1827
Also in the county was a John V. Sessions, two years older than Erasmus (according to newspaper article. This John was a native of Alabama and moved before 1860...maybe the middle initial stood for Varner?...bh)
1851 - Charles Sessions born apr. 3 and died April 7, 1852
1853 - April 10 Erasmus Sessions Jr. born. He married Granada Jordan, moved to Texas and had children Thomas and Susie. He died 1912
1855 - James Augustus Sessions was born March 17. He married (1) Annie Johnson and (2) Mrs. S.A. Morgan.
1856 - Samuel Sessions was born May 7. He married Miss R. E. Jordan and died 1919
1858 - Ralph Sessions was born Nov. 2. He married Cestia Morgan
1860 - Benjamin V. Sessions was born Oct. 2, 1860. He married Lizzie L. Morgan.
1860 - Census shows E. E. Sessions born 1821 Georgia, wife Susan, children Erasmus 7 (1853), James A 5, Sami 4, Ralph 1
1860 - Erasmus Sessions enlisted in the 43rd Infantry. His wife, Susan, widow, applied for his confederate pension May 29, 1893.
1862 - Frederick Sessions was born Oct. 2.
1864 - or 1865Erasmus Sessions was wounded in service and died on his way home of pneumonia. He's buried at Half Chance.
1870 - Census shows Susan Sessions age 42, with Erasmus 17 (1853), James 15, Samuel 13, Ralph 11, Ben 9, Frederick 7. (Erasmus was living in Newton County, Texas 1900; the census there shows his father and mother born Georgia.)
1902 - Susan Sessions died and is buried at Camp Grounds Cemetery
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Apr 9, 2013
There is no documented proof that William Varner Sessions is Erasmus' father. Now that the Sessions have DNA proof that they tie in with two other lines, it appears that there are other possibilities. Btw, today they found another Llewelling in one of the Sessions trees. We are getting closer.
Billie Harris - Apr 10, 2013
Maybe no proof that William Varner Sessions is Erasmus' father, but Erasmus named a son William Varner Sessions so it would seem there's a connection somewhere.
And good news about finding another Lewelling in there.
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Apr 13, 2013
One of the Sessions lines shows Andrew Leutian "Shade" Lewallen as a 4th cousin! Of course, Andrew's wife was Malinda DAVIS. We are getting closer to solving our Lewallen/Davis/Sessions mystery.