52 Ancestors: #48 - Peter WYANT

Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small has issued a challenge:  write one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor.  It can be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem – anything that focuses on one ancestor.

My 4X great grandfather Peter WYANT certainly had an interesting introduction to life in the colony of Virginia.  He was born around 1763 in Germany and came to the British colonies as a Hessian soldier.  The Hessians, so named for the Hesse region in Germany, were hired by the British to fight against the colonists in their war for independence. 

Peter was captured after the Battle of Saratoga, but he managed to escape from the American guards in February of 1781 when the prisoners were being marched from their prison barracks near Charlottesville to the Shenandoah Valley.  Some family stories also say that he had changed his way of thinking and actually sided with the Americans.  At any rate, he managed to settle safely in Albemarle County where he married Mary BURRAS. 

Peter and Mary began their rather large family in Albemarle, but later they moved into nearby Rockingham County in an area known as Beldor.  This community sits just below the Skyline Drive. 

from Google Maps

Satellite view of Beldor Road

Wyant house is the structure in the middle of the image in the deep curve.  The house is no longer standing.  The spring house is the small grey structure in the lower center, below the house. 

The Wyant homeplace stood as late as October of 2013 when it burned to the ground.  However, the springhouse still stands.  During recent renovations, names and dates from the 1700s were found on the inside logs.

Wyant springhouse
photo courtesy of Jan Hensley

While “Wyant” is the spelling my line uses, there are numerous variations including a similar “Wiant” and “Wynant” as well as more German spellings including Weigandt, Weigant, Weyhant, Weygant, and Weiggert.

THREE GENERATIONS:

Peter WYANT ( 1763 Germany – Nov 1838 Rockingham Co, VA ) & Mary BURRAS ( 1767 Germany – About 1840 Rockingham Co, VA ) 1782 Albemarle Co, VA

1. Catherine WYANT ( 1785 Albemarle Co, VA – 1839 ) & David CONLEY (1781 Rockingham Co, VA – 1812 Rockingham Co, VA )  20 Mar 1804 Albemarle Co, VA

2. Elizabeth WYANT ( 1787 Albemarle Co, VA  – 27 Nov 1872 Walkers Creek, Giles, VA ) & John MEADOWS  (1775 – 1848 Giles Co, VA )  18 Mar 1806 Albemarle Co, VA

3. Susannah WYANT ( 1789 Albemarle Co, VA – 1870 Greene Co, VA ) & Thomas SHIFFLETT (1784 – 01 Feb 1881 Greene Co, VA )  13 Feb 1807 Rockingham Co, VA

4. Mary WYANT ( 1790 Albemarle Co, VA – 01 Nov 1839 Rockingham Co, VA ) & James MEADOWS (1786 Rockingham Co, VA – 1844 Rockingham Co, VA )  22 Jun 1809 Albemarle Co, VA

5. JOHN WYANT ( 02 Feb 1795 Albemarle Co, VA – 04 Jan 1880 Rockingham Co, VA ) & Elizabeth Moyer BAUGHER  (12 Sep 1795 Rockingham Co, VA – 03 Apr 1878 Rockingham Co, VA ) 11 Mar 1818 Rockingham Co, VA

6. Peter Burras WYANT ( 31 May 1796 Albemarle Co, VA – 28 Oct 1886 Talcott, Summers, WV ) & Sarah “Sallie” MEADOWS (13 Jul 1805 Monroe Co, VA – 22 Jan 1881 Summers, WV )  25 May 1821 Monroe Co, VA now WV

7. Frederick WYANT ( 1797 Albemarle Co, VA – 1875 Rockingham Co, VA ) & Elizabeth BURNS (1810 – 23 Sep 1868 Rockingham Co, VA )   01 Apr 1838

8. Frances “Fannie” WYANT ( 1799 Albemarle Co, VA – After 1880 ) & Leonard DAVIS JR.  (1795 Albemarle Co, VA – Before 1840 Rockingham Co, VA  ) 21 Mar 1820 Orange, VA

• Mitchell DAVIS ( 4 Sep 1820 Rockingham Co, VA - 22 Apr 1892 Rockingham Co, VA ) & Martha Ann WILLSON (10 Jun 1832 Rockbridge Co, VA - 1 Dec 1905 Rockingham Co, VA )24 Aug 1846 Rockbridge, Virginia
• William Franklin DAVIS ( 1822 Rockingham Co, VA - 1905 Rockingham Co, VA ) & Ardena J. WYANT ( 1828 Virginia – 1890 Virginia) 23 Dec 1844 Albemarle, VA
• Elijah DAVIS ( Dec 1825 Rockingham Co, VA - After 1900 ) & Barbara Ann SHIFLETT ( June 1827 - )
• Mary Ann DAVIS ( 1828 Rockingham Co, VA - After 1900 ) & Joseph WOOD ( 1836 Rockingham Co, VA – 1870 Rockingham Co, VA)  27 Sep 1858 Rockingham Co, VA ; common law wife to George HERRING
• Rebecca Ann DAVIS  (1833 Greene Co, VA -  15 Aug 1922 in Yancy, VA) & James K. CRAWFORD (22 Jan 1845 – 7 Sep 1921 Yancy, VA) 7 Feb 1878 Rockingham Co, VA
• Sarah F. DAVIS ( Feb 1834 Rockingham Co, VA -  2 Feb 1913 Rockingham Co, VA)

9. William WYANT ( 10 Jul 1800 Rockingham Co, VA – 03 Aug 1897 Rockingham Co, VA )

10. Nancy WYANT ( 1802 Rockingham Co, VA – 27 Nov 1872 Monroe, WV ) & Timothy CONNELL (1802 – 1864 )  07 Mar 1822 Rockingham Co, VA

11. Millie WYANT ( 02 May 1803 Rockingham Co, VA – 29 Apr 1880 Rockingham Co, VA ) & Edmund SHIFLETT  (05 May 1798 Rockingham Co, VA – About 1850 Rockingham Co, VA ) 13 Sep 1822 Rockingham Co, VA

12. David WYANT ( 20 Sep 1805 Rockingham Co, VA – 14 Jul 1882 Rockingham Co, VA ) & Elizabeth LAWSON (20 Jun 1805 Rockingham Co, VA – 06 Feb 1890 Rockingham Co, VA )  05 Dec 1826 Rockingham Co, VA

13. Ann WYANT ( 1806 Rockingham Co, VA – 01 Apr 1862 Upshur, WV ) & Obediah CRAWFORD (1806 Rockingham Co, VA – 10 Dec 1877 Upshur , WV )  16 Jun 1825 Rockingham Co, VA

SOURCE:

Moore, Robert. "A Family's Historical Memory... of a Hessian Ancestor."Cenantuas Blog. N.p., 31 Aug. 2008. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. <https://cenantua.wordpress.com/2008/08/31/a-familys-historical-memory-of-a-hessian-ancestor/>.

© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

52 Ancestors: #20 - Leonard DAVIS Jr. and Frances Wyant

Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small has issued a challenge:  write one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor.  It can be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem – anything that focuses on one ancestor.

I know very little about the childhood of my third great-grandfather, Leonard Davis Jr.  But once he married Frances Wyant, daughter of Peter and Mary Burras Wyant, he is easy to study.  

Leonard Jr. was born about 1795, most likely in Albemarle County, Virginia, but he lived most of his life in Rockingham County.  Specifically he lived in the Beldor community located just off what is today the Skyline Drive.

 

Beldor in Rockingham County, Virginia

He was enumerated under his own name for the first time in 1820, the same year he married Frances Wyant.  It was just the two of them, both between ages 16-25.  Leonard was a farmer.

In 1830, the household consisted of 13 people, but I can account for only half of them.  It appears that another family was there too, perhaps a sister or brother of Leonard or of Frances. 

1830 Rockingham County, VA
MALES		Best Guess
5-9	2	Elijah, William
10-14	2	Mitchell, Unknown
15-19	1	Unknown
30-39	1	Leonard Jr.
70-79	1	Leonard Sr.
FEMALES
Under 5	2	Mary Ann, Unknown
5-9	2	2 Unknowns
20-29	2	Frances, Unknown

By 1840, Leonard Jr. must have died as Frances is listed as head of household.

1840 Rockingham County, VA
MALES		Best Guess
10-14	1	Elijah
15-19	2	William, Mitchell
FEMALES
5-9	3	Mary Ann, Rebecca, Sarah
40-49	1	Frances

In every census after that until 1880, Frances was enumerated as head of household, usually with her daughters still living with her.  Here are some highlights of the census records:

1850 – Frances and her oldest daughter Mary Ann could not read or write; daughters Rebecca and Sarah had attended school during the year.

1860 – Frances’s personal property was valued at $45.

1870 – Frances’s personal property was valued at $100; could not read or write; daughter Sarah could read but not write

1880 – Frances, age 80, was living with her unmarried daughter Sarah and granddaughter Julia.

Frances had no visible means of support; however, she always lived close to a brother, some cousins, and her son Mitchell.  I wonder if family helped financially. 

Three Generations:

Leonard DAVIS JR. ( About 1795 - Before 1840 ) & Frances Fannie WYANT  ( 1799 – After 1880 ) 21 Mar 1820 Orange, Virginia

1. Mitchell DAVIS ( 4 Sep 1820 Rockingham Co, VA - 22 Apr 1892 Rockingham Co, VA ) & Martha Ann WILLSON (10 Jun 1832 Rockbridge Co, VA - 1 Dec 1905 Rockingham Co, VA ) 24 Aug 1846 Rockbridge, Virginia 

• Zedekiah DAVIS ( 14 Sep 1847 Rockingham Co, VA - 11 Jul 1863 Rockingham Co, VA )
• Ann C. DAVIS ( 02 Sep 1849 Rockingham Co, VA  - 15 Jul 1863 Rockingham Co, VA )
• Zephaniah Leonard DAVIS ( 28 Mar 1851 Rockingham Co, VA -  10 Jan 1929 in Louisa Co, VA ) & m1) Anne E. BELLOMY (April 1850 – 1903) 1874 ; & m2) Mary Frances CRAWFORD 1905
• Jerusha L. DAVIS (05 Mar 1853 Rockingham Co, VA - 28 Jun 1863 Rockingham Co, VA )
• Malvina O. DAVIS ( 25 Sep 1854 Rockingham Co, VA - 31 Dec 1925 ) & Grattan MCDANIEL (1857 –  Before 1910 )  08 Oct 1876
• Josiah P. DAVIS ( 29 Jun 1856 Rockingham Co, VA - 28 Aug 1924 Martinsburg, Berkeley, West VA ) & Elizabeth Frances POWELL ( 25 Aug 1860 – 8 May 1944 Martinsburg, Berkeley, West VA )  30 Nov 1879 Rockingham Co, VA
• Amaziah Nathaniel DAVIS  ( 20 Feb 1858 Rockingham Co, VA - 22 Feb 1934 ) & Ann C. UNKNOWN  (1844 - ) 20 Nov 1879
• Helena Hester DAVIS  ( 22 May 1860 Rockingham Co, VA - )  
• Martha E. DAVIS ( 13 Oct 1861 Rockingham Co, VA  - 16 Mar 1928 ) & William H. WYANT (1856 - ) 1881
• Zibiah Saloma DAVIS ( 19 Aug 1864 Rockingham Co, VA  - 07 Oct 1936 ) & John Lewis MARSHALL  (17 Sep 1863 – 28 Feb 1943 ) 17 May 1891
• Walter Beriah Sylvester DAVIS  ( 12 Sep 1867 Rockingham Co, VA - 31 Oct 1934 Page Co, VA ) & Mary Frances JOLLETT ( 10 Jan 1870 Greene Co, VA – 22 Feb 1950 Harrisonburg, VA ) 11 Feb 1890 Greene Co, VA
• Ida Mary DAVIS ( 25 Jun 1869 Rockingham Co, VA - ) & William Layton MORRIS ( 1874 Greene Co, VA – 3 Feb 1895 ) 12 Dec 1890
• Lorenza Ridell DAVIS ( 02 Sep 1871 Rockingham Co, VA - 11 Aug 1947 ) & Chillis Ann SHIFLETT  (29 Dec 1872 Greene Co, VA - ) 22 Aug 1892 Greene Co, VA
• Justina Ruthella Frances DAVIS ( 08 Jun 1875 Rockingham Co, VA - 02 Oct 1936 ) & m1) William H. BRUCE (3 Nov 1883 – 13 Aug 1962 ) 12 Jan 1906 ; & m2) Unknown WITTIG
• Minnie B. DAVIS ( 1877 Rockingham Co, VA - ) & Unknown LAYMON 

2. William Franklin DAVIS ( 1822 Rockingham Co, VA - 1905 Rockingham Co, VA ) & Ardena J. WYANT ( 1828 Virginia – 1890 Virginia) 23 Dec 1844 Albemarle, VA 

• Alexander Hezekiah DAVIS  ( 01 Sep 1845 Rockingham Co, VA - 15 Dec 1914 Earlysville, Albemarle County, VA ) & Mary Jane LONG ( 10 Feb 1852 Greene Co, VA – 11 Apr 1917 Albemarle Co, VA  ) 12 Mar 1868
• John DAVIS ( 1849 Rockingham Co, VA - )
• Elizabeth DAVIS ( 1853 Rockingham Co, VA - 10 Feb 1918 Greene Co, VA ) & Zebedee MARSHALL (01 Sep 1851 - 05 Jun 1933 Greene Co, VA )
• Aaron P. DAVIS ( 28 Oct 1854 Rockingham Co, VA - 08 May 1927 Rockingham Co, VA ) & Mary Ann POWELL (Sep 1853 - 08 Nov 1925 Rockingham Co, VA )
• Robert Edgar DAVIS ( Nov 1855 Rockingham Co, VA – 1938 ) & Catherine HITT  ( Apr 1857 - )
• David Conrad DAVIS ( 1859 Rockingham Co, VA – 1939 ) & Julia Ann WYANT ( May 1861 - ) 25 Mar 1877

3. Elijah DAVIS ( Dec 1825 Rockingham Co, VA - After 1900 ) & Barbara Ann SHIFLETT ( June 1827 - )

•  Mary Jane DAVIS  (1847 Rockingham Co, VA - ) & Abner Ebb LAWSON (22 Apr 1849 – 19 Mar 1910) 27 Jun 1869 in Rockingham Co, VA
• Samuel Sampson DAVIS (1849 - ) & Martha EATON ( 1857 - )

4. Mary Ann DAVIS ( 1828 Rockingham Co, VA - After 1900 ) & Joseph WOOD ( 1836 Rockingham Co, VA – 1870 Rockingham Co, VA)  27 Sep 1858 Rockingham Co, VA ; common law wife to George HERRING

• Charles Henry DAVIS ( 04 Nov 1851 Rockingham Co, VA - 24 Dec 1939 ) & Columbia Jane SHIFLETT (13 Aug 1855 - 14 Jan 1906 )  19 Oct 1874 Rockingham Co, VA
• Joseph Franklin WOOD ( Dec 1858 Rockingham Co, VA - )  & m1) Louisa C. SHIFLETT (1868 - ) ; & m2) Flora Belle SHIFFLETT 02 Sep 1906
• Andrew Jackson DAVIS ( 1859 Rockingham Co, VA - ) & Julia Ann LAWSON
• Virginia Ann Ginnie WOOD ( 04 Mar 1865 Rockingham Co, VA - 18 Feb 1920 Rockingham Co, VA ) & George Minor SHIFLETT ( 17 Jun 1861 – 17 Feb 1935 ) 04 Mar 1881 Rockingham Co, VA
• Mary Jane Skrimp WOOD ( 03 May 1867 Rockingham Co, VA - 01 Oct 1948 Rockingham Co, VA)  & Charles Henry MARSHALL 21 Feb 1886 Rockingham Co, VA 

5. Rebecca Ann DAVIS  (1833 Greene Co, VA -  15 Aug 1922 in Yancy, VA) & James K. CRAWFORD (22 Jan 1845 – 7 Sep 1921 Yancy, VA) 7 Feb 1878 Rockingham Co, VA

• Sallie CRAWFORD ( Jun 1857 Rockingham Co, VA - )
• Alexander Thomas Buzz CRAWFORD ( 1867 Rockingham Co, VA  - 1944 ) Clarinda Clay LAWSON ( 1873 – 16 Feb 1933 ) 25 Jan 1891 Rockingham Co, VA
• Virginia Fanny CRAWFORD  (1867 Rockingham Co, VA – 1935 ) Charles MOWBRAY ( 1869 – 1935 ) 03 Aug 1893 Rockingham Co, VA
• Mary Columbia Mollie CRAWFORD  (1871 Rockingham Co, VA  - 1947 ) & Thomas Tommy CRAWFORD ( 1873 - ) 1896
• Annie Rebecca CRAWFORD ( May 1873 Rockingham Co, VA - ) & George Franklin SHIFLETT ( Jan 1873 - ) 12 Oct 1892 Rockingham Co, VA
• James  H. CRAWFORD ( 16 Mar 1874 Rockingham Co, VA - ) & Annie L. MORRIS ( 20 Sep 1876 – 3 Apr 1964 ) 30 Mar 1894 Rockingham Co, VA
• Minnie CRAWFORD ( 1878 Rockingham Co, VA - 25 Oct 1947 ) & George W. LAM ( 1870 – 1941 )

6. Sarah F. DAVIS ( Feb 1834 Rockingham Co, VA -  2 Feb 1913 Rockingham Co, VA)

• Julia Ann DAVIS ( 02 Aug 1865 Rockingham Co, VA -  16 Dec 1941 Rockingham Co, VA )  & Samuel Gabriel EATON ( 19 Sep 1859 – May 1942 ) 21 Sep 1880 in Rockingham Co, VA ; maybe common-law wife of George Shields LAWSON

© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.