Early Fayette Settlers, Part 1

Is your ancestor here?

I think I got the pages mixed up and skipped some people, but I will come back to them on the second go-round. I am just trying to survey the Findagrave entries. I know they often lack documentation and further research is needed, but I love having the ability to immediately locate the cemetery using Findagrave’s maps.

1. William Franklin Champe (1680-1741) died in an area now in Fayette County and was buried in Montgomery, (West) Virginia, in Montgomery Bridge Cemetery. No other information provided.

2. Thomas Thornburg, Sr. (1730-1789) died in Berkeley County, West Virginia, but he is buried in Shepard Cemetery in Fayette County. The cemetery appears to be in an extremely isolated and possibly inaccessible location. His wife Sarah Shepherd Thornburg (1736-1780) is also buried in Shepard Cemetery. According to information on Findagrave, these are the only people buried in that cemetery. Her parents are listed as Thomas and Elizabeth VanMeter Thornburg. Note the inconsistency in the spelling of Shepherd.

3. Daniel Huddleston (1736-1817) is buried in the John Paddy Huddleston Cemetery in Falls View, Fayette County. His wife, Rachel Martin Huddleston (1739-18331) is buried in the same place. Three children are mentioned and there is some biographical information.

4. John Jenkins (1750-1832) is buried at the Wilson Cemetery in Fayetteville. His wife, Mary Elizabeth Huddleston Jenkins is also buried there. Five children are named.

5. Oddly, there is another John Jenkins (1755-1830) buried in Jenkins Cemetery in Beckwith. There is a little biographical information but no mention of other family members. However, there is an unlinked page for Jane McGeorge Jenkins (1760-1846), his wife, who was buried in the same cemetery as her husband. Someone probably needs to connect these two entries.

6. William Edward Johnson (1755-1805) is buried at the Johnson Cemetery in Swiss, Nicholas County, West Virginia. His wife Amy Nelson Johnson (1757-1837) is buried in Fayette County in the Nichols Hollow Cemetery Parents and ten children are named.

7. Benjamin Johnson (1758-1834) is buried in Oak Hill at the Woods Avenue Plateau Historic Cemetery. The burial details for his wife, Elizabeth McGraw Johnson-Price (1805-1880), are unknown. Benjamin’s entry contains quite a bit of biographical information, including his Revolutionary War Pension Application.

8. Abraham Vandal (1758-1849) is one of Kitty Barrera’s ancestors and is buried in Westlake Cemetery in Ansted with his wife, Mary Dillon Vandal (1763-1840). Some biographical information is given for Abraham, and his ancestry has been very well established. However, virtually nothing has been documented about Mary Dillon. Some of their children are named.

9. John Hill (1758-unknown) is buried in Gauley Bridge Cemetery. His wife Sarah (1811-1888) is also buried there. However, I, Kitty Barrera, question whether this information is accurate since the date shown indicates John was 53 years older than his wife.

10. John Kincaid (1760-1834) is buried in Gauley Bridge Cemetery. His wife, Elizabeth Hannah Gillespie Kincaid (1760-1828) is also buried there. One child is named.

11. John “Boomer” Huddleston (1760-1823) is buried at the John Huddleston Cemetery, and his is the only grave there, according to Findagrave. His wife Mary is apparently buried at a different location. Some biographical information is included, but I find it a bit unclear.

12. William W. Coldwell (1764-1825) is buried at Huse Memorial Park in Fayetteville. No other information.

13. Thomas Joseph Huddleston (1769-1825) was buried in Falls View at the John Paddy Huddleston Cemetery. The entry is interesting and mentions that Daniel Boone often visited in this home. Other family members are named. I could not find the name of his wife, but three children are listed.

14. Thomas Masterson (1770-1834) is buried at Westlake Cemetery in Ansted. His wife, Jane McClung Masterson (1776-1823) is also buried there. Some family members are named.

15. There is an entry for Margaret Jarrett Morris (1770-1855), but her surname at time of death was Huddleston. She is buried at the Old Job Huddleston Cemetery in Alloy. Her first husband was Levi Morris, and her second husband was Nathaniel Huddleston. Where were they buried? Her parents are named, as well as two children.

16. Isaac Jenkins (1779-1845) is buried in Jenkins Cemetery with his parents (see #5 above) and wife, Nancy (1781-1848). Two children are named.

17. Rev. John Brown Johnson, Sr. (1777-1861) and his wife Elizabeth Sims Johnson (1782-1845) are buried in the Johnson Cemetery, which appears to be a remote location in Fayette County. Fourteen children are named.

18. Benjamin Hudnall (1774-1871) is buried in Rich Creek Community Cemetery in Jodie. The burial details of his wife, Nancy Riley Hudnall (1773-1830) are not known. Ten children and some other family members are named.

19. Richard F. Tyree (1774-1834) and his wife, Sarah Johnson Tyree (1784-1839) are both buried in Tyree Cemetery, a remote location in Fayette County. The biographical information on Richard is interesting. Their nine children were born in Lewisburg in Greenbrier County.

20. Susan Fox Carey (1775-1850) is buried in the Fox-Wood Cemetery (also called Good Luck Cemetery) in Lansing. Her parents and some siblings are named.

The photo below is from Findagrave and is a cemetery I have never visited. This is where Susan Fox Carey is buried.