Today’s post about the family and descendants of David Lewis and Ann Beeson of Guilford County, North Carolina and Pendleton District, South Carolina will be a bit like the Sturgell family post I did a couple of months ago as I am hoping some descendant out there finds my blog and can help contribute documentation to cement together these three generations.

My husband’s ancestor Joseph Hendricks married Mary Lewis, probably in Simpson County, Kentucky around 1813. Mary is said to be the daughter of Joab Lewis and Catherine Leonard. Joab was living in Simpson County in 1830 and was aged 60-69 at that time, if his age was recorded accurately. I’ve seen numerous places that give his date of birth as 23 December 1773, but have seen no source for that date. If the census if correct, then Joab was born no later than 1770.

Notice that a much younger man named James Hendricks is living next door to Joab in 1830. It is very possible that this James Hendricks is a brother or cousin of Joseph Hendricks, who married Joab’s daughter.

His reputed daughter Mary Hendricks died after the 1880 census, probably in McLean County, Kentucky, where she was living with her daughter’s family. The birthplace of her parents is given as South Carolina on that census.

There are few early records for Simpson County and no proof of the death date of Joab Lewis, except for the census indicating he was living at the time of the 1830 census.

I am assuming for the moment that Mary is the daughter of Joab and his (unproven) wife, Catherine Leonard, who, according to that same 1830 census, was born 1780-1789.

With that assumption, I have researched the family of David and Ann (Beeson) Lewis, at least as best I can from home. Yesterday, I shared the discrepancy between the abstract and the original of David Lewis’s will, which named twelve of his children. If he had others, as some state, then they died young without issue.

David Lewis married Ann Beeson, who came from a staunch Quaker family. Her parents were Benjamin Beeson and Elizabeth (reputed to be Hunter), who married on 14 June 1738 at the Hopewell Monthly Meeting in Frederick County, Virginia. Ann was likely born in Frederick County.

Her parents were likely not happy that she married out of the Friends community and a formal note of the marriage was made on 30 January 1768 in Quaker New River Meeting minutes and she was excluded from the group. David and Ann Lewis likely married either very late in 1767 or in January 1768.

I have seen exact dates of birth for all of the Lewis children, but have had no luck in determining from where those dates came. I do see a listing for Bible records for David and Ann Beeson in the DAR Library online index, but they aren’t digitally available online. This Bible record is likely the origin of all the birth dates.

I also have no marriage records for any of these children, although spouses are known for most. Many ladies have joined DAR under David Lewis, a soldier of the American Revolution, serving from Guilford County, North Carolina, and descendants of six of the Lewis children are or have been DAR members. For the moment, I will assume that the birth dates and spouses are correct.

His children, with first wife Ann Beeson, are:

NOTE: Isaiah and Priscilla were likely born in Rowan County, North Carolina and the other children in Guilford County, which was formed from Rowan in 1771.

The Lewis family was enumerated in Randolph County, North Carolina (formed in 1779 from parts of Rowan and Guilford Counties) in 1790 so their mass migration happened between 1790 and 1800, when they were enumerated in Pendleton District, South Carolina.

Isaiah, born 3 September 1769; died before 25 January 1837, Vigo County, IN; married Nancy Julian
Priscilla, born 4 September 1770; died after her father’s will was written; married Thomas Field
Jacob, born 14 March 1772; died between the 1830 and 1840 censuses, as “Alcy” is head of household in 1840 and a widow in 1850; married Ailsie Leonard
Joab, born 23 December 1773; died between the 1830 and 1840 censuses, probably in Simpson County, KY (a burned county); married Catherine Leonard
Neriah, born 25 June 1778; died 1843, Macoupin County, Illinois; married Mary Moss, daughter of Samuel Moss and Rachel Julian
Benjamin, born 26 May 1781; died after his father’s will was written; wife unknown
Elizabeth, born 21 September 1783; died after her father’s will was written;  married Micajah Alexander
Cozby, born 13 July 1785; died after her father’s will was written; married John Woodall
Tarleton, born 11 August 1787; died after his father’s will was written; no further information
Hannah, born 2 October 1789; died 22 July 1869, Johnson County, Missouri; married (1) Ezekial Harlan (2) Silas Perry. Silas died in 1844 and is buried in Madisonville, Monroe County, Tennessee.

David’s likely children with Penelope, who he may have married c1813:

David, born c1814, Anderson County, South Carolina; died after his father wrote his will in 1822
Rosannah, born c1816, Anderson County, South Carolina; died after her father wrote his will in 1822

No further information has been found about Penelope and no documents give any clue about her maiden name. A quick search of the 1850 census shows a Penelope, wife of Bennett Hyde, born about 1790, who is living in Pickens County, South Carolina. Some of David’s family lived in the same county. Perhaps this Penelope is David Lewis’s widow.

If anyone can share any more documentation on this family, I would love to hear from you. Because of the loss of records in Simpson County, Kentucky, I may never have more than preponderance of evidence that Mary Lewis who married Joseph Hendricks was the daughter of Joab and Catherine (Leonard) Lewis.