Before adding more clues to the Mahon puzzle, let’s do a quick review. We have seven Mahon men, born with about 8 years of each other who are the only men of the surname living in either Campbell, Pittsylvania or Amherst Counties, Virginia in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
- Barnett Mahon, born c1772
- Thomas Mahon, born c1774
- James Mahon, born c1774
- Dennis Mahon, born c1776
- Pliant Mahon, born c1778
- Pleasant Mahon, born c1780
We’re looking for clues to the names of Pleasant Mahon’s parents and, given their birth years, obviously, none of the other six men in this list could possibly be his father. Yes, they could all be brothers, but the birth years are getting a bit tight.
Since Thomas Mahon married in Amherst County, Virginia, a closer look needs to be given to Amherst County’s records.
I think it’s safe to say we’ve ruled out Thomas Mahon and Elizabeth Johnson as Pleasant’s parents, given that Thomas was only about 6 years older than Pleas.
One reason I think some people claim Thomas is Pleas’s father is because of a modern gravestone placed for Thomas Mahon in Fayette County, Illinois, where some Mahons migrated c1835. It credits Thomas with Revolutionary War service, a birth year of 1759 and his death year as 1840. We’ll look at that death year a bit more closely in a minute.
Amherst County Personal Property Tax Records exist back to the 1780s, but Thomas first appears in 1791, listed as Thomas Mahorn, one male 16+. With him is John Mahorn, one male 16+ and one horse.
These two men are listed as Mahorn until 1794. In 1795, we find John Mahon, 2 males 16+ and a horse with Thomas Mohon, one male 16+ and a horse.
I am quite sure that this Thomas is our Thomas Mahon because there is a third man listed sequentially with them in 1794 – Barnett Mahorn, one male 16+ and one horse. Given the uniqueness of Barnett’s name, and the fact that we know he was born c1772, I’d say it is quite certain that we are looking at our Mahon family.
Given that the first record for Thomas Mahon is in the 1791 tax list, it supports a birth year in the 1770s, which matches his reported age in the 1830 census.
John and Thomas are also both listed in the 1796 tax list, but then disappear from Amherst County. Land records indicate that John Mahon and wife Agnes sold 265 acres of land to Powhatan Bolling of Campbell County, Virginia on 10 December 1795.
John hasn’t been found in any other Virginia records. However, Agnes, 45+, is enumerated in Pittsylvania County in 1820 and, again in 1830, when she is 80-89 years old, so born 1740-1750. She is living next to William Mahon, only two doors away from Pleasant Mahon and 14 homes away from Doctor Mahon, who is living next door to his Lansford in-laws in 1820.
So, Thomas Mahon also disappeared from Amherst County in 1796 and apparently owned no land there.
By 1798, Thomas appears alone on the Pittsylvania County tax rolls. John never shows up, except for possibly being the John Sr. listed in 1807, although there is no John Jr. on the list, nor does Agnes even though she is listed in the 1820 and 1830 censuses. She apparently didn’t own land and perhaps was exempt from taxes due to her advanced age.
In terms of sorting out, or connecting the various Mahon men together, the most fruitful years are, in fact, 1806 and 1807, when Pleasant, Plyant, Thomas, James and Doctor are found in 1806 and Pleasant, Thomas John Sr., Doctor and James are listed in 1807.
What conclusions can be drawn from all this somewhat miscellaneous data in terms of identifying possible parents for Pleasant Mahon?
First, I think both Revolutionary War stories told in Part 1 of this rabbit hold adventure have been debunked. There is no record that supports a birth year as early as 1759 for Thomas Mahon and there is no service record to be found for him in Virginia.
Second, while the preponderance of evidence is pointing to John and Agnes Mahon being the parents of these Mahon men, given that he appears in the Amherst County tax lists beginning in 1791 and he sold land there in 1795, he obviously wasn’t shot and killed by British soldiers during the American Revolution for his silver buckles or anything else!
Finally, who do I believe are the parents of Pleasant Mahon? Given the rarity of the surname in Virginia at the time, the somewhat unique given names in this family and the fact that between two and seven Mahons are found living near each other in three counties – Amherst, Campbell and Pittsylvania – I believe that John and Agnes (maiden name unknown) Mahon were the parents of Pleasant Mahon. One of the strongest clues is that widow Agnes Mahon lived only two doors away from Pleasant in 1820.
What do you think? Is the preponderance of evidence strong enough?
