Person:John Edmiston (5)

Contents 1 Overview 2 His Wife 3 Personal Data 4 Footnotes		Edmondson Tapestry Register Data Notebooks Analysis Bibliography Graphics YDNA Index
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Overview

This article concerns John Edmiston, son of Person:John Edmiston (1) and Margaret Buchanan. John Jr. settled with other members of his family in the Holston watershed of Washington County, about 1771.

John signed the Ebbing Springs Call in 1773, but we have relatively few additional records for him. Summers, 1929, includes the following references for a John Edmiston that are likely to refer to this person.^[1]

General William Campbell Edmiston (GWCE, "General" is his first name) left testimony that his uncle John Edmiston was wounded at the Battle of King's Mountain where several of his kin were present. This suggests that he remained in Washington County until after 1780; had he not, it would have been unlikely that he would have been present at King's Mountain. For convenience we can refer to this John Edmiston as "John of King's Mountain".^[2]

Some researchers identify him as the John Edmiston who appears in tax records of Davidson County, Tn in 1787, dying there by 1816. It would be plausible for him to have relocated to TN immediately following the revolution, since many others did as well beginning about 1786. Direct evidence connecting John of King's Mountain with the John of Davidson County is needed.

Source:Robertson, .... provides a number of land records that refer to a John Edmiston in this area during the settlement period, and which may shed some light on the later history of John of Kings Mountain.

Page 207 - Thomas Edmonson, Sr ...358 ac...Commissioners Certificate...on a branch of the south fork of Holstein River and on the north side of the same...Beginning corner to Thomas Edmonson, Jr...on John Kellys line...on James Robinsons land...on Moses Edmonsons line...January 1, 1783 - Thomas Edmonson... 400 ac...on the long branch running into the south fork of Holstin bounded by William Edmonson & John Edmonson, includes improvements, actual settlement made in 1772...August 17, 1781

Page 207 - John Edmonson, Jr., heir to Andrew Edmonson, decd...Commissioners Certificate...on the north side of the south fork of Holstein River...Beginning corner to John Edmonson, Sr. & John Edmonson, Jr. lines...on the north side of an Island corner to Robert Edmonston & John Edmonstons land...January 27, 1783 - John Edmonson, heir to Andrew Edmonson, decd...150 ac on the north side of the south fork, includes improvements, actual settlement made in 1772...August 23, 1781

Page 236 - Joseph Redshaw...177 ac...Commissioners Certificate...on a branch of the Middle Fork of Holston River...Beginning corner to Samuel Edmonstons land and with John Rogers line...on the top of a baled knob...corner to William Long & Samuel Buchanan...line of John Edmonsons, Jr...by a spring branch...December 18, 1783 - Joseph Redshaw, assignee of William Long, assignee of Zachariah Carwyles...400 ac...on the waters of the Middle Fork of Holstein, includes improvements, actual settlement made in 1773...September 1, 1781

Page 265 - Robert Edmondson...257 ac...Commissioners Certificate...on the south fork of Holston River...Beginning on the north side of the river, corner to John Edmondson, Jr.'s land...line of William Edmondson, Sr...corner to the patent land...line of John Buchanans land...on the north side of the river...May 20, 1784 - Robert Edmondson, assignee of William Edmondson, assignee of Robert Huston...400 ac..on the south fork of Holstein River, 108 ac surveyed for William Edmondson, Sr. on March 15, 1774...includes improvements, actual settlement made in 1770...August 17, 1781

Page 275 - David & Samuel Robinson...230 ac...Treasury Warrant...on both sides of the south fork of Holston River...Beginning on the bank of the river corner to John Bowles land and down the river...corner to 'John Edmistons land...corner to Adam Morrows land...April 24, 1785

Page 285 - John Edmondson, Sr. - 360 ac - Preemption Warrant - on both sides of the South Fork of Holstein River - corner to John Edmondson, Jr.'s land - warrant #1952 - August 27, 1785

Most of the above land records refer to a "John Edmiston, Sr", and to a "John Edmiston, Jr.". The later is shown as living next to John Sr., but heir to an "Andrew Edmiston" The later is the Andrew killed at King's Mountain. John Sr is probably John of King's Mountain. Andrew died without children, and left his land to his nephew John Jr. In anycase, assuming that John Sr. is John of King's Mountain, these records show that he remained in Washington County until at least 1785 when he exercised a Preemption Warrant for 360 acres. The fact that he choose to exercise the preemption warrant, rather than sell it to another, suggests that he intended to remain in the area, and so it seems less likely that he is the same person as John Edmiston who appears in Davidson County in 1787. On the otherhand, this seems to be the last record for John of King's Mountain in Washington County. Its always possible that he changed his mind, and decided by 1787 that he would be better off trying the new lands of Tennessee rather than remaining in Washington County.

His Wife

Genealogists commonly give the name of his first wife as "Sarah Edmiston", which may or may not indicate her maiden name was Edmiston. Some identify a second wife as Jeannette Duncan. Direct evidence for both wives is needed. There is some evidence of a confusion having occurred in these identifications, because some genealogists identify his father as "John Turk Edmondson", indicating that the person they are working with is in the David Turk Edmiston line in Augusta County, rather than with the Cecil County line of Edmiston's. (See Edmondson Family of Rockbridge County Virginia. The marriage to Jeannette Duncan is questionable, since it is said to have occurred in 1782 in Augusta county. For this to be the case John would have had to have returned to Augusta County from Washington County. In this regard, an abstract of selected court records for Augusta County, VA] give the following

32-1: 25 Sept. 1802 from Samuel Buchanan and wife Elizabeth, John Edmondson and wife Jennet, of Davidson County, David Craig and wife Mary of Blount County, John McKinney and wife Jane of Williamson County and state of TN by James Craig their attorney in fact duly appointed and James Brownlee and wife Florence of Augusta Co. and State of Virginia, heirs and legatees of Andrew Duncan decd, to John Craig Baskins of Augusta Co., VA, for $450, 165 acres by estimation, beg. side of hill Hugh Torbets corner, John Hawess (Hawps?) corner. No Wit. (FHL film 30,354)

32-11: 15 July 1802, power of attorney from Samuel & Elizabeth Buchanan, John and Jennet Edmondson, and John and Jane McKinney to James Craig to sell land. Ack. in Davidson Co. by Buchanans, Edmondsons, and McKinneys. (FHL film 30,354)

Vol. 2 - APRIL, 1793 (A to G). - Duncanson's executors vs. Brownlee--Certified copy of will of Andrew Duncan, Lincoln County, Va., dated 25th March, 1784, to sister's children, viz: Elizabeth Buchanan's son Andrew, to sister Mary Craig's son James, and sister Jenny Edminston's son Andrew, sister Jean McKenny's daughter Jenny, sister Florence Brownlee's daughter Jenny.--Exn. brother-in-law John Edminston and John McKenny. Witnesses: William Edminston, Robert Harrold, John Buckhanna. Proved in Lincoln County, 21st February, 1786. Willis Green, C. C.

This indicates that the John Edmiston of Davidson County was in fact married to a Jennet Edmondson and related to the Buchanan family of Augusta County. Whether this is the same John Edmiston of King's Mountain is not resolved, but continues to look questionable.

Personal Data

Personal Data
Vita	Datum	Source/Basis/Comment
DOB:
POB:
DOD:
POD:
Father:
Mother:
Spouse:	Sarah Edmiston	See discussion of Wife
DOM:
POM:
Spouse:	Jeannette Duncan	See discussion of Wife
DOM:
POM:
Children
Name	DOB	POB	DOD	POD	Spouse	DOM	POM	Dispersion and Notes

Footnotes

1. ↑ (See: Notebook:Edmiston, Summers 1929 Name Ordered for other John Edmiston records.)
2. ↑ The usually authoritative Source:Moss, 1990 does not include John Edmiston in his list of confirmed patriots, though he does include him among those for whom claims are made that they served at King's Mountain. For our purposes GWCE's testimony seems to be a sufficient basis for accepting John's service at King's Mountain.