Person:John Slaughter (18)

John Slaughter, referred to as "Old John," was born in about 1755 in Culpeper Co VA. Proof of his birth in Virginia comes in part from his service in the Virginia Line of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. And, DAR Record #A203927 states that Old John was from Culpeper County.

In the Fall of 1778 probably in Washington Co VA, John married Phoebe Crosthwait b. c. 1763 Orange Co VA. And, he sired his first son.

Old John enlisted on 1/4/1779, probably in Montgomery Co VA, in the Virginia Continental Line. And, Old John and his new messmates were to march to Kentucky to fight with the Illinois Regiment of Virginia Volunteers, commanded by Col. George Rogers Clark. Instead, this new unit of about 150 men marched in support of Col. Shelby and are counted as part of the 500 volunteers who fought in the Chickamauga Expedition of April 1779. During this expedition, Old John would have seen the the Holston and Watauga region of what would become Tennessee. And having seen the lay of the land, these veterans returned in droves after the war to settle the lands of Eastern Tennessee.

After the successful completion of the Chickamauga Expedition, most of the soldiers marched north to the Holston. However, Cpt. Montgomery and his new company of the Illinois Regiment continued down the Tennessee to the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers where Old John served under Cpt James Shelby at Ft Jefferson (Wicliffe KY). From this central location on the Mississippi, Old John saw action from the Falls of the Ohio (Louisville KY) to Kaskaskia IL to Ft Sackville (Vincennes IN). Old John was discharged on 7/1/1780, probably at the Falls of the Ohio. And, this record of service is proven by the pension applications for John's messmates and fellow soldiers with whom he served.

Leonard Shoemaker of the Illinois Regiment was Old John's messmate. Leonard's record of service and records from Old John's continuing interaction with Leonard in later life are critical to this research; as through Leonard we trace Old John's activities through the Revolutionary War to Knox Co KY. Can we also trace Old John back to Virginia through Leonard's records?

Leonard Claiborne Shewmaker, Judge, was born on 19 May 1757 in Goochland County VA. He was the son of Evan Shewmaker and Sarah Claiborne. His father was said to have been a fur-trader of Welsh descent. Leonard served in the Rev War from Augusta County VA and later went on an expedition to Kaskaskia (IL) and the Northwest Territory. On 7 Apr 1787 he married Eunice Ritchie born in 1770. The Couple lived in Botetourt County for four years before going to East TN and settling near Duck River. However, by 1797 the family had moved to Knox County KY and remained for several years. Here, Leonard acquired 500 acres of land on the waters of the Cumberland River and Flat Creek.

   "Shewmaker, Henrico County VA," GenForum Gen Web Page, <http://genforum.genealogy.com/shewmaker/messages/12.html> 22 March 2009.

From Old John's future land grant record, we learn that he received lands in Kentucky for 3 years (36 months) service in the Virginia Line. Old John's documented service in the Illinois Regiment was for only 18 months. Had Old John served with the Virginia Militia at the beginning of the war, that service would have qualified him for his bounty land. And, had Old John served alongside his Illinois Regiment messmates in the Southern Campaign, this service would also have qualified him for his bounty land. The question is when did Old John serve that additional 18 months in the Virginia Line.

After Old John's discharge from the Illinois Regiment, he retuned to western Virginia and Phoebe, his wife. I believe that Old John rose at the call to arms in September 1780 when the settlers of western Virginia and the future lands of eastern Tennessee were directly threatened by British forces during the Southern Campaign. Maj Patrick Ferguson, British commander in the western Carolinas, meant to crush support for the Patriots in the Carolinas. He sent a pardoned Patriot over the mountains with a message threatening to "march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay waste the country with fire and sword." Instead, what Ferguson got was 1,000 new Patriots for Gates' American Army.

After cessation of hostilities, the family migrated west over the mountains to the newly opened lands on the Holston. Old John is recorded purchasing a plow in Washington Co NC (now Greene Co TN) in 1782 and purchasing land along Meadow Creek of Greene Co NC (now TN) a year later. While living in Greene County, Old John was awarded his Revolutionary War bounty land in what would become Knox Co KY. And in about 1796, the Slaughter Family migrated to Flat Creek (vic Permon) in Lincoln (now Knox) Co KY.

Sometime before 1798, John's wife. Phoebe Crosthwaite Slaughter, died. And, John married Sarah Slaughter b. c. 1778. While in Knox County, John reunited with his messmate Leonard Shoemaker from the Illinois Regiment. Both John and Leonard received their bounty land on Flat Creek. And, son James sold the Slaughter land to Leonard as part of John's estate in 1812.

In 1809, the Slaughter Family migrated to Madison Co, Mississippi Territory. Reportedly, son-in-law Joseph Ball and wife Phoebe preceded them by two years. Their easiest migration route would have taken them back through the Cumberland Gap to the Virginia Pike and then down the Clinch River to the Tennessee and then to Alabama. However, the Slaughters are not found in the Ft. Southwest Point records. Evidently, their migration route took them directly down the Cumberland River from Permon KY to the vicinity of Nashville TN and then overland south to the Tennessee.

Two sons, William and James, joined the Sims Settlement of Giles Co TN while Old John settled near the Tennessee River in Madison Co (now Alabama). At the time, the perceived border between Tennessee and the Mississippi Territory was considerably farther north than it is today. In 1806 James Bright conducted a survey of the newly opened lands from the Chickasaw Purchase of 1805. Bright was to establish a northwest to southeast line which was fixed on the intersection of the southern boundary of the State of Tennessee and the Elk River in what is now Giles Co TN. Because Bright located the southern boundary too far north, the north-south reservation boundary was set too far east. Thousands of new settlers in the territory, having been issued legal land grants, were evicted by the US Army in accordance with the boundary based on Bright's inaccurate survey. Along with over four hundred other settlers, two of John Slaughter's sons signed the Intruder's Petition to the US Government for redress of grievances.

These records fix the Slaughter Family at their settlements in a northwest to southeast line within about twenty miles of each other. James and William Slaughter settled in Giles County south of the Elk River and were subsequently evicted. And, John Slaughter settled further south and east in Madison Co Miss. Ter. (now AL).

Old John wrote his will in Madison County, Mississippi Territory, and died shortly thereafter. [Will of John Slaughter] In the will, John stated that he had already provided a legacy to his four oldest children. And, he speaks of two boys and Betey being under age. This leads to the belief that there was indeed two groups of children by two different mothers. Additionally, he made provisions for wife Sarah to use the estate for maintenance in her widowhood. On 3/13/1824 Sarah relinquished her dower right so that the three youngest boys could sell their lands from John's estate. From this we know that Sarah was not remarried before 3/1824. Did she migrate in the company of her children to Tennessee? Her fate is unknown.