David Heffington
BIRTH 1776
Virginia, USA
DEATH 1 Jan 1858 (aged 81–82)
White County, Arkansas, USA
David Heffington was born, probably in Nansemond County, in Virginia, about 1776-77. By the late 1790s he had moved to the area of present day Logan and Warren counties in Kentucky. It was likely here that he married Dorothy Lowe, daughter of Revolutionary War veteran William Lowe and Margaret Fair. David appears on the tax lists in Logan County in 1800 and on the tax lists in Warren County in 1810.
David and Dorothy were reputed to be the parents of eight sons and eight daughters. The names of eleven, possibly twelve, of their children have been identified:
William L. Heffington
Margaret (Heffington) McBride
Thomas Heffington
Barney Heffington
Henry Heffington
Stephen Decatur Heffington
Nancy T. (Heffington) Gibbs
John Heffington
Agnes (Heffington) Garrett
Mary Ann (Heffington) Gibbs
Dorothy (Heffington) Witt
and possibly Joseph Heffington
David and his family lived in Kentucky until about 1815, when they migrated to Lauderdale County, Alabama. He was granted land in Lauderdale County in 1818. By the late 1820s, members of the family had moved to Independence County, Arkansas, where he appears on the 1830 census. In 1840 he is listed in Jackson County, Arkansas. By 1843 he was appearing on tax lists in Conway County.
David is listed at the bottom of page 247B on the 1850 census in Benton Township, Conway County, Arkansas. It appears that he is listed in the household of James and Levina Craig. Many researchers assume this indicates that Levina was a daughter of David. However, upon closer examiniation of the 1850 census for Benton Township, it is evident that the census taker did not pay much attention to listing family members together in family groups. Other instances have been found on the census in this township where members of one family are listed with other families, with no distinction of surname. This can be determined in some cases where the children of one family are listed in age from oldest to youngest and then there are more children whose ages do not fit with this descending pattern but are listed with the same family as a new grouping altogether.
This appears to be what has happened with David Heffington and his grandson, Leroy. Leroy is listed on the line above his grandfather on the census, when both should have been listed on the next page in the household of David's son and Leroy's father, Thomas Heffington. The census taker, for whatever reason, presumably wrote Leroy and David's names at the bottom of a page where he had a couple of blank lines. It would make sense for David to be living with his son Thomas and Thomas should have a son named Leroy shown, but doesn't. There is no evidence, apart from this erroneous census entry, that Levina Craig, born in Georgia (where there is no record of David ever living) was a child of David's.
According to his estate records, David died on 1 Jan 1858, in White County, in Arkansas. This is the date given on records when his son in law Elisha Garrett was named administrator of his estate on 28 Jan 1858.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/131477961/david-heffington
