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George Teater, of Crab Creek
b.9 Mar 1736/37
Facts and Events
George Teater was one of the Early Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia
Tapestry
Related
- Notebooks for George Teater (1)
- Southwest Virginia Sources for George Teater
- Articles Related to George Teater (1)
- Issues and Problems Discussion
Documentation
- Will of George Teater (1)]
- Samuel Teater's Pension Application
- Disambiguation:George Teater
Overview
This article is for the George Teater who settled initial at the mouth of Crab Creek, near modern Radford Virginia, about 1768. George was born about 1739, but it is unclear where his family was living at the time. He apparently served in the French and Indian War, and married toward the end of that conflict about 1763. His wife is commonly identified as Sarah Pearis, daughter of either George or Richard Pearis, and together they had five children. The couple settled about 1768 at the mouth of Bakers Creek, where it enters the New River, near modern Radford Virginia. George and his family did not remain long, moving south into the Holston River Watershed around 1770, settling on property on Bakers Creek near Saltville. During the Revolution he moved to Kentucky, settling in what is now Girrard County. Sarah died in 1794, and Parris remarried shortly there after to Esther Griffin, by whom he had two more children. George continued to live in this same area, dying in 1815.
LIfe
No substantive data about George Teater's early life has been found, other than a DOB of 1739[1] He is sometimes identified as "John George Dieter" who was born about this same time in Operquon, VA. Despite the similarity of the names, knowledgable researchers into this family believe this to be a confusion.[2] There are a series of documentary records showing a George Teater in various military units during the French and Indian War (1755-1763), which probably refer to George Teater (1). [3]
George is believed to have married at the close of the French and Indian War. This is based on the DOB of his eldest child, (Samuel, born c. 1763 [4]) This coincides with the end of his militia records. Land records for Montgomery County identify his wife as "Sarah". The fact that George and Sarah named one of their children "Paris" may reflect a commemoration of Sarah's maiden name. Many believe her full name to have been "Sarah Pearis", though direct evidence to support this has not been found. Some believe that Sarah was the daughter of Richard Pearis, an historically known Indian Trader in western Virginia and northeastern Tennessee; this Richard Pearis and left a will identifying a daughter "Sarah". However, some researchers believe that Sarah Pearis married XXXX, and not George Teater. Others (notably User:Parris believe Sarah to be the daughter of George Pearis who lived on Goose Creek in modern Montgomery County. In anycase, direct evidence showing Sarah's maiden name to be Pearis has not been identified.[5]
 Mouth of Crab Creek on the far side of New River, near Radford, VA. In 1768 George owned property in this area. | Sometime after his marriage George settled (1768-1770) at the mouth of Crab Creek in modern Montgomery County, between modern Radford and Christiansburg, Virginia[6] He did not live here long. Land became available for settlement in southwest Virginia in 1769. For reasons unknown George moved from Crab Creek at this time, and settled on Baker Creek of the Middle Fork of the Holston, Washington County, VA [6] living there there until about 1779. In 1780 he moved to Kentucky, settling in Gerrard County, [6]dying there about 1815.[7]
While it is commonly held that the "George Teaters" in all three locations are the same person, documentation explicitly tying them together has not been found. The timing of the appearance and disappearance of persons named George Teater in all three areas is, however, consistent with the idea that they are the same person. This article assumes that these are the same individuals, but additional data is needed to support this. |
George and Sarah had six children betwen 1762 and Sarah's death in 1794. There is a gap of five years between the birth of daughter Sarah in 1775 and Paris in 1780; this may indicate additional children who did not survive. Sarah died in 1794 [8] George remarried to Esther Griffin, wife of Benjamin Totten and had an additional four children by her prior to his death in 1815. [9]
Notes
Augusta County
- Page 81.--12th February, 1768. Frederick Starn (Stern) to George Teetar, £10, 85 acres by patent 22d August, 1753, on Crab Creek, a branch of New River. Teste: W. Ingles, William Davis, John Taylor, John and Wm. Buchanan. Sent to George Teeter by his order, April, 1769. [Chalkley's, Vol. 3].
Botetourt County
- Page 88. March 4, 1770. George Teater and Sarah his wife to Howard Heavin. 10 pounds. 85 acres on Crab Creek, a branch of the New River. [Botetourt County Deed Book 1].
Montgomery County
In 1834 George Teators son Samuel states in his pension application "that he was born in the month of February 1763 in Botetourt County, State of Virginia." Botetourt County did not form until 1770. Presumably Samuel was born somewhere within the vast area that eventually became Botetourt County. The formation of Botetourt County coincides with the date the family left Crab Creek for Washington County; Samuel would have been seven, and could have remembered living in that area, fixing its name in his mind as "Botetourt". While the family did not own the Crab Creek property at his birth, it could plausibly be argued that they were living somewhere in the area that became first Botetourt County, and then later Montgomery County where Crab Creek is located today.
In anycase, In 1768 George Teeter settled at the mouth of Crab Creek, where it discharges into the New River near Christiansburg in Montgomery County, Virginia. (See: Map showing approximate location of George Teeter's property on Crab Creek.) Two years later he and his wife Sarah sold this property, apparently leaving the area as he has not been found there in later records.
Washington County
George Teater lived with his family in Washington County, VA from 1770 to about 1779. The first evidence for him in this area are land records that show him settling on Bakers Creek, a branch of the middle Fork of the Holston, in 1770. [See Source:Robertson, 1998. Notably, he is listed as a signatory for the Ebbing Springs Call to the Reverend Charles Cummings in 1773, and appears in occasional court records through 1778[10] Researchers into this family line believe him to be the same
In 1778 a George Teeter was designated an "Ensign" in the Washington County Militia. This George Teeter is commonly said to be the same person as appears on the Ebbing Springs Call, but is probably his son. [11]
George Teater dissappears from Washington County records after 1778.
Kentucky
Teater family historians in Kentucky trace their descent from George Teater who signed the Ebbing Spring Call in 1773, in Washington County, VA. They hold that George Teaters initially settled in XXXXX and later moved to Garrard County. Samuel, the eldest son of George Teater and wife Sarah of Garrard County, KY, made application for a pension based on his Revolutionary War service. In that application:
- [He[ States that he was born in the month of February 1763 in Botetourt County, State of Virginia.
- In the year 1779 his father moved from that state to what is now the state of Kentucky.
This by itself does not prove that George Teater of Garrard County is the same George Teater who signed the Ebbing Springs call. However, the relocation stated to have occurred in the year 1779 is consistent with the dissappearance of George Teaters from the records of Washington County about this time. [12]
Revolutionary War Service
George Teater is often said to have participated in the Battle of Kings Mountain. This idea is probably based on the statement by Governor David Cambell [reference needed] that virtually everyone on the Ebbing Springs Call signatory list, was at the Battle of Kings Mountain. While many of the early settlers of Washington County did indeed serve at Kings Mountain, no evidence has been found that George Teater was numbered among them. (See Source:Moss, 1990). Samuel Teaters pension application tells us that they left Virginia in 1779, which would make it extremely unlikely that George was a participant in Kings Mountain in 1780. [13].
Personal Data
| Personal Data
| | Name | Datum | Source/Basis/Comment
| | DOB: | c1736 | George's DOB is variously given as 1) "Mar 9 1739", and 2) 1736. The 1739 DOB has been presented as such on "FindAGrave" in the past, though I understand the author of that item no longer accepts the date, and the entry for George Teater has been removed (as of 5 December 2008. See [Findagrave.) Some believe it is based on a DOD for a John George Dieter" whom others identify as "George Teater"; User:Parris reports the 1736 DOD based on a transcription (c. 1974) by Glen Teater of what appears to be a footstone for George Teeter. The later date seems more plausible. [8]
| | POB: | |
| | DOD: | 8 AUG 1815 | George Teeter of Garrard Ky, left a will nameing a number of children, identifying his wife as "Esther", not Sarah. This is explained by researchers in this line as indicating that Sarah had predeceased, and that he remarried. It is also possible that this will is for a different George Teeter. The will in question was dated 25 July 1815, and probated 30 August 1815, giving a narrow range of possible death dates, with the 8 Aug 1815 date being entirely reasonable. This date does not match exactly with the date shown at Findagrave (Jul. 25, 1815) reputed to be based on a cemetery transcription by Howard Teater (Nancy Perry, personal communication, 9 May 2008). There is some confusion/unclarity here, and this needs to be revisited.
| | POD: | | Paint Lick, Garrard, KY
| | Burial: | Teater Cemetery, Garrard, KY | "Teater Cemetery, Garrard, On a knoll overlooking the Ky. River on land owned by John Miley Amons. Off Hwy 39 about a mile from the mouth of Paint Lick Creek"
| | Father: | | Some researchers, identifying Geoerge Teater as John George Teater, give his father as Hans Jeorg DIETER b: 7 JUN 1699 in Schwaigern, GERMANY. While possible, supporting evidence has not been found.
| | Mother: | | Some researchers, identifying Geoerge Teater as John George Teater, give his mother as Maria Margaretha LUTTMAN b: 1 JUN 1701 in Schwaigen, Wurttemberg, GER. While possible, supporting evidence has not been found.
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| | Spouse: | Sarah | Mar 4 1770, Botetourt Co Deed Book 1, p. 88. George Teater and Sarah his wife to Howard Heavin. 10 pounds, 85 acres on Crab Creek, a branch of the New River; some identify her as Sarah Pearis b: 1742, daughter of Richard Pearis or perhaps George Pearis, but this is disputed by some Pearis researchers. Direct evidence of Sarah's surname has not been recovered, though some point to the name of a son "Parris" as evidence that her surname was Pearis.
| | DOM: | c1762 |
| | POM: | |
| | Children
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| Name | DOB | POB | DOD | POD | Spouse | DOM | POM | Dispersion and Notes
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| Person:Samuel Teater (1)
| Feb 27, 1763 in
| Botetourt Co, Va.
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| identified in fathers will of 1815; DOB/POB is based on his pension statement
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| George TEATER
| 1765
| VA
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| identified in fathers will of 1815
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| Person:William Teater (1)
| c. 1765/8
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| Nancy Willis
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| identified in fathers will of 1815
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| Robert TEATER
| 1770
| VA
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| identified in fathers will of 1815
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| Sallie (Sarah) Teater
| 1775
| Washington County, Va
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| POB based on DOB at which time her parents were in Washington County; identified in fathers will of 1815
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| Parris Teater
| Mar. 26, 1780
| near Danville, Ky
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| POB consistent with brother Samuel's Pension Application; identified in fathers will of 1815
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| | Spouse: | Esther Griffin/Totten | George Teeter's will identify his wife as Esther. Some make that "Easter". The presumption is that Sarah had died sometime after the move to Kentucky, and George then remarried. Plausible, probable, but we need a record to show that this is the same Geoerge Teater as was living in Washington County until c. 1780. Most identify his second wife as "Ester Griffith", though at least one researcher believes her last name was Toten, and that the Toten's lived near the Teaters in Washington County. This might imply the second marriage occurred in Washington County, but that is not consistent with the idea that George was in Kentucky by 1779. It is not clear if George married 2 or three times, first to Sarah, then to Eshter Griffin, then to Esther Totten. Esther Griffin may be the maiden name of Esther Totten, widdow of Benjamin Totten. Alternatively, George may have married only twice, but his widdow Esther Griffin Teater remarried and became Esther Griffen Totten (or vice versa).
| | DOM: | |
| | POM: | |
| | Children (commonly given as children of Esther, evidence for them by Esther not yet located
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| Name | DOB | POB | DOD | POD | Spouse | DOM | POM | Dispersion and Notes
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| Lewis
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| identified in fathers will of 1815
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| Susan
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| identified in fathers will of 1815
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Some identify other children, but only the above are mentioned in George's will.
Notes
- ↑ This is based on a gravestone transcription. This needs to be discussed more completely.
- ↑ See: Disambiguation:George Teater
- ↑ Some of these can be clearly linked to the George Teater who settled in Garrard County about 1780. This George Teater is believed to be the same person who settled successively on the New River in 1768, and in Southwest Virginia in 1770. It seems likely that all of the Virginia Militia records do in fact refer to the same person. In 1758/59 a George Teater appears on a roster of the Maryland Militia. This could be the same person as the George Teater who settled on Crab Creek, or simply a person of the same name. If this record is for the same person, it suggests that George came to Virginia from far western Maryland. He would have been 19 or 20 years of age at this time, consistent with enrollment as a private in the militia.
- ↑ Samuel gives his DOB in his pension application
- ↑ See [YYYY for a discussion of differing views as to the identity of Sarah's father.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 This is based on land records...specific citation is needed.
- ↑
- ↑ 8.0 8.1
- ↑ In his will George identifies his wife as "Esther". In 1813 George and Esther prepared a Power of Attourney in a court case; the POA identifies her as the former wife of Benjamin Totten, deceased of Virginia. This makes it clear that the references to her as "Esther Totten" are under her married name. Presumably her maiden name was Griffin, but the basis for this has not been found.
- ↑ At least one land record dealing with "George Teetor" is dated to 1783 (see data table below, under Robrtson, 1998). This record appears to be a sale of property conducted after George Teater left the area.
- ↑ Typically an ensign was a young man, or teenager. The George Teater who signed the Ebbing Springs call is believed to have had a son George born 1765; the elder George Teater would have been about 40 years of age, while the younger George Teater would have been under 15 years of age when "George Teeters was nominated as an ensign. This is consistent with common practice in the area.
- ↑ There is a Washington County land record wherein George Teater's sells the Bakers Creek property in 1783. This could indicate that the family did not leave until 1783 or later; that would make it unlikely that the Garrard County George Teaters is the same person as the George Teaters who sidnged the Ebbing Springs Call. More likely, the land sale took place after the family left the aera. Additional work on this point is needed.
- ↑ A problem here is that we do not know for certain that the George Teater and wife Sarah of Garrard County KY is the same couple who lived 1770-1778 in Washington County, VA. In part, this is because we do not have a record from Washington County that shows a connecting link to this couple. For example, we do not have Washington County document that identifies George Teaters wife as "Sarah". While we do have documents that show the George Teater of Crab Creek was in fact married to a Sarah, and that this is consistent with them being the couple would settled in Garrard, we can't make the same statement about George of Washington County. Could be the same person in all three places, or could be different individuals altogether. Direct proof of a connection is lacking. See [http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person_talk:George_Teater_%281%29#Revolutionary_War_Service_.5B7_January_2009.5D for for additional views of George's Service in the Revolution.
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