Person:Joel Elam (1)

89. Joel Elam

Fought in the French and Indian Wars (1754 - 1763) in the Virginia militia. He also rendered patriotic (as distinguished from service in the Revolutionary War.

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Joel Elam (1736-1798) was from Lunenburg County which later became Mecklenburg County Virginia. He was a proponent of the Revolution. Gave grain and meat for the war effort. His oldest son Alexander was a private in the Revolution. Many of Alexander's children moved to Illinois in the early 1800's and settled in the Bond County area (around Greenville Vandalia). There is still a remnant of that family there. One of his other sons, Peter's, Peter's youngest son John married Martha Yancey Mecklenburg county in 1835 and then soon after moved into Granville County NC. They then moved to Iredell county NC where Kent Elam has located living Elam cousins. John Daniel, left Iredell county inmoved to Union county Illinois where he raised 14 children. (Kent Elam,

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Will in Mecklenburg Co., VA, dated 21 Apr 1797 and Recorded 10 Sep

Fought in the French and Indian Wars (1754 - 1763) in the Virginia militia. He also rendered patriotic (as distinguished from military) service in the Revolutionary War.

Joel Elam (1736-1798) was from Lunenburg County which later became Mecklenburg County Virginia. He was a proponent of the Revolution and gave grain and meat for the war effort. His oldest son Alexander was a private in the Revolution. Many of Alexander's children moved to Illinois in the early 1800's and settled in the Bond County area (around Greenville and Vandalia). There is still a remnant of that family there. One of Joel's other sons, Peter's, Peter's youngest son John married Martha Yancey of Mecklenburg county in 1835 and then soon after moved into Granville county NC. They then moved to Iredell county NC where Kent Elam has located living Elam cousins. John Daniel, left Iredell county in 1875 and moved to Union county Illinois where he raised 14 children. (Kent Elam, Jr.)

Will in Mecklenburg Co., VA, dated 21 Apr 1797 and Recorded 10 Sep 1798.

The following paragraph was written by Nancy Newland:

"Joel Elam was the fourth son of John Elam. He was a soldier in the French and Indian War of the 1750's and also in the Revolutionary War. For the former he received Bounty Land in Lunenburg Co. VA before he was married there in 1758. In 1782 a census was taken in Mecklenburg Co., VA and he was on it with 11 whites and no slaves. He hadn't moved. Mecklenburg County had been formed out of his section of Lunenburg County in 1765. He was a Charter Member of the Meherrin Baptist Church. My theory is that Joel Elam was converted from the Church of England of his ancestors to Baptist at that time. The Baptist influence originated in that area about 1768 when a Samuel Thompson invited his "wicked" neighbors to his home to read books and the Bible. He held great revivals in that year and invited a fellow recently converted in Guilford Co., NC named Jeremiah Walker to preach in the community. Before long Rev. Walker was instrumental in starting twenty churches south of the James River. His church was Nottoway. From it's beginning in 1769 to about 1784 it grew to be the largest church in Virginia with 260 members. Joel Elam's Meherrin Baptist Church was about 20 miles from it. Three Elam brothers, Joel, Edward, and William, and their families probably made up a good portion of the congregation. We have no knowledge of other Elams who may have attended."

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Cassie Elam, various web sites, Beverly Himes Barger. Extracted records from numerous Elam Researchers, http:/members.aol.com/VA1607/
   http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~celam Website of Cassie A. Elam.
2.   Compiler: Nancy Newland, Michelle Metevier Stanga ([email protected]), et al. Compiled Branch Family Research, Url: http:/familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/t/a/Michelle-M-Stanga/FILE/0. (1998-).