Person:John Adney (1)

For more information, see the John Adney and Barbara Lesena family page.

Source: www.siterrific.com/Adney 1.1.1 John Adney Birth 28 Mar 1774, Cape Fear, NC Death 20 Feb 1847, Ft. Recovery, Ohio Date of birth from tombstone record at Fort Recovery, Ohio (see below). ETA: "John Adney (Thomas I) reputed oldest son though not oldest child of Thomas and Elizabeth Dunn Adney, was born in North Carolina March 28, 1774 probably at the Quaker settlement near the Cape Fear River... "John Adney worked as a millwright both in Virginia and Ohio. He was closely associated with his brother Dan in the same occupation, the two families lived near each other at Adney's Gap, and both decided to remove [although not at the same time] to the free territory north of the Ohio, which, ceded by England after the Revolutionary War, was declared by the Ordinance of 1789 to be forever 'free.' ETA's narrative continues in detail about John and his family proceeding over the mountains into Kentucky [in 1804 or 1806], visiting his sister Mrs. Richerson at Crab Orchard, <Kentucky> then going north, crossing the Ohio River at what is now Cincinnati, and continuing north up the Miami River past the site of present Dayton, and settling about three miles north of Fort Pequa on the east bank of the Big Miami. Hostility of the local Indians at the time of the War of 1812 led John to decide to return to Virginia.

They proceeded east past Chillicothe, but "when he reached the present site of Vinton in Gallia County the family were taken down with ague (malarial fever). There he found several families that had recently arrived from Virginia, among whom was William Glenn. John Adney stopped here because of the sickness, and, as he looked the ground over he saw in Racoon Creek, or River, a chance for a millsite, although there was not much pitch of water. Seeing the nucleus of a settlement and being a millwright, he decided to remain and he built the Adney mills, that are known to the present time although the Adneys have long ceased to dwell there. From now begins the second period of Ohio settlement of the Adneys.

Of this we have the county records of Gallia and for the more picturesque details the traditions of other grandchildren of John Adney, of the family of the boy Jonathan, the only one eventually to remain at Vinton." ETA's narrative goes on to describe the eventual return of John Adney to the Town of Recovery in western Ohio, almost at the border with Indiana, in 1840. "John Adney bought lands also in the adjoining Jay Co., Indiana, part of which went to his daughter Lovisa Steel, and a part to his grandson the late Daniel Adney (son of John L. Adney), who was living there (in Noble Township) in 1904. He also had lands in St. Joseph Co., the same state, located for him perhaps by John Butler..." "In appearance John Adney was 'not a large man but well-built, fair, with darkish straight hair inclining to sandy or reddish, which he wore long in the fashion of the day. He was smooth-shaven, and remembered as always wearing a long frock coat reaching nearly to the knees, with a rather wide-brimmed dark felt hat, the costume of the town dweller or professional man of the period..."

His tombstone at Fort Recovery reads as follows: In / Memory of / John Adney / died Feb 20th / 1847 / aged 72 years / 10 mo / & 23 d /

Spouse Barbara Leseney Birth 15 Jul 1781 Death; 26 Mar 1855, Vinton, OH Father Leseney Mother; Dillbone Marr 1797, Virginia Children: Thomas (Died as Child) (1798-), Jonathan (1799-1866), William (1802-1875), Rhoda (1804)John Charity, Mary (Polly,) Lovisa, Anna

Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (ancestry.com)

Groom Name: JOHN THOMAS* ADNEY Bride Name: BARBARA LESEUER

Marriage Date: 11 Jan 1797 County: Franklin State: Virginia

• This means that John was the son of Thomas Adney. It is not his middle name.

FRANKLIN COUNTY VIRGINIA TAX LISTS (see www.binnsgenealogy.com)

June 02, 1799 Personal Tax List, Pg 1, Adney, John: (1) male tithable, (3) blacks over 16, (46) horses, Tax not listed.

Marriage Bonds of Franklin County Virginia 1786-1858; page 17 Adney, John Thos. and Barbara Leseuer, dau. Elizabeth, Jan. 11, 1797. Sur. Samuel Reedy.

The following narrative has some discrepancies, but describes John Adney's time in Miami County from 1807 to about 1815 before the family moved on to Galla County, Ohio.

SOURCE: 1880 History of Miami County, Ohio - Brown Township. John Adney immigrated to Brown Township in 1807 from Pennsylvania <incorrect> of which state he was a native. <incorrect,> Upon arriving in this township, he entered the southwest quarter of Section 31 and erected his cabin and put up a rude barn, as preliminaries to the more extensive operations which he expected to carry on afterward. He was accompanied to this township by his family, consisting, at that time, of several sons and daughters. Mr. Adney worked upon this place seven years, and succeeded in clearing quite a large portion of his farm, when he disposed of his property here to Nicholas Platter in 1815, and Mr. Adney, with his family, swelled the mighty stream of emigration pouring westward, and sought a home where such an abundance of wood and water was not to be contended against. Mr. Platter moved upon the place immediately after the removal of Mr. A., where he remained for fifteen years, when he disposed of his property to a Mr. Hamilton, in 1830.

Source: Cemeteries of Huntington Township, Gallia County, Ohio, Gallia County Historical Society: Huntington Township is the extreme northwestern township of Gallia County. It contains thirty-six sections. It was formed from Raccoon Township on June 5, 1810 and organized June 2, 1812. The first election was held at the house of Stephen Holcolmb in July, 1810 .... The first grist mill was erected by Enoch McNeal about 1815; it was built of logs and had one run of small stones used for corn only. Its location was on Big Raccoon Creek. In 1819 Stephen and Samuel Holcomb erected the first saw mill for John Adney at Vinton. Mr. Adney ran it for a number of years and then sold it to James McGhee.

1820 US CENSUS, Huntington Township, Gallia Co., OHIO:

John Adney, Head of Household, Age 40-49. (John is age 46.)

(1) male age 10-16. (John L. age 14.)

(2) males age 19-26. (Jonathon age 20, William age 18.)

(2) males over age 45 (John and unknown second male)

(3) females to age 10. (Sally age 6, Lovisa age 5, Barbara age 2.)

(1) females age 11-16 (Mary age 14.)

(1) female age 17-26. (Rhody age 17.)

(1) female age 26-44. (Barbary Lesena age 42.)

1830 US CENSUS, Huntington Township, Gallia Co., OHIO:

John Adney, Head of Household, Age 50-59. (John is age 56).

(1) female under 5. (unknown)

(1) females 5-9. (Rebecca age 8)

(2) females age 10-14 (Barbara age 12, Lovisa age 15)

(1) female age 15-19. (Sally age 17)

(1) female age 20-29. (Mary Polly age 25)

(1) female age 40-49) (Barbary Lesena age 52)

US General Land Office Records

Name: John Adney Issue Date: 1 Oct 1839 State: Ohio Acres: 39.76

Land Office: Chillicothe Section: 1 Twp: 7-N Range: 16W Ohio River Survey Gallia

Source: usgenweb, Mercer County, Ohio - Early Land Purchasers

Last Name First Name Date Signed Rng Twp Sec Desc Tot Acres

ADNEY JOHN 1834/01/30 1 E 7 S 19 E½SW 79.7000

ADNEY JOHN 1844/09/10 1 E 7 S 13 SWNW 40.0000

SLAUGHTER JOEL W 1833/11/27 1 E 7 S 19 SENW 40.5000

DUNN JAMES 1840/11/10 3 E 13 N 29 E½NW 56.000

1840 US CENSUS, Gibson Twp., Darke Co., OHIO:

John Adney, Head of Household, Age 60-69.

(2) females age 10-14, (1) female age 50-59.(Barbary Lesena was age 62)

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