Jesse Jennings Jr and Agnes Stone Alsup
The
man who has nothing to boast of but his illustrious ancestry, is like the
potato--the best part is under the ground.
Thomas Overbury
Note: This material in
this section is copied in large part from "James Alsup and Family" by
Joan D. Spragins, June 19896. Some of the information
contained came from Jesse Lafayette Jennings and Henry Dailey. I have slightly
edited the information and added some material. James W. Jennings, 21
December, 2000.
Agnes Stone Alsup, my gr, gr, grandmother, was the fourth child and the only
female child of James Alsup and his first wife. She was born in Washington
Co., TN on 29 Nov 1785 and died in Martindale, Caldwell Co., TX on 31 Aug 1869.
Her photograph is shown here. 
Since her descendants do not know the name of Agnes's mother (James Alsup's
first wife), they have speculated that her given name held a clue; or in not her
name, then a name chosen for one of her children. Stone and Reed are the
favored possibilities; however no record has been found to date to support this
theory.
Agnes Stone Alsup was the female infant in James Alsup's tax lists of 1785 and
1787 in Washington Co., TN. The family moved to Grainger Co. in the 1790's
and it was there that Agnes's first public record is found: the marriage
bond given by Jesse Jennings, Jr. for the marriage of himself and Agnes on
23 Nov 1803. (The bond has the names Jesse Jinnings and Agnes Alsup and is
signed by Jesse Jennings and Robert Taylor. It turns out that Robert
Taylor was Jesse's brother-in-law, married to Jesse's sister Rachael.)
Jesse Jennings was probably born in Bedford Co. (now Campbell Co.), VA in the
vicinity of Lynchburg. He was the son of Jesse Jennings, Sr, and Rachael
Eaton?. He was the third son with two brothers and six sisters.
The earliest record of a Jesse Jennings in E. TN is the purchase of 100 acres of
land on the Holston River in Grainger Co., from John Cotton (Colton?), on 5 May
1801 for $300. Since Jesse, Jr. was not quite 21 years of age at this time
it is probable that the purchase was by Jesse, Sr. There was one Jesse
Jennings listed on the 1804 tax list and two on the 1805 tax list.
Jesse, Jr. and Agnes Jennings moved about many times during their 18 years
together, with the result that their children were born in TN, KY, VA, KY, and
TN (in that order). The couple had 10 children: Sarah Stone, Rachel
Eaton, James Alsup, William Henry, Ann Massengale, Jesse Goode, Robert Jackson,
Susannah Pulliam, Joseph Pulliam, and Randolph Reed.
Two of these children were born in Grainger Co, Sarah Stone Jennings on 7 Sep
1804 and Rachel Eaton Jennings on 26 Jul 1806. Jesse, Sr. sold his 100
acres of land to Christopher Conway, for $550, sometime in 1806. It is
assume that Jesse, Jr. and family moved with Jesse, Sr. and family to Garrard
Co., KY where Jesse, Sr. bought land on 23 Aug 1806 on Drake's Creek. It
appears that Jesse, Jr. resided on this land with his parents, as he is shown on
the 1807, 1808, and 1809 tax lists with one poll but no land. While in
Kentucky Jesse and Agnes had their third child, James Alsup Jennings, born in
March 1808.
Jesse Jennings, Jr. then moved his family to Washington Co., VA in the
Saltville-Abindgon area. William Henry Jennings, my great grandfather, was
born there on 11 Jun 1809. The family was enumerated on the 1810 census
return as follows:
Jesse, age 25-45
Agnes, 16-26
2 males under 10 (James A. and William H.)
1 female under 10, (Sarah Stone, Rachel Eaton died in KY in 1807)
2 males age 16-26, unidentified
4 slaves
They resided near Eli Chaddicks, a first cousin through Eli's mother who was a
sister to Jesse's father, and near a William Jennings, believed to have been an
uncle of Jesse, Jr.'s.
On 19 Mar 1811, the fifth child, Ann Massengale Jennings, was born in Washington
Co., VA. She said that she was named for a great aunt, whether maternal or
paternal is not known.
No record of Jesse's purchase of land in Washington Co. has been found, nor
record of purchase of slaves. None of his close relatives owned slaves at
that time, so a gift or loan of then is ruled out. It is possible that
slaves were given to Agnes by her family. Whatever, Jesse did sign an
Indenture in Trust to John J. Trigg on 29 Aug 1811, with his 4 slaves (Letty and
her three children Violet, Flora, and Vina) as collateral. The not came
due on 17 Jan 1812 in the amount of $581.32, Jesse defaulted, and the slaves
were lost. There is a family story that Jesse had borrowed the money to help a
brother Freemason, who did not repay him.
At the time the slaves were lost William Henry was three years old. He
recalled in later years that when the slaves were led away his mother Agnes,
seeing that the smallest on had no hat, took William Henry's little red hat from
his head and placed it on the head of the little Negro. Other family
members recalled that this was the beginning of a pattern of financial hard
times for the family that ended eventually in their divorce in 1821.
The family remained in VA until after the birth of Jesse Good Jennings on 11 Aug
1812. This child was named for a good friend and neighbor, according to
descendants of the Goodes living near Kenedy, TX in the early 1900's.
The Jesse Jennings family next appeared in Kentucky, where the 7th
child, Robert Jackson Jennings, was born in 1814. They may have lived for
a short period of time with Agnes's parents in Grainger Co., TN on the way back
to KY. Between 1814 and 1817, Jesse, Jr. and family probably resided in
the Jesse, Sr.'s household.
On 25 Apr 1817, Jesse, Sr. deeded 100 acres of the land he had purchased in 1806
to his son Jesse, Jr. Their eighth child, Susannah Pulliam Jennings, was
born in KY about 1816-17. Jesse, Jr. kept this land only eight months and
sold it to Levy Baldoch on 9 Dec 1817.
Jesse Jennings moved his family to Lincoln Co., TN soon after selling his KY
land given him by his father. Apparently they were living with the James
Alsups when their ninth child, Joseph Pulliam Jennings, was born on 9 Nov 1818
in Lincoln Co., TN.
On 4 Mar 1819, Jesse Jennings bought 60 acres of land in Lincoln Co., along the
Bradshaw Creek/Elk River lines from Alexander McDonald for $200. The next
year their tenth and last child, Randolph Reed Jennings was born on 16 Jun 1820.
The 1820 census shows:
Jesse, 26-45
Agnes, 26-45
2 males, 10-15 (James A. and William H.)
4 males under 10 (Jesse G., Robert J., Joseph P., and Randolph R.)
2 females under 10 (Ann M. and Susannah P.)
It is believed that Jesse and Agnes Jennings obtained a legal separation in the
following year, because Jesse sold his land to his brother-in-law Robert Reed
Alsup for $300. According to the family Jesse left for parts unknown.
The date of the deed was 15 Jun 1821. Robert Reed Alsup, in the following
year (30 Apr 1822), deeded by gift this land back to Agnes and her children,
"in consideration of the natural love and affection which he hath and
beareth unto the named children of his sister Agnes Jennings." The
divorce became final on 4 Dec 1826, "in Act Passed at the Extra Session of
the Sixteenth General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN."
William Henry Jennings told his children that he was only 12 years old when his
father left them in Tennessee, and he went to work plowing for his Uncle Alsup
when he was barely able to reach the plow handles. Agnes, despite being a woman
always bought and sold property in her own name and it was said that she
supervised the dealings of her children until her death at an advanced age. She
inherited from her parents equally with her brothers, a rather liberal practice
in those days.
Jesse Jennings, Jr. appeared again in Garrard Co., KY in 1827, apparently
residing with his parents. Jesse, Sr. died in 1829, will probated 29 Mar
1829. Jesse, Jr. was married on 16 Jul 1829 to a widow, Susannah Stewart
Richardson (widow of William) who had several children. Susannah then died
in about 1832 and Jesse lost control of her and/or his land and other property
to support her minor children. Jesse last appeared on the Garrard Co. tax
rolls in 1845 with no land and over 60. There were vague family
recollections that Jesse visited his children, probably in MS on at least one
occasion between 1939 and 1851. It is believed that he died in the late
1840's, probably in KY although no record has been found of him after 1845.
Agnes Alsup Jennings and her children continued to live on their property in
Lincoln Co. near her father and brothers throughout the rest of the 1820's.
Her father, James Alsup, Sr. died in 1829 and his estate was divided into 10
equal parts among all of his children. Her eldest child Sarah Stone
Jennings was married in the late 1820's to her first cousin John Alsup, son of
Randolph Alsup, and they were found on the 1830 census with two little girls who
were under 5 years of age. Also residing in John Alsup's household was a
young male 20-30 that could have been Agnes's son, probably James A., since on
of Agnes's sons in that age group was missing from her household on the 1830
census.
The 1830 census shows Agnes, age 40-50; 2 males 10-14, Joseph P. and Randolph
R.; 2 males 15-20, Jesse G. and Robert J.; 1 male 20-30, probably William H.; 1
female 10-15, Susannah P.; and 1 female 15-20, Ann M. James A., was
missing from the home as stated above.
In the early 1830's Agnes's brother Randolph moved with most of his children to
Cherokee Co., AL. It appears that Agnes's son James A. accompanied his
uncle Randolph to Cherokee and was residing with him at census time in 1840,
inasmuch as the rest of Randolph's sons were all accounted for in their own
households. James A. had a wife and children born in AL as reflected on
the 1850 Pontotoc, MS census. It is probable that he was married to
Benecia while living in AL during the 1840's.
Agnes's daughter Susannah P. was married in 1838 to Leroy Luker. This
couple, along with John Alsup and wife (Sarah Stone Jennings), moved to MS
before 1840. Agnes Jennings sold her lands (over 500 acres) in Lincoln Co.
to her brother Brice M. G. Alsup on 13 Jan 1835. It is believed that her
two sons William H. and Robert J. bought land for her in Tippah Co., MS, in the
late 1830's. No record of the warranty deed has been located in county
records.
William H. and Robert J. bought land in Pontotoc Co., MS in 1838-39. He
was shown living alone in the 1840 census in Pontotoc. William H. was
sheriff of Pontotoc Co. for several years and bought several pieces of land
evidently on sheriff's sale. He also owned a store/saddle shop on the
northwest corner of the city square across from the courthouse. Robert J.
was not listed in the 1840 census in Pontotoc. It is possible that he was in
Shelby Co., TN (Memphis). It is known that he bought a cargo boat (GAYOSO)
while there and hauled freight on the Mississippi River. He owned land
there in 1842 and married Harriet Anderson in Memphis in 1843. Robert J.
died on 6 Jun 1864 in Memphis.
In the 1840 census shows Agnes with children Ann M., Joseph P, Randolph, and
Jesse G. living in her household in Pontotoc Co. Leroy Luker and wife
Susannah also resided in Pontotoc Co. During the 1840's many changes came
into the lives of Agnes's children. William H. was married on 6 Nov 1845
to Melvina Humphries of Lafayette Co., and they had 3 children by the 1850
census. Joseph P. was married on 7 Dec 1842 to Susan E. Crunk and they had
2 children by census time in 1850 in Pontotoc. James A. moved to Pontotoc
from AL with his wife and at least 2 children and another female person,
relationship unknown during the 1840's.
Susannah P. Jennings and husband Leroy Luker lived in Tippah Co., MS at 1850
census time with 5 children. Jesse Goode married before 1847 to Mary Jane
Wilson, but he died on 17 Aug 1849, leaving 3 small children in Pontotoc Co.
Ann M. married John D. Crunk in 1845 and they and Agnes A. Jennings lived
together on her land in Tipppah Co. in 1850, along with 2 children (1 born
earlier had died). Sarah Stone Jennings Alsup (who married her cousin John
Alsup) died in Tippah Co. about 1847, and her husband John moved to Benton Co.,
AL with their children, Jacksey and Mary, by census time in 1850. Robert
J. had married in 1843 in Memphis and lived there in 1850. Randolph R. was
married to Isabella Bouland in the 1840's and they lived in Pontotoc with two
children in the 1850 census.
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6
"James Alsup and Family", by Joan D. Spragins, Martindale, TX, June
1989.
