Library OF THE University of NortK Carolina This book was presented by the family of the late KEMP PLUMMER BATTLE, '49 President of the University of North Carolina from 1876 to 1890 FOR USE ONLY IN THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION Form No. A-368 f t THE ORIGIN AND GENEALOGY OF THE YEARGAN FAMILY As Far as Heard from up to This Date, 1890. COMPILED BY Ay Leonidas Hilary Yeargan, and Hilary H. L. Yeargan, M.D., Of New York, Of Murfreesboro, Tenn. PRINTED FOR THE COMPILERS. PUBLISHING HOUSE OF THE M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH. Bakbee & Smith, Agents, Nashville, Tenn. 1891. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/origingenealogyo58year PREFACE. By the personal efforts of Leonidas Hilary Year- gan and Hilary H. L. Yeargan, two second-cous- ins, who are the great-grandsons of the original Rev. Andrew Yeargan, these memoirs have been obtained. In getting up the facts in regard to our family in America, I had doubts as to whether the Rev. An- drew Yeargan was the only representative of our family. These doubts are not yet entirely removed, but from all the testimony of the family now living, and what I learned traditionally from my father, Bartlett Yeargan, who was a grandson of Rev. Andrew Yeargan, and in addition, having a record of my grandfather, Benjamin Yeargan' s Bible, placing himself as the second and his children as the third from the original Rev. Andrew Yeargan, etc. As further proof, George W. Yeargan, of Dyersburg, Tenn., has in his possession the Bible of Benjamin Yeargan, who was a direct son of the original Andrew, and as further proof of these facts, I have received a well-written letter from J. W. Yeargan, of South Carolina, a great-grandson 4 THE YEARGAN FAMILY. of the Rev. Andrew, who states that his father. Gideon Yeargan, now living, is a grandson of the original i\ndrew Yeargan, and that Gideon's father, Bartlett, was a direct son of the old pioneer Andrew. The tradition as received of my father, Bartlett Yeargan, a grandson, and what I learn from Gideon Yeargan, a present living grand- son of the Rev. Andrew, and the information re- ceived of George W. Yeargan and from my grand- father's old family Bible, and the many letters that I have received from a large number of the Year- gan family, scattered from Wilmington, N. C, to Oregon, all go to prove the identity of descent from the Rev. Andrew. Hilary H. L. Yeargan. THE YEARGAN FAMILY The Rev. Andrew Yeargan came from Wales about the year 1735, and settled in Virginia, then a young man of fine appearance, of the purest Cau- casian type, and more than ordinary educational attainments for that age, and as was the custom of that period of business and moral habits, sought the hand of Miss Ony Bowles and was married and went into business earnestly and successfully, carrying out the scriptural injunction (" diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord " ) req- uisite for a busy and holy life. He proved suc- cessful in all the business avocations of life, crown- ing the glory of his manhood with a large family of ten sons and one daughter. The Rev. Andrew's field of labor as a minister was in the Roanoke and James River Valley of Virginia, where he and his sons filled many useful positions of trust and honor during the stormy period of the Revolution of 1776. We next find him with his horse and Bible as a minister nursing young Methodism. Rev. Andrew Yeargan raised ten sons and one daughter — namely: Andrew, Jarratt F., Bartlett, John, Edward, Williams, Samuel, James, Sarah. Benjamin, Devereaux, 6 THE YEARGAN FAMILY. According to the published Minutes of the Meth- odist Conference, held at Fluvanna, May 18, 1779, we find Andrew Yeargan one of the Examining Committee to ascertain the fitness of candidates for the ministry, and in that year he and William More traveled the Tar River Circuit, and in 1780 (April 24, Conference held at Baltimore) we find Rev. Andrew Yeargan pastor of the Yadkin Cir- cuit. The number of ministers in the Methodist Conference at that date was forty-two; laymen, eight thousand live hundred and four. Whether he continued to preach or located, we have no means of knowing at this date. In this connec- tion, about 1770, we notice the influence of the Rev. Andrew Yeargan, having been exerted as probably a local preacher for some eight years in Virginia, and so impressed the builders, especially Mr. Wright, a minister who was appointed by John Wesley, who was working under the auspices of Francis Asbury, that the first Methodist chapel ever built in Virginia was named Yeargan' s Chap- el. See A. B. Hyde's "Story of Methodism," page 33, published 1887. A. B. Hyde spells this first chapel in Virginia 4 ' Yeargan' s." We think he is incorrect, and should be " Yearg^n's. We here lose sight of Andrew Yeargan and his wife, Ony Bowles, the fact being he had descend- ed into the pine forest of North Carolina and was riding respectively the circuits of Tar River and Yadkin, the first of his kind. We here pause to take a view of this wonderful THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 7 movement of the human mind — one of the most wonderful of all God's movements of the human mind in religious direction, resulting in the com- plete equipment and organization of the Methodist Episcopal denomination of Christians. During these thirty or forty years, the formative period of the Methodist Episcopal Church, these early preachers traversed every neighborhood of every colony, discussing and claiming their right to ad- minister the ordinances of the religion they preached, culminating in their meeting at Fluvan- na, Va., where by a vote of 18 out of 27 (9 not voting) they called for a committee, who were to ordain each other, and so their successors, thus providing for religious independence, and preced- ing the signers of the Declaration of Independence, who severed the civil and political relations of the colonies and Great Britain. By this act they like- wise deserve to be held in imperishable remem- brance. Prominent among these eighteen was Rev. Andrew Yeargan, twenty years in advance of the Wesleys, who followed them with their sanction after the establishment of an independent nation. Thus was born into Time twins, and on this West- ern Continent: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the United States of America. Early in the present century we find Rev. An- drew and Ony Bowles in Greenville, S. C, living with Devreux, their son, in which county they were buried after living long lives of usefulness. Our present purpose is to show up the identity and con- THE YE ARC, AN FAMILY. nection of the descendants of the Rev. Andrew's ten sons, and to group them into families as thev began to spread abroad in the land. Two of these sons. Benjamin and Jarratt Fletcher, settled in Chapel Hill. X. C. The elder son. Benjamin, and Jarratt F. Yeargan were leaders among those who originated the University of Chapel Hill. X. C. Benjamin Yeargan donating the land in part, per- haps all of it. and was among its rirst trustees His house was the home of such students as James K. Polk, Thomas Benton. Judge Battle, the father of the present President of the university, and many others of national fame. Benjamin Yeargan was assistant surgeon in the last Years of the Revolu- tion, and then married the widow of Tafply Pat- terson, whose maiden name was Sarah Morgan. She raised three Patterson children — viz.. Mann. Page, and Amelia. With her second husband. Ben- jamin Yeargan. she raised four children — viz.; 1. Charlotte Hinton. born September 25. 17S3. 2. Mark Morgan ( one of the rirst among the graduates of the University of X. C. ). born Sep- tember 2. 1785. 3. Harriet, born November 19. 1787. 4. Bartlett. born February iS. 1790. Kentucky Group. Charlotte Hinton, daughter of Benjamin Year- gan, and granddaughter of Rev. Andrew Year- U*an. was born in Orange County. N. C Septem- ber 25, 1783. She was married to Hugh Nunn in iSoljr and raised six children as follows: THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 9 Sarah C, David Nunn, Elizabeth, Hugh N., Susan L. Mary Fletcher. Sarah C. was born in North Carolina in 1805 ; married Enoch Randolph on Sept. 1, 1825; and died Feb. 3, 1881. Her children are as follows: Hugh Nunn Randolph, the eldest, died in in- fancy. Hugh Powhatan, second son of Sarah C, was born September 23, 1827; and married Elizabeth Barbee June 28, 1855. They have two daughters, Mrs. Duvall and Mrs. Waller, now living in Northwestern Missouri. John D. Randolph, son of Sarah C, was born March 28, 1829. He was married to Matilda Powell, June 5, 1855 ; and died in Pemiscot Coun- ty, Missouri, September 19, 1868. He left a widow and three children, all grown and married. Enoch F. Randolph, son of Sarah C, was born December 16, 1830. He was drowned April 3, 1858. He left no family. Charlotte L., daughter of Sarah C, was born February 13, 1832. She was married December 30, 1847, to Sanford Thurman, of Ohio; and died July 12, 1851. She left a son, Henry Clay. Cornelious M., son of Sarah C, was born March 8, 1834. He married Rebecca Whitman July 16, 1858; and died May 28, 1868. He left a widow and four children; the eldest, Mrs. Ad- die Bass. Virginia A., daughter of Sarah C, was born IO THE YEARGAN FAMILY. x\pril 3, 1836. She was married Dec. 22, 1858, 1858, to Samuel J. Howard; and died Dec. 11, 1866. She left two sons: James W. and Samuel J. Ilia Nunn, son of Sarah C, was born Aug. 25, 1838. He married Matha Cummins Feb. 2, 1864. They have two children, son and daughter. The daughter is married and has two children. Columbus Randolph, son of Sarah C, was born December 12, 1840. He married Lizzie Moore November 27, 1866; and died February 27, 1889. He left a widow with two children, son and daughter, both infants. Susan Mary, daughter of Sarah C, was born February 9, 1843: and married John B. Millet, a native of France, November 18, 1863. They have two children: Sarah and Enoch. Samuel W., son of Sarah C, was born Febru- ary 18, 1845. He married Mattie Moore in 1870, and again to Mattie Posey, in 1878, by whom he has five children, three girls and two boys. Paul, son of Sarah C, was born October 16, 1848. He was married to Mary Gregory Febru- ary 22, 1870; and died April 17, 1885. He left a widow with three children. David Nunn, the second child of Charlotte Hinton, married Miss Jane Shelby, daughter of Aaron Shelby, by whom was born eight children: Shelby, Sarah, Mary, David, Emma, Maria. Henry, Annah, All are dead but three: Shelby, Sarah, and Mary. THE YEARGAN FAMILY. II Elizabeth, the third child of Charlotte Hinton, was married to Whitfield Agnew. They have six children, all living but one. Their names are: Walter Agnew, Isabella Book, <- Susan Beckham, Virginia McClahan, Emily Galloway, Polina, who died single. Susan L., the fourth child of Charlotte Hinton, was married to William T. Harbert. Both are dead. They left three children: Charlotte C, Thomas, and Dillias D. All are living but the daughter, who left quite a large family. Hugh N., the fifth child of Charlotte Hinton, was married three times. His first wife was Miss Leuna Hancock, by whom he had six children, all dead. His second wife was a widow Spencer, by whom he had two children ; Charlotte and Mark Yeargan, both of whom are married. His third wife was a Miss Moseley, an old maid, by whom he had two children: Susan and Silas. Both mar- ried and have families. Mary Fletcher, the sixth child of Charlotte Hinton, was born in January, 1822; and was mar- ried about 1842 to Mr. John Hicks. They raised three children: Hilary, Powhatan, and Jeffie. All are dead except Jeffie. Hilary, the firstborn, was a soldier, and died in a Northern prison. Her hus- band, John Hicks, died about 1881. Jeffie mar- ried a Miss Pierce. Mark Morgan Yeargan married Miss Catherine Loftin on March 2, 1806, and settled in Hender- son, Ky., and raised a family of nine children. 12 THE YEARGAN FAMILY'. Mark Morgan and Catherine Loftin Yeargan' s children were : Elizabeth, born May 12, 1808. Amelia Patterson, born July 16, 1810. William Bartlett, born June 26, 181 2. Joseph Fletcher, born January 2. 1814. Sarah Catherine, born August 10, 1816. Francis Jane, born June 23. 1818. Charlotte Hinton, born October 26. 1821. Benjamin Wesley, born May 28, 1825. Martha Alston, born September 4. 1827. William Bartlett Yeargan. son of Mark Morgan Yeargan, married Miss Nancy Thelbert Crenshaw « in Henderson, Ky., July 19. 1832. The names of his children were : William Henry, born July 13, 1833. Joseph Ethelbert. born July 13, 1835. Mark Morgan, born August 16, 1838. George Washington, born October 23, 1840. Mary J. Elizabeth, born June 26, 1842. Permelia Ann, born June 11. 1845. Thomas Jefferson, born August 16, 1848, was married to Katie E. Coolidge March 10, 1885. His children were: Litta Miller, born October 24, 1886: Bertie Thomas, born January 8, 1889. John Suader, born May 26, 185 1. Sarah Shaplw born December 15, 1854, was married to James B. Finley July 3, 1873. Her children were: Clara Alice, born July 9, 1874; E\a Morgan, born June 17. 1877; Elmo Yeargan, born February 4, 1888. THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 13 Nancy T. Crenshaw, wife of William Bartlett, was born March 5, j8ii. Dr. George W. Yeargan, son of William Bart- lett Yeargan, was born October 23, 1840: was married to Mary A. C. Leroy, at Dyersburg, Tenn., December 30, 1862. His children were: Joseph Echols Yeargan, born November 1, 1865. Mary Ann Yeargan, born June 1, 1868. William Edgar Yeargan, born September 24, 1870. George Vesta Yeargan, born April 27, 1873. Fannie Bartlett Yeargan, born February 2, 1876. Guy Warren Yeargan, born July 8, 1880. Thomas Henry Yeargan, born June 24, 1883. Cyrus Crenshaw Yeargan, born July 24, 1886. Mary A. C. Leroy, wife of George W. Year- gan, and mother of the above-named children, was born August 17, 1845. Tennessee Group. I now proceed to notice Bartlett Yeargan, brother of Mark Morgan, and son of Benjamin, and grand- son of Rev. Andrew Yeargan, the original head of our family in America. Bartlett Yeargan was born February 18, 1790, at Chapel Hill, N. C; and in 1812 settled in Wil- liamson County, Tenn. Accompanying him w r ere his negroes; among them his confidential servant, Peter. He could read and write ; had learned this at Chapel Hill, N. C, as early as 181 2, show- T 4 THE YEARGAX FAMILY ing it was common to teach slaves to read and write, nor did it interfere with his faithfuluess or efficiency. On this Tennessee plantation the own- er kept a record in his family Bible of the births and deaths of all his slaves, and every negro fam- ilv had their Bible: some member could read it. These rules and customs were in force fifty years before the fanatical war waged for negro emanci- patio n, and are not only important as personal reminiscences, but as historical facts. In the heat and crisis of that war. another slave belonging to this family furnished another beautiful illustra- tion of the existing relation of master and negro: Jim Yeargan. now a respected citizen of Murfrees- boro. Tenn.. remained at home during all the oc- cupancy of the country and citv of Murfreesboro by the Northern Arm v. and when E. B. Yeargan, belonging to Forrest's command, came home at anv time. Jim Yeargan would go to Murfreesboro. inside the enemy's lines, and get anv article wanted, and at one time carried as much as eight hundred dollars out of the city to his master, and had a hundred opportunities of giving information to the enemy, but never once did so. In 1S13 Bartlett Yeargan married a Miss Mary A. Lawrence, an only daughter of Edmund Law- rence and Sarah Lanier, an English family, and raised twelve children, as follows: Sarah Morgan. Nathan A. F.. Marv Sumner. Amelia Charlotte. Hilary H. L.. Susan Onv Wesley. HILARY H. L. YEARGAN, M.D. THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 15 Rebecca Hester, Clementine M., Martha Ann, Edmund Bartlett, Joanna Rachel, Benjamin Andrew. Sarah Morgan was born in July, 1814. She was married to Lewis M. Grigg, and raised two chil- dren: Joseph M. Grigg, who married a Miss Mag- gie Acuff ; and Sue F. F. Grigg, who married Rev. O. B. Caldwell. Mary Sumner was born November 13, 1817, and in 1832 married Thomas Sims and raised the following children: Sarah Jane, Fannie S., Lewis S., Charlotte A., Mansfield R., Jennie B., E. Bartlett, Fruzanna R., Nicholas H., Thomas H., Mary E., Alexander T. Hilary H. L. Yeargan, born May 29, 1820, was a graduate of Transylvania University, Lexington, Ky., class term 1846; married Miss E. F. Jarrett, of Rutherford County, Tenn., January 12, 1848. They raised six children — viz.: Sarah E., Robert Andrew, Samuel Bartlett, Marietta A., Mark Sullivan, Benjamin Thomson H. Sarah E. was born November 10, 1848. She was married first to E. W. Brooks; again to Foun- tain P. Love. They have raised no children. Prof. Samuel Bartlett Yeargan, son of H. H. L. Yeargan, and grandson of Bartlett Yeargan, and great-grandson of Benjamin Yeargan, and great- i6 THE YEARGAN FAMILY. great-grandson of Rev. Andrew Yeargan, was born August 7, 1850; and was married to Miss Tinie Reagan in December, 1885 . They have three chil- dren — namely: Marie, Beatrice, and Lawrence Reagan. Mark Sullivan, son of H. H. L. and E. F. Year- gan, was born June 18, 1852. Robert Andrew was born July 9< 1854; an d in September, 1890, married Miss Hattie T. Arnold, and has one child: Clinton Edwin. Marietta A., daughter of H. H. L. and E. F. Yeargan, was born November 19, 1856; and mar- ried Dr. D. C. Huff in December, 1880. They have three children, as follows: Anna Leland, Marietta, and Charley McLester. Benjamin Thompson H., son of H. H. L. and E. F. Yeagan, was born August 29, 1862. Nathan A. F. Yeargan, son of Bartlett and Mary A. Yeargan, and great-grandson of Rev. Andrew Yeargan, was born December 24, 1821 ; and mar- ried Miss Charlotte Davis in November, 1844. The children are as follows : Henry Bartlett was born in November, 1845, and died in fourteen months. John Hinton, the eldest son of Nathan A. and Charlotte S. Yeargan, was born July 29, 1847, in Rutherford County, Tenn. ; went to Texas in 1854; was married November 23, 1881, to Mattie V. Bumpass. She was born in 1863, also a native of Tennessee. They moved to Texas in 1871. They have three children: THE YEARGAN FAMILY. I 7 Charles Francis, born August 29, 1882. Elva Elizabeth, born October 15, 1884. John Hinton, Jr., born July 9, 1891. Jennie Elizabeth, oldest daughter of N. A. and C. S. Yeargan, was born May 24, 1849, anc ^ was married to William Rogers February 8, 1870. She had five children, four sons and one daughter — viz. : Charley Brantz, Willie Frank, Nathan Bartlett, Charlotte Virginia. Edward, Powel Benjamin, the third child, was born Sep- tember 14, 1850, and was married to May Webb December 24, 1890. Thomas Randol was born July 27, 1852; and was married to Mattie Gill December 19, 1883. They have three children: Jessie Owen, Thomas Lloyd, and Charley Gill. William Nathan was born January 12, 1854; an< ^ died February 13, 1880. Sarah Ann was born April 18, 1856, and was married to Rev. W. R. Manning (a Methodist minister) December 23, 1879. They have four children: Pearl, Blanche, Ben, and Bessie. Mary Emma was born January 7, 1858, and was married to Thomas Eads September 23, 1883. They have two children : Lucy Irwin and William. Edmund Davis was born December 4, 1859, anc ^ was married to Susan Richard December 15, 1886. They have three children : Sam, Edwin, and Grace. Charlotte Fruzanna was born September 24, 1862. 2 i8 THE YEARGAX FAMILY. Alice Irene was born February 21. 1865 ; and died July 26, 1865. Henry Fletcher was born November 17, 1867. Edmund Bartlett Yeargan, third son of Bartlett and Mary A. Yeargan, was born October 22, 1832 ; and married Martha America Jarratt, daughter of Thompson and Elmira Jarratt, December 23, 1857, and raised the following children : Thompson Bartlett, Lawrence Dodd, Leila Anna, Hilarv Felix Hill. Lizzie, Rebeccah Charlotte. Fruzanna J., Thompson Bartlett was born October 5, 1858: and married Sallie P. Featherston December 24, 1885. Thev have two children: Nadine Scales and Oliver. Leila Anna was born February 27, 1861 : and married J. Robert Page November 12, 1885. She died July 6, 1888, leaving an infant eight months old, which died one week later. Lizzie was born August 19, 1862 ; and graduated at Soule Female College. She was married to James E. Tarpley December 2, 1886. They have one child: Yeargan T. Tarpley. Fruzanna J. was born November 15, 1866; and married Alford R. Snell September 9, 1888. They have one child: Fred Woods. Lawrence Dodd was born April 13, 1869. Hilarv Felix Hill was born December 2, 1872. Rebeccah Charlotte was born June 4, 1874. THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 19 Amelia Charlotte, daughter of Bartlett and Mary A. Yeargan, was born in 1824 and died in 1828. Susan Ony Wesley, daughter of Bartlett and Mary A. Yeargan, was born in October, 1827 ; and married to Maj. James M. Johnson in November, 1844. They raised three children, viz.: Rev. B. H. Johnson, Josiah Bartlett, Mattie A. Rev. B. H. Johnson, of the Tennessee Metho- dist Conference, first married Miss Mattie Shef- field in 1869, having four children: Clarissa, Eph- raim, Maud, and Bennie. His second wife was Miss Julia Neblett, who has one child. Josiah Bartlett, son of James M. Johnson, was born in July, 185 1, and married Miss Hattie Dob- bins in 1882. They have four children: Aleck, Leila, Fannie, and Lennie C. Mattie A., daughter of James M. Johnson, was born in March, 1854; an( ^ married Littleton Fuller in 1874. They have one child: Lavalla. Rebecca Hester, daughter of Bartlett and Mary A. Yeargan, was born July 15, 1830; and married A. H Bass in November, 1850. They raised three children: Sarah Jane, Jim Bartlett, and Bennie A. Sarah Jane married B. F. Swain, who have two children: Sallie B. and Martha R. Bennie A. Bass married Addie Randolph. Martha Ann, daughter of Bartlett and Mary A. Yeargan, was born September 23, 1835; married Josephus A. Johnson in January, 1853, and raised one son: William Thomas. Joanna Rachel, daughter of Bartlett and Mary 20 THE YEARGAN FAMILY. A. Yeargan, was born August 28, 1837. She was married to H. H. Horton in October, 1857, and raised five children: Williella, who married Rev. S. W. Bransford, of the Tennessee Conference, and has three children — Kate, Ella Horton, and John; Anna Horton, born in March, 1862 ; Hollis Horton, born in August, 1866; Lawrence Horton, born in June, 1868; Hattie Horton, born in July, 1874. Clementine M., daughter of Bartlett and Mary A. Yeargan, was born in September, 1839; and married James M. Johnson in November, 1857. They have five children: Mary Sue, born in No- vember, 1859, an d married William McMeekin in November, 1884: Delia F., born in November, 1861, and married Prof. William Bryant June 3, 1885; James Jr., born in March, 1866, and mar- ried Miss Estelle Mangrum in September, 1889. The last-named couple have one child: Bernard Wilson. Benjamin Andrew, the fourth son of Bartlett Yeargan, of the fourth generation from Andrew, was born August 7, 1841 ; was a sprightly young man, well educated, was a color bearer in the Twentieth Tennessee Infantry, Confederate serv- ice, and was killed in a battle on the 23d of June, 1863. At Beech Grove and around Fairfield in a hotlv contested battle the colors were twice shot down. Benjamin Yeargan seized them and bore them aloft, when a shell exploded and took off both his legs above the knees, the same shell kill- ing Maj. Claybrook, and De Covington. CHESLEY M. YEARGAN, ESQ. THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 21 Jarratt Fletcher Yeargan was one of the two sons of the original Rev. An- drew Yeargan who settled at Chapel Hill, N. C. He married a step-daughter of his brother Benja- min, a Miss Amelia Patterson, daughter of Tappley Patterson, a distinguished soldier who died of small- pox at Norfolk during the Revolution of 1776, leav- ing a widow and three children — viz., Mann, Page, and Amelia. The maiden name of Ta^pley Patter- son's widow was Sarah Morgan. Jarratt Fletcher Yeargan married his brother Benjamin's step-daughter, Amelia Patterson. They raised eight children, six sons and two daughters — viz. : Benjamin, Henry Hilary, Patterson, Chesley, Devereux Jarratt, Charlotte, Bartlett Wesley, Sarah. Benjamin married and settled in WestTennessee, thence moved into Mississippi, and died early, leav- ing a large family, one of whom is named John Wesley, now living in Arkansas. The second son, Patterson Yeargan, was an em- inent physician, who graduated at Baltimore ; mar- ried aMissMarthaThompson, of Baltimore ; located at Princeton, in Misissippi; afterward removed to Henderson, Ky., where he lived but a few years, leaving a widow without heirs. The third son, Devereux Jarratt Yeargan, was born April 18, 1803; settled in Henderson, Ky. ; married a Miss Elizabeth Talbot, daughter of Dr. 22 The yeargan family. Edmund Talbot. Her mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Gordon, said to be the first white child born in Kentucky. His first wife, Miss Elizabeth Talbot, was born April 10, 1803; anfi died in her twenty-sixth year, leaving two children, Andrew Patterson and John Wesley. Devereux Jarratt Yeargan's second wife was Mrs. Laura Gordon Thompson, a sister of his first wife, a widow with one son — viz., E. A. Thompson. She raised three Yeargan children, one son and two daughters — viz., Samuel Devereux Jarratt, Elizabeth Talbot, and Lucy Franklin. The first settled in Henderson, Ky. ; thence to Morgan County, 111., in the year 1834, an d in 1846 moved to Washington County, Mo., and died on February 12, 1861 — his widow some ten years later. Andrew Patterson, son of Devereux Jarratt Year- gan, and great-grandson of Rev. Andrew, the origi- nal, was born July 5, 1826, and married Ann Lu- cinda Westover, and raised one son, John Wesley, and two daughters, Lavinia and Elizabeth. John Wesley Yeargan, son of Devereux Year- gan, of Missouri, and grandson of Jarratt Fletcher Yeargan, and great-grandson of Rev. Andrew Yeargan, went to California, and thence to Ore- gon, and finally returned to Missouri and married a young widow with two children. They raised three more, two sons and one daughter, Devereux, Amy, and John Patterson. Samuel Devereux Jarratt Yeargan, brother of Andrew Patterson Yeargan, and great-grandson THE YEARGAN FAMILY. of Rev. Andrew Yeargan, migrated to California thirty-four years ago, and was book-keeper at the Mint at San Francisco ten years at a salary of $2,500 per year. He is now in Washington Ter- ritory. He married a Miss Emily McBride, and they have one son, named Orville. The fourth son of Jarratt Fletcher Yeargan, and grandson of Rev. Andrew Yeargan, was Bartlett Wesley Yeargan. He also settled in Missouri. His first wife was a Miss Buford. She raised one son: James Buford. She died, and Bartlett Wes- ley Yeargan moved to Washington County, Mo., and married Miss Loretta Westover, who survives him. They raised nine children, three sons and six daughters: Chesley, Amelia, Mary, Calvin, Jane, Lucinda, George Wesley, Sarah, Caroline. The fifth son of Jarratt Fletcher Yeargan, and grandson of Rev. Andrew Yeargan, was Henry Hilary Yeargan, born and raised at Chapel Hill, N. C, and about 1835 married Miss Catharine McGee, a Scotch lady, and raised three children, Leonidas Hilary, Elizabeth A., and John W., losing two, Maria, first born, and Chesley, the last born. Now this fifth son of Jarratt Fletcher Yeargan — viz., Henry Hilary — was known far and wide as the "Prince of Merchant Tailors " in his day in North Carolina, in getting up fashionable outfits. The rice and cotton planters of the coast had their summer residences in this fine, upper country, and -4 THE YEARGAN FAMILY 71 . were accustomed to give him carte-blanche to buy what he thought they needed ; and when he visited the Northern markets he bought their grass linens, pongee silks, and fine French cloths with their del- icate shades, always imported, and which was left to his taste entirely, as better than thev could se- lect for themselves. He was as widely known for his large hospitality and liberality, and devotion to old-fashioned Methodism. His house was always open to ministers; in fact, a large room was de- voted to them for their private use and religious services. The admixtures of the English blood of Rev. Andrew Yeargan, and the Scotch-Irish of Patterson, McGee, and Morgan families were shown up most conspicuouslv in blending feature, tvpe, and symmetry into perfect comeliness in this branch of the family. Henry Hilary Yeargan died on his way home from a visit to see his brothers in Missouri in 1863. Miss Elizabeth A. Yeargan married a Mr. Hug- gins, and raised two daughters, Katie and Eugenia. Mrs. Elizabeth Y. Huggins afterward married a Mr. Taylor. Leonidas Hilary, born about 1839, was raised in North Carolina, and at an earl}' age was at Hampden-Sidnev College, Virginia, joined the Confederate seryice, and after the war came home to find himself without home or country and in a condition to begin even with the world ; went to New York City and engaged in business with A. T. Stewart, and made a success; married a Miss Fannie Allen at Hawfields, Alamance County, « LEONIDAS H. YEARGAX. THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 25 N. C, who only lived a short time, leaving five children — viz.: Lonnie, Hilary, Allen, Praise, Courtney — all dead except Allen and Praise. Catherine Praise Yeargan is at school in Salem, N. C; and L. H. Yeargan (their father) is in business in New York City. The third son of Henry Hilary was John W. He lived to be grown and married, and died, leaving no heirs. Chesley Yeargan, son of Jarratt F. Yeargan, and grandson of Rev. Andrew Yeargan, was born about 1814; settled with his brother Bartlett, in Missouri; thence in 1833 he came to Bartlett Year- gan's, in Williamson County, Tenn. He then fi- nally settled in Henderson, Ky., and engaged in business with Barrett & Bros., making a success in finances, and married Maria Thompson about 1848, and died about 1852, leaving no heirs. His widow was living in 1887. Charlotte, the seventh child, married Samuel Couch. Sarah Yeargan, the eighth child of Jarratt F. Yeargan, was adopted by her aunt, Mrs. Sallie Alston, who was the only daughter and heir of Mr. Samuel Yeargan, who had married Mr. Thomas Alston, who managed to dispossess Sarah Year- gan of her aunt's large property, as her aunt was childless. She, Sarah Yeargan, married Col. W. K. Martin, and raised three daughters and two sons: Veritas, Sarah, Macon, Robert, and Thom- as. Veritas married a Mr. Sanders, and is now a 26 THE YEARGAN FAMILY. widow with one son, Simon S., living in Wilming- ton, N. C. Virginia Group. Williams Yeargan, son of Rev. Andrew Year- gan, who lived and died in Brunswick County, Virginia, married a Miss Bennett. His first son, John, was born in 1796, and married a Miss Judith Bennett, of North Carolina, and raised by his first and second wife, whose maiden name was Martha Foster, having first married a Mr. Oates, the fol- lowing named children: Rebecca, married Henry Carter, of Tennessee. Ann, married Lewis Dillingham. Elizabeth, died in her seventeenth year. Catherine, married William Stites. James A. Yeargan, of Nashville, married Miss Louisa Carter, Minor. Judith, married William Bennett. Narcissa, married James Bradley, of Kentucky. William A., married Lucy White, of Tennessee. Wesley Carroll, married Miss Oates, of Ken- tucky. Mary Jane, married Ephraim Dillingham, of Kentucky. Louisa, married Scott Briggs, of Kentucky. Susan, married Charles Coleman, of Kentucky. James Yeargan, the second son of Williams Yeargan, and grandson of Andrew Yeargan, mar- ried first a Miss Griffith, and raised by her Robert Yeargan, born April 19, 1824. Robert Yeargan married a Miss Vick, and raised one daughter, MISS C. PRAISE YEARGAN, DAUGHTER OF L. H. YEARGAN. THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 27 Helen, who married a Mr. Fantleroy. The four named below are the Griffith children : Andrew J. Yeargan, married Tabitha Roberson. Sampson Yeargan, married a Miss Vick. Tabitha, married Isaac Cooper. His second wife, whose name was Preston, raised four children — viz.: H. J. Yeargan, married Miss R. Hayse. Anderson, died of small-pox during the war in 1863. John F. Yeargan, married a Miss Turner. C. T. Yeargan, married a Miss Rutland. Philip, third son of Williams Yeargan, who set- tled in Ohio, raised two sons, John and Riley, and two daughters, Rebecca and Samantha. Philip's second wife raised three daughters and one son. Bennett Yeargan, fourth son of Williams Year- gan, and grandson of the Rev. Andrew Yeargan, married a Miss Frankie Scott, and raised one daughter, Susan, who married John Durham. Her second husband was William Warmick. South Carolina Group. "Go to Yongan and fetch me a stoup of ale." (See Hamlet, Act V., Shakespeare.) I now proceed to notice the South Carolina group of Yeargans. Some of the same families spell their names differently — namely, the original Andrew Yeargan spelled his name " Y-e-a-r-g-a-n," his son Benjamin spelled his " Y-e-a-r-g-a-i-n," and his son Bartlett spelled his " Y-e-a-r-g-i-n.' ' The two 28 THE YEARGAX FAMILY. North Carolina brothers. Benjamin and Jarratt F., and their descendants spell their name like the original Andrew Yeargan. as published in the Minutes of the first Methodist Conference held in Philadelphia in June. 1773. The writers of these memoirs have in their possession the Minutes of the early Conferences held from the beo-innino- of the Weslevan Societies up to 1813.* On January 1. 1890. I received a letter from J. T. Yeargan. of Eastland. Eastland County. Tex., who states that his father was Rufus Yeargan, his grandfather was Devereux. and that Devereux Yeargan was known to be the son of Rev. Andrew Yeargan. according to the information of Gideon Yeargan, the oldest and only living grandson of the Rev. Andrew Yeargan. J. T. Yeargan reports that his grandfather, Dev- ereux Yeargan. had live sons: And rew. Rufus, Benjamin, A Villi am. Steven. The first four are dead. William migrated to Illinois. Rufus his father ( T. J. Yeargan' s father); married an Austin. Gen. James McDaniel, his grandfather on his mother's side, was a distin- guished general in the Revolutionary war. All of these families were originally from Virginia. Rufus Yeargan. son of Devereux Yeargan, raised the following 1 children: * Minutes of some conversations between the preachers in connection with Mr. John Wesley. THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 2 9 Mary P. Robertson, Jane, James, Josie, Devereux, Benjamin, William, J. T. Gideon Yeargan, who now lives in Laurens County, S. C, was born in 181 2, which makes him seventy-nine years of age (in 1891). He is the oldest representative of the family. His father, Bartlett Yeargan, was the son of the Rev. Andrew. Gideon's father settled in Greenville, S. C, and raised a family of eight children, five boys and three girls. The sons' names were: Benjamin, Bartlett, William, Gideon. Jarratt, Gideon Yeargan, son of Bartlett Yeargan, and grandson of Rev. Andrew Yeargan, was born November 24, 1812, in Greenville County, S. C. His life and character stand out prominently as setting forth every Christian grace. He was married December 27, 1842, to Ann Coker, of Laurens County, S. C. In 1856 they moved from Greenville to Laurens County, where they now live in happiness and comfort, surrounded by his children, all happy and prosperous. Perhaps no man in Laurens County has so fine a reputation as that grand old man. Truly it may be said that elements are so mixed in him that the whole world might stand and say: " This is a man kind, gen- erous, foremost in every good cause. He is loved, honored, and admired by saint and sinner. 30 THE YEARGAN FAMILY. Too much cannot be said of this magnificent Christian gentleman. Gideon Yeargan and wife, Ann Coker, had fourteen children, whose fami- lies are given as follows: Robert H., oldest son of Gideon, was born No- vember 15, 1843. He was married to Fannie Wallace February 1, 1866. Their children are: Mary L., Gideon, Willis W., Marvin, LilaM., Myrtle F., Josie C, Mavina A., Beatrice, R. Eugene. Mary L., the eldest daughter of Robert H., graduated with highest honor from Columbia Fe- male College in 1885. She at once took a posi- tion as teacher in her Alma Mater, which she held for three years, and since then has taught in Lees- ville College for young men and young women. In 1891 she was appointed by Governor Tillman as one of a commission of three to find out the requirements of a State industrial school for girls, and had some prominence as an institute teacher, an elocutionist. Lila M., second daughter of Robert H., grad- uated from Columbia Female College, South Car- olina, in 1887. She is also a teacher. Josie C, third daughter of Robert H., is a graduate from Leesville College, South Carolina. Gideon Yeargan's second child, Sallie A., born June 10, 1845, was teacher for several years; and on January 25, 1877, sne was married to Robert THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 3 1 Hellams. They have three children: Mary E., Gideon Y., and Annie Florence. Mahala M. Yeargan, third child of Gideon, was born June I, 1847. She was married to Wil- lis H. Hellams December 10, 1868. They have three children, two infants who died very small. Minnie F., who graduated in Columbia Female College in June, 1886, was married to Marcus L. Patterson, December 26, 1889. They have one child: Minnie Louise P. Ony P. Yeargan, daughter of Gideon, born Au- gust 21, 1848, was married to G. W. Brownlee September 8, 1870. They have six children: Thomas Gideon, Sallie E., Robert L., George W., Annie L., Hattie L. Mattie M. Yeargan, daughter of Gideon, born May 29, 1850, was married to W. Collier Currey December 19, 1872. They have six children: Festa Y., Wray Eldridge, Nellie C, Gideon H., J. Alvin, W. Clyde. Gideon H. Curry died March 7, 1881. M. Eliza Yeargan, daughter of Gideon Year- gan, was born June 15, 1852. She was married to Robert J. Taylor September 17, 1874. ^ n this family are six children : Samuel L., John Yeargan, William Gideon, Susan M., R. James, One died an infant. 32 THE YEARGAN FAMILY. M. Eliza Yeargan, the mother of these children, died in great peace and heavenly joy April 14, 1883. Her life was a light to all who came under her influence. F. Isabella, daughter of Gideon, was born May 9, 1854. She was married to W. Butler Garrett December 23, 1875. They have six children — viz. : Annie M., Earnest Miles, Nannie E., William B., Charles Gideon, Hattie. Hattie, the third daughter, died in 1883. Hattie E., daughter of Gideon Yeargan, was born October 14, 1855. She was married to W. H. Ariail, of the South Carolina Conference, De- cember 17, 1878. They have four children — viz.: Bessie, William Coke, Claudius Herbert, D. Marvin. Claudius Herbert died in 1883. Mrs. Hattie Ariail, after months of great suffer- ing, died August 1, 1886. Among the wives of the South Carolina ministers none were more highly respected than this noble Christian lady. She died as she had lived, triumphantly trusting in Jesus. Mays Y., daughter of Gideon Yeargan, was born April 27, 1857. She was married to Lewis Abercrombie December 27, 1879. They have five children — viz.: Leucretia, Gideon Herbert, Annie, Lewis Clarance. Claudius, THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 33 Claudius died in 1884. Emma, daughter of Gideon Yeargan, was born April 25, 1859. She was married to John A. Taylor December 24, 1879. They have three children: S. Annie, Ida E., and Benjamin Gideon. J. William, son of Gideon Yeargan, was born December 15, i860; and was married to Clara S. Shell March 1, 1883. They have three children — viz.: Addie M., Thomas Henry, William H. Ida, daughter of Gideon, was born April 9, 1862. She was married to A. McDuff Curry December 24, 1884. They have no children. Samuel Y. was born April 28, 1864; and died July 7, 1865. Addie F. daughter of Gideon Yeargan, was born January 28, 1866; and died April 4, 1884. Her life was beautifully unselfish, and her dying testimony left no doubt as to her entrance into the glory land. Gideon Yeargan' s family are set- tled within a few miles of the old homestead, South Carolina. All are Christians, and are mem- bers of the Methodist Church, except one family who are Presbyterians. The character of Gideon Yeargz'n, as they now spell their names, seems to be indelibly stamped upon the whole family, and with one or two excep- tions his children and grandchildren are following his example. Since writing up the memoirs, quite recently, this renowned patriarch has been called from labor to rest. On October 30, 1891, after a protracted illness, he died in great peace, exhorting 3 34 THE YEARGAN FAMILY. his large family and numerous friends to trust in God. He was 78 years, 11 months, and 6 days old. Andrew Yeargan, son of the Rev. Andrew, the original, settled in South Carolina, raised two chil- dren, and died in that State. Their identity is lost. Rev. John Yeargan, one of the ten sons of the original Andrew, was born and raised in North Carolina, was a soldier in the war for Independ- ence, was in two noted battles, Cowpens and King's Mountain. He was a Methodist preacher, lived many years, and died and was buried in Newbury County, S. C, at the old Hopewell Church and school of that name. He raised two sons. John and Wiley. John settled in South Carolina, mar- ried, and raised no children, was a Methodist and a farmer, and lived to be sixty-seven years of age, and was buried in Laurens County. S. C. Wilev, the brother of John, and son of the Rev. John, and grandson of the Rev. Andrew, married Miss Nancy Morgan. He was born in 1798, and died in November, 1864. Wiley and wife settled in Cherokee County, Ala., and raised eight sons, one of whom died in infancy. Three died from sickness, and one from a wound in the late war. All four were soldiers, and died in the Confeder- ate army. The names of their children are: John. Albert. Perry. These are in California. Henrv, Bartlett. Milton. William. These four were lost in the Confederate service. THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 35 John Yeargan, son of Wiley, is also a Methodist minister. He is a great-grandson of the original Andrew, and is now living in Fresno, Cal. He is sixty years of age — was born April 25, 1830. His first wife was Eleanor Miller. She raised nine children. Five of them are dead, four living — viz. : Lizzie McWhorton, Robert Lee, Sallie Atkinson, Nellie. The last named is a graduate, and in her seven- teenth year. His first wife died June 3, 1884. His second wife was Mrs. Ruth Lee. She only lived about fourteen months after her marriage. His two oldest daughters married Methodist ministers. Samuel, son of the original Rev. Andrew, settled and married in Newbury County, S. C. ; removed to Franklin County, Ga. Nothing of him or his descendants are known in the Yeargan family, except his daughter Sallie, who married Thomas Alston, of North Carolina. She had no heirs. Edward Yeargan, son of the original Andrew, married in Newbury County, S. C. ; raised a large family of children. Edward and his wife were killed by lightning. Have no clue as to the chil- dren. Their death occurred in Anderson County, S. C, where he had finally settled. James Yeargan, son of the original Rev. Andrew Yeargan, was a bachelor, and died at his brother Devereux's, in Greenville County, S. C, and was buried at the old burying ground in Greenville, where his father, the Rev. Andrew Yeargan, and wife were buried. Sarah Yeargan, the only 36 THE YEARGAN FAMILY. daughter of the Reverend Andrew Yeargan the or- iginal, married Mr. Burrell Hudson, and raised a large family of children. James Yeargain. My father and mother were from Botetourt, Va. My father's name was James Yeargain, and my mother's maiden name was Nancy Steele. They married in Virginia, and emigrated to Wil- son County, Tenn., in 1830. This union resulted in a family of four children — namely: Mary S., born December, 1828. George W., born January, 1830. John W., born February 25, 183 1. C. Elizabeth, born February, 1836. After my mother's death, my father married again and raised several children, of which I know nothing, as I left home to live in Alabama with my uncle, George M. Steele. After living with him in Huntsville about fifteen years, I went to Canton, Miss., where I remained until the war. I then went into the army one year, as lieutenant in the Madison Rifles, Tenth Mississippi Regiment, and then to Virginia with light artillery and remained in the army of Northern and Western Virginia until the close of the war. I was present at Gen. Lee's surrender at Appomattox C. H., since which time I have not heard of my father, or any one of his last wife's children. December 10, 1868, I married a Miss Kate Coulter, of Mississippi, and have raised six children, all of them now living THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 37 with me in New Orleans. Their names and ages are as follows: Henry Coulter, born September 25, 1869. Angelo Steele, born January 2, 1872. Solomon Coulter, born January 28, 1874. Eliza, born October 26, 1875. Lena, born March 4, 1877. As given under my hand, John W. Yeargain. 333 Magazine Street, New Orleans, La. Now, in conclusion, we find that the identity of some of the grandchildren of the Rev. Andrew Yeargan's family cannot, in a few instances, be fully recognized, one of whom was John Yeargan, born about 1769. In early manhood he came from Eastern Virginia, and settled in Charlottesville, Va. He soon became a noted leader of society of that day, which was very gay. He was particularly distinguished for his attention to dress and love of dancing. He had a variety of suits, and generally appeared in silk stockings, buckskin knee pants, and silver buckles on his shoes, as was the fashion of that day, and wherever a dance or a ball was gotten up, Johnnie Yeargan was indispensable and a leading spirit; was often for this purpose sent for from a distance, and always carried his musi- Note. — The authors of these memoirs are satisfied that this family and that the name Yeargan, Yearg/n, Yeargc?m are one and the same family, and all are descendants of the Rev. Andrew Yeargan and wife, Ony Bowles, as before mentioned. H. H. L. Yeargan, M.D. Murfreesboro, Tenn. 38 THE YEARGAN FAMILY. cians with him. On one of these occasions, the celebrated Thomas Jefferson played the riddle with his orchestra. Mr. Jefferson is known to fame as the author of an historic paper, called the " k Declara- tion of Independence " and for many subsequent achievements of statesmanship, but was morbidly anxious to be considered a musician and violinist; and when Monticello. his country residence, burned down, he saved his riddle at great exertions, and was very proud of it. Yeargan was at that time engaged in business, groceries and sadlery, the lat- ter a leading business then, horseback riding being the general mode for travel. This section of Vir- ginia was always noted for the beautv of its women. Johnnie Yeargan was engaged to one of these fair daughters. One day the village gossips saw these lovers meet and exchange a few words of conversa- tion. Nothing was ever known of its purport, and as both parties lived for more than fifty Years in the same neighborhood, and finally died and were buried in the same graveyard, this reticence was most remarkable. Immediatelv after the conversation alluded to, Johnnie Yeargan sold out his store and retired to a private dwelling, and became a self-immolated city hermit. He then closed his doors and windows and stretched a chain across the in- side of his front door, which was seldom drawn aside only on business emergencies, and then con- fined himself mostly to the purchase and sale of domestic liquors, wines, and cordials, which were plentifully made in that country, and were brought THE YEARGAN FAMILY. 39 to him by the farmers and mountaineers, and rolled into his cellar, marked and dated when received, as he never sold them under seven years of age from time of making. This soon gave him a reputation for a great distance, and his house became a resort for the purchase of fine unadul- terated liquors. To get these purchases, the ap- plicant would rap at the window, present his vessels and the money, which was always received either in gold or silver. Johnnie Yeargan would fill the vessel, return it to the owner at the window, and re- mark that the purchaser had his purchase and that he had the money. On some occasions he would present the purchaser with some fine drink of wine or cordial. In this business he accumulated a large amount of gold and silver, and kept up this secluded life for over fifty years, though his opinion was oc- casionally sought by his fellow-citizens in times of great political excitement, as was the case in the second canvass of Gen. Andrew Jackson. He gave a decided opinion in favor of Gen. Jackson, and asserted that he was the greatest President the country had had since Washington. In February, 1839, ^ e nac ^ not t> een seen about his premises for several davs. Some one forced an entrance into his house, and found the body prone on his face, having been dead over two days. A number of good books were found with which he solaced his retirement. Jars of silver and gold were found in the room and buried in the cellar, and parties were digging for weeks afterward hunt- THE YEARGAN FAMILY'. ing his treasures. The county appointed an ad- ministrator, one William Lee. The schedule of his estate is spread on the books of the County Court Clerk. No record is made as to who re- ceived, or as to what disposition was made of as much of the estate as was administered on. John- nie Yeargan's memory is one of the legends and traditions of Charlottesville, Va. The popular tradition is that many jars of his gold and silver were dug up and appropriated bv unknown parties. J^jiien sabef Characteristics of the Yeargax Family. Methodistic. bv large majority. Prolihcness, large families. Migratoriness. being found in fifteen different States. Longevity, several deaths over ninety. Gregariousness, brothers marrying in the same family and living in groups. An exquisite sensitiveness, modesty, and pride. All they have to ask of Alexander, being: "To get out of their sunshine" Impatient to impracti- cability. Leoxidas Hilary Yeargax, Xo. 60 John Street, N. Y.; Hilary H. L. Yeargax, M.D.. Murfreesboro, Tenn. \ I I y & S*c /^ } , ^^—7 AL^^l.