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MONROE COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: BYRNSIDE
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
SSpradling@aol.com
September 18, 1999
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This information may be freely copied and distributed to any genealogy site
or genalogical organization.
A History of Monroe County West Virginia, Oren F. Morton, 1916, p. 318-319
BYRNSIDE
Esther, the mother of James, married for her second husband Archi-bald
Clendennin, who died on the Cowpasture in 1749, and whose son Archibald by a
former wife was murdered in 1763 at the massacre at the Great Levels. The
name of Esther's first husband was probably Robert She had also a daughter by
him whose name was Rachel. The two children lived with their stepfather, who
provided for them in his will, leaving James 300 acres on the Bullpasture. In
the colonial time the family name was spelled Burnsides. Another of the same
name was John, who was living at the Stone Meeting House in Augusta in 1765.
He had an only daughter, and a nephew John died on the upper Greenbrier in
1809.
James moved here from the Bullpasture soon after 1760, his second child John
being by his own statement born near Union April 15, 1763. There is a family
tradition that he dreamed his cabin was on fire and waking to find the dream
correct he returned to his former home. At all events his settlement was
marked for destruction in the Pontiac war of 1763. About 1770 he returned and
built a blockhouse a little south of Union. But for a while he was living on
the farther side of New River in what was then Montgomery County. He was an
alert land prospector, active in business, and his name often occurs in the
record-books of Augusta and Greenbrier. His latter years appear to have been
clouded by reverses. He died at Union in 1812. His wife's name was Isabella.
C: Esther (Will-iam Shanks, 1782)-John (1763-1816) (Elizabeth Alexander,
1797)-James (Anne)-Rachel-Sarah-Martha (?Joseph Carlisle, 1809)-Mary. The
above are mentioned in the will of James, Sr., and in the order of age. But
we are told of another, William (Malvina Alexander). He moved to Texas,
James, Jr., to Boone.
John lived on the large plantation immediately south of Union which was
deeded him by his father. He became a deputy surveyor in 1785 and was the
first county surveyor of Monroe. For his time he was a very wealthy citizen,
his estate including seven slaves and personalty to the amount of $5037.19.
C: Isaac (b. 1798) (Mary Vanstavern), Jane, (b. 1799) (Andrew
Alexander)-Eliza (b. 1802) (Thomas Edgar, 1821)-Juli-ana (b. 1804) (Absalom
S. Bolinger)-John (s)-James M (1814-1873) (Eliza Peters, 1833). The latter
was a business man of Peterstown and mem-ber of the constitutional convention
of 1872. C: Elizabeth J. (b. 1834) (Wil-liam T. Akers, 1852, Henry S.
Shanklin, 1868)-Cynthia (Matthew H. Walkup, 1856)-Margaret J. (s)-Cynthia A.
(Lewis F. Clark, 1855)-Henry C. (b. 1843) (Jennie Wiseman, 1866).
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