The Skaggs, Bishop, Elkins and Lester Families

The Skaggs, Bishop and Lester families have a long documented history of interrelationships going back to the Revolutionary War era, however, we still DO NOT have enough documentation to answer the following questions:

• Did Ruth Scaggs Bishop have the maiden name Elkins?
• Was Ruth the daughter of Ralph Elkins and Frances Brown?
• Was Old Peter Scaggs the son of John and Ruth (Elkins) Scaggs?
• Was Old Peter the brother of Rachel Skaggs who married William Lester?
• Was Zachariah Skaggs a half-brother to Old Peter?

We do have some facts to help with the research.  Rachel Scaggs Lester was the daughter of John and Ruth Scaggs (later Bishop) according to this minister's return record from the Archives of Virginia:

Copied, by Va., Archives, and photostated, from bonds, etc., Dec 1936.

3-26-1786- A344, Rachel Skeggs daughter of Jno. Skaggs & Ruth Bishop,married Wm. Lester, son of Martha & Abner Lester.

Marriage records could come from marriage bonds or minister's returns so sometimes we get different information for the marriage depending on the source.  Below is the marriage bond record for the marriage of Rachel Scaggs and William Lester:

Source: Microfilm Reel # 52 - Montgomery County, Virginia – Marriage Bonds 1777-1788

Know all men by these presents that we William Lester and Samuel Saddler are held and firmly bound unto his Excellancy Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia for the time being and his successors in the just and _______ sum of fifty pounds current money to which payment will and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, our heirs, Exo (?) dom (?) or assigns to him and his successors forever jointly. Generally and firmly by these presents as witnesses our hand and seals this 22nd day of March 1786.

The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas the above bound William Lester hath this day obtained License for his marriage with Rachael Skaggs Daughter of John Bishop of this County. Now if there should be no just cause to obstruct this marriage then the above obligation to be void or else to remain in full force power and virtue.

Signed William (his mark) LesterSamuel (his mark) Saddler
Signed and Acknowledged - Abraham Trigg

Along with the marriage bond are the following:

"These few lines is given from under our hands to testafy that there is no objection against William Lester and Rachel Scaggs being joined (there are some other words written but they are marked out)"

Abner Lester Martha LesterJohn bishup Ruth bishup

To Mr. McCorkleEdmund Whitt Archl. Whitt

"Sur this is to testesfy home it mey concern that we are satisfyed with the match"

Abner LesterMartha Lester

We can see from these marriage records that by 1786 Ruth Scaggs had married John Bishop and that John Scaggs was likely deceased since he was completely out of the picture for his daughter's marriage.  Samuel Saddler provided bond and John Bishop provided consent with Ruth.  So what happened to Rachel's biological father, John Scaggs?

Early Adventures On The Western Waters Volume 2 by Mary Kegley, p. 67:John Charlton, assignee of Zacharia Skeggs, heir to John Skeggs, commissioner`s certificate,150 acres on the branch of Meadow creek (New River). Settled 1774.Sept.23, 1780 Montgomery County, Va.

Zachariah Skaggs deeded land to John Charlton in 1780 that was settled by John Scaggs in 1774 based on his commissioner's certificate.  Zachariah was listed as "heir to John Skeggs" indicating that by September 1780 John Scaggs was deceased and Zachariah was likely his oldest living son.

John and Ruth Bishop had a son of their own, David Bishop, about 1781 according to the subsequent census records:

The 1820 census in Tazewell Co., VA shows David Bishop as age 26-44 (born 1776-1794)
The 1830 census in Tazewell Co., VA shows David Bishop as age 40-49 (born 1781-1790)
The 1840 census in Lawrence Co., KY shows David Bishop as age 50-59 (born 1781-1790)
The 1850 census in Lawrence Co., KY shows David Bishop as age 68 (born 1782)
The 1860 census in Lawrence Co., KY shows David Bishop as age 80 (born 1780)

David Bishop was raised in Montgomery Co., Virginia, then by 1820 he had moved to Tazewell Co. and by 1840 he moved on to Lawrence Co., Kentucky where he died in 1861.  Hold that thought while we discuss another former resident of Montgomery Co., VA who moved to Lawrence Co., KY...Old Peter Skaggs.

Peter Skaggs married Martha Cothron in 1788 according to the minister's return:

June 24, 1788, Marriage Book A, Page25, , Peter Scaggs married Marthey Cothron; William Leister Witness Montgomery CO. VA, Christianburg Courthouse, copied from Archives of VA.

The marriage bond record below shows that Rachel Scaggs Lester's husband, William Lester, posted bond for Peter and Martha Scaggs' marriage:

Known all men by these present that we Peter Skaggs & William Leister (Lester) are held firmly bound unto the Governor of Virginia for the time being and his (this) Successors the sum of  L 4.50 current money to ________ which payment ______ truly to be made we bind ourselves _______heirs ____ jointly severally firmly by these presents seal with our seals _______ this 24th day of June 1788.The condition of this obligation is such that whereas the above bound Peter Skaggs hath this day _________ his marriage with Marthey Cohun being of their reprise be no just cause to obstruct this marriage then this obligation to be void or else to remain in full force.


Wm Lester Peter (x) Scags (Seal)Wm. Trigg (his mark)

From these records we can see that the families established relationships during the 1780s.  However, I believe that DNA testing will eventually allow us to make solid choices about who was related to whom.  For example, if we can find Elkins descendants that have a DNA match to either Skaggs or Bishops we might be able to trace far enough back to make a solid guess that Ruth Elkins married a Skaggs and then later a Bishop.

Skaggs and the Cherokee War of 1759-60

The Cherokee War between the Cherokee Indians and the British was conducted separately but concurrent to the French and Indian War.  The Cherokee were not really allies of the French, but fought the British at the same time as the French.  Hostilities began in 1759 when the Cherokee declared open war against the British.  The British colonists in Virginia and the Carolinas built and manned forts to defend themselves against the Indians.  At least three Skaggs ancestors were involved in this war based on South Carolina records.

Name that Skaggs: West Virginia Skaggs

The Scaggs family below is descended from Old Peter Skaggs yet they are from West Virginia.  The few DNA tests we have had indicate that the West Virginia Skaggs descended from Thomas b. 1728 have a Y-haplotype of R1b while Old Peter Skaggs' descendants look like R1a, so I wouldn't expect a family of West Virginia Skaggs to be descended from Old Peter.

This picture was taken about 1914 in Wayne County, West Virginia.  Who were these Scaggs?  The answer below the fold...

Will the real James Skaggs please stand up? James Scaggs and Catherine Reaser/Mary Brinker

There are many genealogical records available from the 1700s for James Skaggs, making him appear to have been everywhere at all times.  I want to try to take advantage of years of genealogical research by many Skaggs researchers to separate these James from each other:

1. James and Rachel Skaggs - the parents of the Long Hunters
2. James Jr. and Mary Skaggs - the Longhunter James, son of James and Rachel
   
3. James and Susanna Scaggs - lived side-by-side with the Long Hunters in Virginia, then went west and ended up in Warren County, Kentucky
4. James C. Skaggs – Revolutionary War pensioner from South Carolina
5. James Scaggs and Catherine Reaser/Mary Brinker - lived with first wife Catherine Reaser in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, then with second wife Mary Brinker in Frederick County, Virginia and the Chew's Folly farm in Prince George's County, Maryland

James Scaggs was born c. 1765 in Prince George's County, Maryland to Richard Scaggs and Sarah Selby.  After the death of her father, William Selby, Sarah Scaggs inherited about 94 acres called "Chew's Folly."  James had the following siblings:

Will the real James Skaggs please stand up? James C. Skaggs

There are many genealogical records available from the 1700s for James Skaggs, making him appear to have been everywhere at all times.  I want to try to take advantage of years of genealogical research by many Skaggs researchers to separate these James from each other:

1. James and Rachel Skaggs - the parents of the Long Hunters
2. James Jr. and Mary Skaggs - the Longhunter James, son of James and Rachel
   
3. James and Susanna Scaggs - lived side-by-side with the Long Hunters in Virginia, then went west and ended up in Warren County, Kentucky
4. James C. Skaggs – Revolutionary War pensioner from South Carolina
5. James Scaggs and Catherine Reaser/Mary Brinker - lived with first wife Catherine Reaser in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, then with second wife Mary Brinker in Frederick County, Virginia and the Chew's Folly farm in Prince George's County, Maryland

James C. Skaggs was a Revolutionary War pensioner from South Carolina who is frequently confused with other James Skaggs from that time period.  He is considered to be an ancestor of the famous Safeway Skaggs family.  The affidavit below the fold for a military pension contains a lot of useful information about James C.’s life, including an interesting statement that “applicant states that he never left his post during all this service unless when in the immediate neighborhood of his father's, when he made a visit of a few days and immediately returned.”  This indicates that James C.’s father lived nearby in Laurens District, South Carolina during the War.  Also, “at the termination of the war he moved to Spartanburg District South Carolina where he lived 10 or 11 years, when he moved to Jefferson County Tennessee, where he lived one-year when he moved to Knox County Tennessee where he has lived ever since and now lives.”

Name that Skaggs: The Man in the Middle

A correspondent sent in a picture of a Skaggs family c. 1927.  Can you name the family patriarch in the middle of the picture?

Another clue is he was born in Johnson County, Kentucky, but the family moved to Scioto County, Ohio.  The answer is below the fold.

August 2015: Who was Old Peter Skaggs?

Do we know more about Old Peter Skaggs than we knew just a few years ago?  I think so, but still not as much as we should know given how much research has been done:  digitizing of public records, sharing of family history on the Internet, DNA testing, etc.  Still, we have some accomplishments to celebrate:

• Debunking the Mary Thear and Busell Skaggs myths - they are no longer big time-wasters for Skaggs family researchers
• Separating the history of two famous James Skaggs and their wives from each other
• Finding important DNA evidence that
• Old Peter and/or Martha were not likely to have been Indians
• Old Peter's Y-haplogroup appears to have been R1a1a; different from the descendants of Thomas Skaggs from West Virginia
• Old Peter's descendants are related to descendants of Rachel Skaggs, daughter of Ruth Bishop, The Longhunter Skaggs and Joseph Skaggs - however, the specific relationships are still uncertain

Now for the interesting part...

Rachel Moredock: A Myth from Mistaken Identity

Rachel Skaggs, the mother of the Longhunters and wife of James Skaggs has been considered by many Skaggs researchers over the years to have had the maiden name Moredock.  Some researchers have questioned whether Rachel Moredock existed and I now believe that Rachel Skaggs' maiden name was accepted as Moredock in a case of mistaken identity.

Will the real James Skaggs please stand up? James and Susanna

There are many genealogical records available from the 1700s for James Skaggs, making him appear to have been everywhere at all times.  I want to try to take advantage of years of genealogical research by many Skaggs researchers to separate these James from each other:

1. James and Rachel Skaggs - the parents of the Long Hunters
2. James, Jr. and Mary Skaggs - the Longhunter James, son of James and Rachel
3. James and Susanna Scaggs - lived side-by-side with the Long Hunters in Virginia, then went west and ended up in Warren County, Kentucky
4. James C. Skaggs – Revolutionary War pensioner from South Carolina
5. James Scaggs and Catherine Reaser/Mary Brinker - lived with first wife Catherine Reaser in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, then with second wife Mary Brinker in Frederick County, Virginia and the Chew's Folly farm in Prince George's County, Maryland

This was James who married Susanna (Moredock?) and lived in the New River area of Virginia, what is now Grainger County, Tennessee and Warren County, Kentucky.

Will the real James Skaggs please stand up? James, the Long Hunter

There are many genealogical records available from the 1700s for James Skaggs, making him appear to have been everywhere at all times.  I want to try to take advantage of years of genealogical research by many Skaggs researchers to separate these James from each other:

1. James and Rachel Skaggs - the parents of the Long Hunters
2. James, Jr. and Mary Skaggs - the Longhunter James, son of James and Rachel
3. James and Susanna Scaggs - lived side-by-side with the Long Hunters in Virginia, then went west and ended up in Warren County, Kentucky
4. James C. Skaggs – Revolutionary War pensioner from South Carolina
5. James Scaggs and Catherine Reaser/Mary Brinker - lived with first wife Catherine Reaser in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, then with second wife Mary Brinker in Frederick County, Virginia and the Chew's Folly farm in Prince George's County, Maryland

This was James “Longman” Skaggs and his wife Mary.  He was son of the 1. James Skaggs, Sr. above.

Will the real James Skaggs please stand up? James, father of the Long Hunters

There are many genealogical records available from the 1700s for James Skaggs, making him appear to have been everywhere at all times.  I want to try to take advantage of years of genealogical research by many Skaggs researchers to separate these James from each other:

1. James and Rachel Skaggs - the parents of the Long Hunters
2. James, Jr. and Mary Skaggs - the Longhunter James, son of James and Rachel
3. James and Susanna Scaggs - lived side-by-side with the Long Hunters in Virginia, then went west and ended up in Warren County, Kentucky
4. James C. Skaggs – Revolutionary War pensioner from South Carolina
5. James Scaggs and Catherine Reaser/Mary Brinker - lived with first wife Catherine Reaser in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, then with second wife Mary Brinker in Frederick County, Virginia and the Chew's Folly farm in Prince George's County, Maryland

First, let's discuss James and Rachel Skaggs, the parents of the famous Skaggs Long Hunters.

DNA Testing: What is it and where can I get it done?

A few correspondents have asked about what kind of DNA testing is available.  There are four basic types of DNA testing for genealogical purposes:

1. Y-Line DNA
2. Mitochondrial DNA
3. Autosomal DNA
4. The X-Chromosome

DNA Testing: Old Peter Skaggs related to Rachel Skaggs

Subject A, a correspondent descended from Old Peter Skaggs has confirmed an autosomal DNA match with Subject B, a confirmed descendant of the Rachel Skaggs who married William Calvin Lester. Subject A is a Skaggs descending from Old Peter through his son John.  Subject B descends from Rachel Skaggs through her daughter Martha and the Blankenship family of Virginia.  A third Subject C is also a descendant from Old Peter through his son John and matches both subjects A and B at the same segment of DNA.

Sims Settlement

In the fall of 1806 a group of settlers led by William and James Sims traveled from east Tennessee on flatboats down the Tennessee River and up the Elk River to the area of present-day Limestone County, Alabama.  You can read their story from the state historical marker here.

DNA Testing: Is Peter Skaggs related to the Long Hunters?

Several descendants of Old Peter Skaggs have written to say that they are surprised that they don't have DNA matches with descendants of the Long Hunter Skaggs, e.g. Charles, Henry, etc.  Well, here is some interesting news.  There may be some DNA evidence to tie Old Peter to the Long Hunters.

Skaggs Family Groups

Since a limited amount of DNA testing has indicated that there are two or more distinct Skaggs families in the United States I have decided to try and separate the known Skaggs families into groups so that when DNA results come in we know which family we are talking about.  Here goes: