James Elkins, according to his Revolutionary War pension declaration, was born April 16, 1755 in what was to be Henry County, Virginia (at the time Halifax County). His family then moved to the "waters of the New River in the County of Botetourt." This makes sense historically because:
- Botetourt was carved out from Augusta County in 1770
- The Baptist preacher, Richard Elkins, son of Ralph Elkins and Frances Brown, moved to the New River in 1772 to preach at the New River branch of the Dan River Baptist Church
- Fincastle County was created in 1772 from Botetourt and Montgomery County was created in 1777 from Fincastle, so someone could show up in Montgomery County in 1777 who was originally in Botetourt in 1772 without even moving from their front porch
James Elkins describes his tour of duty on the Chickamauga Expedition:
The next was a tour of three months in the spring of 1779 under Captain Thomas Martin [Mastin] & Colonel Shelby [Isaac Shelby] from same County. We went on to Holston [River] here we rendezvoused. And marched or rather descended the River to Tennessee and so on down the Tennessee to something like 8 miles above the boiling pot [sic, Boiling Pot] here we landed and the Indians fled and we destroyed their Towns and burned their corn killed some Indians & after accomplishing the object of the expedition the most of our men went on down the River to Illinois and he states he with some others returned back from whence they started. He states he well recollects that his Captain was very sick on his return so much so that we had to let him rest frequently we however got home sometime in the summer and was discharged for that time having served a tour of three months.
So it appears that Capt. Thomas Mastin was sick on the return back to Virginia. Since he was with Thomas Mastin on the return trip, it was likely James Elkins was also with any captured Indian prisoners and rescued white prisoners of the Indians. Could he have escorted his aunt, Ruth Skaggs Bishop, back to Virginia with her daughters Rachel Skaggs and Darky Gothrin?
James Elkins also stated he later moved from Russell County, Virginia to Clark County, Kentucky. So James Elkins lived in Russell County as did Thomas Mastin and several of the Skaggs before they all moved west.
Interesting...If indeed James Elkins did help escort his Aunt Ruth Elkins/Skaggs back to Virginia, then the Elkins/Bishop relationship perhaps opened the door for Ruth Skaggs to be introduced to the John Bishop family. It appears that James Elkins, 1st cousin to Archibald Elkins (Ralph Elkins Jr.)son was already married to John Bishop daughter Margaret Bishop when Ruth Skaggs returned back home. I have to believe John Skaggs (Ruth Skaggs) husband had to have died before Ruth returned back home.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting point. Archibald Elkins was married to Margaret Bishop c. 1777. Archibald Elkins was Ruth Elkins' nephew, so she likely already knew the Bishop's. Then she married John Bishop, father of Margaret, c. 1780.
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