Jehu Dyer Hawkins

Sandi Vaught and I are hanging out in Orange, Virginia doing Hawkins research.  Our big find of the day was the marriage bond of Jehu Dyer Hawkins Mary Gaines (widow).  The bond is dated 25th day of Oct 1780.  The couple lived in Orange County until 1780.  Next they are found in Culpeper County until 1791.  Sandi finds them next in Botetourt County, Virginia when Jehu's daughter, Elizabeth, married Thomas Parker in 1797 in Botetourt County.  Next Sandi finds them in the 1810 census record in Barren County, Kentucky.  Sandi believes they may have been in Kentucky as early as 1801. 

The huge importance of the below document is that the index calls the groom Sebree.  Jehu seems to have used both the name Jehu and the name John.   On this marriage bond he clearly spells his name as Jehu!  He did have a son who went by both the name Jehu and John.  In this son's will he calls himself John D.  We think the D stands for Dier.  

Arculous was security for the marriage.  It likely that the two men are related.  And possible that they are brothers.


Sandi's Jehu Hawkins (b. 25 Aug 1756) married the widow Mary Gaines in Orange County, Virginia 25 Oct 1780.  As far as Sandi knows this is the first use of the name Jehu in this family.  But it became a family tradition to use both the names Jehu and John in every generation after this until at least 1860.

Jehu and Mary Gaines had a son named John Hawkins who died 1812 in Barren
County, Kentucky.  He had no will, but Sandi has ascertained that he left a wife and two children when he died.  She has names for the family he left. He also had a son Jehu Dyer Hawkins b 17 December 1785.  This Jehu left a will dated 5 March 1883 in Edmonson County, Kentucky. This second generation Jehu Hawkins used the names John Hawkins and Jehu Hawkins interchangeably.  In his will he used John D Hawkins. This Jehu also
had sons Jehu D and John. Jehu 1785-1883.  The second generation son Jehu followed the family tradition naming sons Jehu Dyer and John Hawkins. In addition he also had a son named Elias B Hawkins.  Elias continued the tradition and named sons Jehu D. and John L.   To make this even more confusing another son of the first Jehu named Henry George Hawkins also had sons Jehu D. and John Henry.  And the grandson of the first Jehu who was named Henry George Hawkins also named sons Jehu D. and John B.