Hawkins DNA group #1

I want to do a post here that is about the DNA Group #1 matches who do NOT seem to match with the Hawkins/Bourne lines.  There are two possibilities for this:  one that they descend from another of the orphans of John and Elizabeth Butler? Hawkins and two that the connection is to an earlier generation than that of John and Elizabeth.  I would like to rule out the possibility that at least one of them connects to Thomas Hawkins of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia.  This post will be a great deal of conjecture.  So if you are reading it, do NOT consider this to be facts....but just kind of talking aloud about guesses.

DNA group #7

I have been chatting with Jeffrey about his Hawkins line.  Jeffrey and a cousin just paid for participant #303687 (who is an uncle to the two men) who  carries the surname Hawkins.  The new participant matches with group #7.  The two cousins neither one carry the Hawkins surname.  Jeffrey believes that his Hawkins family line connects to the  Benjamin Hawkins who married Martha Borden.  To help me with this, I would like to add Jeffrey's information here as well as some of the other participants who are a part of DNA group #7.

Jeffrey tells me:

 Benjamin Hawkins husband of Martha Borden of Botetourt County VA.  He lived from 1729-1778 in VA and left Martha a widow with children. Martha remarried and became Martha Harvey.  Martha Borden was from an extremely wealthy family and I assumed Benjamin Hawkins would probably be from a similar background.    You mentioned their son John Hawkins in an earlier email.  I am descended through this son.  The information I have which I am sure is correct is that John Hawkins (1766-1820) married Sarah Lauderdale (1773-1850) of Botetourt Count VA  on October 13 1793 in Botetourt and after the marriage John Hawkins and wife Sarah left VA with her Lauderdale family and settled in Tennessee. The counties I find them associated with are Sumner and Shelby. The Lauderdales were another early and prominent family.  Her father was James Maitland Lauderdale of VA and her brothers were military men.   One died in Battle of New Orleans in 1814 and another founded a military fort in Florida known as Fort Lauderdale. 

 You can see that Botetourt county in 1793 is found close to Bedford County.  

Sumner County is close to Nashville and also close to Bowling Green Kentucky.

Shelby County is the county in which one finds Memphis.

One of my best buddies on the Hawkins DNA genealogy called me after my post to the Hawkins mail list today and reminded me of a pitfall that group #7 needs to be careful about.  
There were two John Hawkins' in Botetourt County just after the Revolutionary War.  One was John who was the son of Benjamin and Martha Borden Hawkins.  This is Jeffrey's ancestor John Hawkins who married Sarah Lauderdale.  The other John Hawkins also had wife Sarah.  His wife Sarah is said to have been Sarah Johnston in the book by General John P. Hawkins.  This John Hawkins had father Philemon Hawkins married to Sarah Smith.   My buddy tells me that this John Hawkins was traveling with his brother Joseph and that they lived in Botetourt County for a while before moving on to Scott County, Kentucky.

The John Hawkins who was the son of Philemon (and is NOT related to group #7 that we know about)  was traveling with at least one Craig family and also with the ancestors of the man that I spent time with in Florida.  I will add that information later.  Another surname that would be connected to this group is Johnston.   I think of this family as being connected to the John and Mary Long Hawkins line.

You can also separate these two families by the place to where they moved:  The Borden group moved to Montgomery County, Va and Sumner County, TN.  The group who descend from Philemon move to Scott County, KY to join up with other of the John and Mary Hawkins line. 

The two separate Hawkins families lived in different Tax areas in Botetourt County.  The Borden/Hawkins line lived on Halls Bottom.  The Hawkins family that descends from Philemon and Sarah Smith Hawkins lived on Sinking Creek.  

My buddy suggests that there is a deed in Deed Book 7 pg 662-664 in Botetourt County that ties Benjamin of Sumner County, TN to the Harvey name (Martha Borden Hawkins Harvey's second husband).  Tying this line positively to this line.  

I want to add one more thought that I don't want to loose about the Hawkins line that is connected to Philemon who are living in Botetourt County.  It is that John Hawkins married to  Sarah Johnston has brother-in-law Toliver Craig, Jr.  Tolliver Craig, Jr.'s wife is said to have been Elizabeth Johnston.  This may be why this couple are traveling together to Botetourt instead of being with the Traveling Church that went to Kentucky earlier.  

Another researcher who has ties to Hawkins DNA group #7 is Sara Powell.  Sara's 4-gr-grandfather died in Sumner County, TN.  This man was Robert Hawkins married to Sarah Smith. This Robert Hawkins had second wife Frances Gillliam.  Sarah's grandfather was Thomas James Hawkins, but every other male in her line has had the name Robert since her 4-hr-grandfather   Later generations are found in Davidson County, TN and Texas.  Certainly we would expect the Robert Hawkins who died in Sumner County to connect to Benjamin and Sarah Borden Hawkins in Botetourt County, Virginia.

More Autosomal (Family Finder) DNA "stuff" and Talbot County Georgia Hawkins lines

I have been chatting with Roger Harris a bit in the last few days.  His mother was a Hawkins and this is what he has told me about his line:

His mother's ancestors came to Talbot County, Ga., in the early 1830s.

I know that they (the Hawkinses) were from North Carolina, but I don't know where in N.C.

The earliest ancestor known was Jesse Hawkins, who was born ca. 1780.  (His wife's name was Mary.)

The only other thing that I could add is the fact that Jesse Hawkins, who came from North Carolina, lived in Pike County, Ga., where he died before 1850.  (His will was made in the late 1840s.)  His son William, who married Serena Millen, came to Talbot County in the early 1830s.  William and Serena married in Upson County, Ga., in the late 1820s.  

Jesse's widow was named Mary, and she is found in the 1850 census of Pike County.

I started looking around to see what I might have to help Roger and found the following slide from my County slideshow about Talbot County, Ga

All of you do know me know that I have "cheat Sheets" to remind me of what I have known in the past about all of the Hawkins groups.  There are many of us and it isn't easy to keep people in one's mind in any kind of order.  This is just a conglomeration of "stuff" that I have gathered about the Hawkins' in this area.

I heard from Stacy Head in June 2023 with questions about this Hawkins line.  Here is what Roger added to his original post when I asked him about his research:

A quick summary, where this line is concerned, is "embedded" in the Find-A-Grave memorial at the link pasted below:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/234170343/william-hawkins

As far as I know, there is no proof of a connection between Jesse Hawkins (the North Carolina native born ca. 1775/80 who died in Pike County, Ga.) and anyone who came before him.

What we do know now, beyond a doubt, is that this "Hawkins" line has its origins in a "Spruill" line.  

My first cousin, a Hawkins male, did the "Y" test, and there were essentially no "early" Hawkins men among matches.  The Spruills, however, are there, along with the Dillons, Davenports, and other related families.  They all came out of 18th-century Tyrrell County, N.C.

I would like very much to solve this mystery.  In the meantime, I only know (and the Spruill DNA Project coordinator has given me assurance) that we (in this "Hawkins" line) are very much of the Godfrey Spruill family.  If you check the Sproul/Spruill DNA Project spreadsheet, in any of its incarnations, you'll see Hawkins "Y" test-takers represented.  

Hawkins DNA Family Group 11

Hawkins Family Group-11 (Group Administrator is Susan Hawkins Warnock, swarnock@gmail.com.

(http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hawkinsdnaproject/tree_g-1.html#Group-11.)

     Our “Brick Wall” = Who are the parents of John Daniel Hawkins, 1822 - 1875?

Descendants of John Daniels Hawkins

Generation 1

1. John Daniels Hawkins-1 was born in 1822 in Marshall County, Tennessee. He died on 10 Sep 1875

in Marshall County, Tennessee.

Nancy Hutchins Bills daughter of Daniel Gersham Bills and Rachel Summers was born in 1818 in

Tennessee. She died before 22 Jul 1897 in Alabama.

John Daniels Hawkins and Nancy Hutchins Bills were married on 16 Sep 1845 in Marshall County,

TN; by Wilson P. Davis, J.P.[1]. They had the following children:

   i. 2. William Daniel Hawkins was born on 01 Jul 1846 in Marshall County, Tennessee. He

married Laura Bell Enochs on 03 Jul 1887 in Lincoln County, Tennessee. He died on 13

Sep 1907 in Tennessee.

   ii. 3. James Amos Hawkins was born on 09 Jan 1848 in Marshall County, Tennessee. He

married Martha Elizabeth "Matt" McAdams on 29 Oct 1868 in Marshall County,

Tennessee[2]. He died on 19 Oct 1922 in Marshall County, Tennessee.

   iii. 4. Leroy Cratus Hawkins was born on 12 Apr 1850 in Tennessee. He married Eliza E.

Gilbert on 02 Aug 1885 in Marshall County, Tennessee[3]. He died on 06 Aug 1917 in

Marshall County, Tennessee.

   iv. 5. Mary E. Hawkins was born on 17 Sep 1852 in Tennessee. She married Robert A. Adams

on 07 Dec 1876 in Marshall County, Tennessee[4]. She died on 04 Jul 1928.

   v. Sara E. Hawkins was born in 1855 in Tennessee. She married Wilson B. Cochran on 19

Jan 1871 in Marshall County, Tennessee[4].

   vi. 6. Caldora Hawkins was born in Jun 1856 in Tennessee. She died in 1932 in Marshall

County, Tennessee.

   vii. 7. John Thomas Hawkins was born on 11 Jun 1859 in Lewisburg, Marshall County,

Tennessee. He married Annie Catherine McAdams on 20 Nov 1884 in Marshall County,

Tennessee[2]. He died on 24 Feb 1935 in Ardmore, Carter County, Oklahoma.

   viii. 8. Ewell Lee Hawkins was born on 09 Apr 1863 in Marshall County, Tennessee[5]. He

married Mary Lu McAdams on 24 Dec 1885 in Marshall County, Tennessee[2]. He died on

10 Jan 1936 in Petersburg, Marshall County, Tennessee[6].

Generation 2

2. William Daniel Hawkins-2 (John Daniels-1) was born on 01 Jul 1846 in Marshall County,

Tennessee. He died on 13 Sep 1907 in Tennessee.

Laura Bell Enochs daughter of Robert R. Enochs and Martha E. Smith was born on 07 Jul 1855 in

Tennessee. She died on 06 Aug 1907 in Tennessee.

William Daniel Hawkins and Laura Bell Enochs were married on 03 Jul 1887 in Lincoln County,

Tennessee. They had the following children:

   i. Ida Abigal Hawkins was born on 06 Feb 1886 in Marshall County, Tennessee. She

married Jesse Laurens Battle on 27 Sep 1910 in Pasco County, Florida[7]. She died on 05

Oct 1953 in Wheaton, DuPage County, Illinois.

Page 1 of 5 Friday, April 20, 2012 7:16:30 AM

   ii. Roy D. Hawkins was born in Jan 1888 in Tennessee. He died on 02 May 1911 in Atlanta,

Georgia[8].

   iii. James S. Hawkins was born in Dec 1890 in Tennessee. He died in Dec 1911.

   iv. George Copeland Hawkins Sr. was born on 09 Apr 1892 in Flintville, Lincoln County,

Tennessee. He married Ora Lee Damron on 19 Jun 1911 in Winchester, Franklin County,

Tennessee[9]. He died on 25 May 1979 in Gadsden, Etowah County, Alabama.

   v. Newton Jenkins Hawkins was born on 02 Nov 1896 in Flintville, Lincoln County,

Tennessee. He married Gladys Pearl Moody on 27 Feb 1916 in Lake County, Florida. He

died on 30 Jan 1983 in Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida.

   vi. William Hawkins was born on 02 Dec 1884 in Tennessee. He died on 25 Jan 1890 in

Tennessee.

Mary Elizabeth Ewing daughter of Leander Newton Ewing and Jane M. Welch was born on 12 Feb

1845 in Marshall County, Tennessee. She died on 20 Apr 1876 in Marshall County, Tennessee.

William Daniel Hawkins and Mary Elizabeth Ewing were married on 20 Dec 1868 in Marshall County,

Tennessee[2]. They had the following children:

  i. Blanche Hawkins was born on 29 Nov 1869 in Tennessee. She married G. T. Mashaw on

25 Dec 1890 in Marshall County, Tennessee. She died before Feb 1936.

  ii. Mollie Hawkins was born about 1874 in Tennessee. She married John David Watson on

03 Mar 1912 in Marshall County, Tennessee[9]. She died on 03 Feb 1936 in Marshall

County, Tennessee.

3. James Amos Hawkins-2 (John Daniels-1) was born on 09 Jan 1848 in Marshall County, Tennessee.

He died on 19 Oct 1922 in Marshall County, Tennessee.

Martha Elizabeth "Matt" McAdams daughter of Billie Mcadams and Lavina Mclean was born on 17

Mar 1850 in Marshall County, Tennessee. She died on 15 Feb 1931 in Marshall County, Tennessee.

James Amos Hawkins and Martha Elizabeth "Matt" McAdams were married on 29 Oct 1868 in

Marshall County, Tennessee[2]. They had the following children:

   i. W. Ozro Hawkins was born on 12 Apr 1870 in Tennessee. He married Mary Oliver on 18

Jan 1891 in Marshall County, Tennessee. He died on 04 Aug 1892 in Tennessee.

   ii. Myrtle B. Hawkins was born on 22 Jan 1874 in Marshall County,Tennessee. She married

John Thomas. Ray about 1894[10]. She died on 20 Jun 1942 in Marshall County,

Tennessee.

   iii. Lula May Hawkins was born in May 1878 in Tennessee.

   iv. Claude Eugene Hawkins was born on 10 Sep 1879 in Tennessee. He married Emma L.

Unk about 1911. He died on 10 Aug 1958 in Los Angeles County, California.

   v. Leila Hawkins was born in Mar 1882 in Tennessee.

   vi. Lena Hawkins was born in Mar 1882 in Tennessee.

   vii. Lois Hawkins was born on 07 Mar 1884 in Tennessee[11].

   viii. Rachel Hawkins was born on 19 Apr 1886 in Marshall County, Tennessee. She married

James Edward McCoy on 08 Aug 1902 in Tennessee. She died on 12 Jun 1954 in

Lewisburg, Marshall County, Tennessee.

   ix. Sammie Clarence Hawkins was born on 05 Jul 1887 in Marshall County, Tennessee. He

died on 05 Jul 1954 in Marshall County, Tennessee.

   x. T.H. Hawkins was born on 19 Feb 1891 in Tennessee. He died on 02 Oct 1892 in

Tennessee.

4. Leroy Cratus Hawkins-2 (John Daniels-1) was born on 12 Apr 1850 in Tennessee. He died on 06

Aug 1917 in Marshall County, Tennessee.

Eliza E. Gilbert daughter of John Gilbert and Margaret Ann Adams was born about 1846 in

Tennessee.

Leroy Cratus Hawkins and Eliza E. Gilbert were married on 02 Aug 1885 in Marshall County,

Tennessee[3]. They had the following children:

   i. O. L. Hawkins was born in Jun 1878. She died on 19 Feb 1901.

Ollie M. Bills daughter of John Ashbury Bills and Tennessee C. Foster was born about 1859 in

Tennessee.

Leroy Cratus Hawkins and Ollie M. Bills were married on 03 Sep 1874 in Marshall County,

Tennessee[2]. They had no children.

5. Mary E. Hawkins-2 (John Daniels-1) was born on 17 Sep 1852 in Tennessee. She died on 04 Jul

1928.

Robert A. Adams son of Robert A. Adams and Julia Ann Darnell was born on 07 Oct 1852 in

Marshall County, Tennessee. He died on 28 Mar 1924 in Marshall County, Tennessee.

Robert A. Adams and Mary E. Hawkins were married on 07 Dec 1876 in Marshall County,

Tennessee[4]. They had the following children:

   i. Eula Adams was born in Sep 1877 in Tennessee. She married Thomas Collins on 13 Nov

1894 in Marshall County, Tennessee[4].

   ii. Julia B. Adams was born in Oct 1879 in Tennessee.

   iii. Nancy Adams was born in 1881 in Tennessee.

   iv. Clarence Clifford Adams was born on 01 May 1896 in Lewisburg, Marshall County,

Tennessee. He married Grace Alma Devin on 12 Oct 1916 in Marshall County, Tennessee.

He died on 07 Oct 1937.

6. Caldora Hawkins-2 (John Daniels-1) was born in Jun 1856 in Tennessee. She died in 1932 in

Marshall County, Tennessee.

Lorenzo Dow Turner[12] was born in 1856 in Tennessee. He died in 1936 in Marshall County,

Tennessee.

Lorenzo Dow Turner and Caldora Hawkins married. They had the following children:

   i. William F. Turner was born in Mar 1883 in Tennessee. He married Olga Fowler on 18 Sep

1910 in Marshall County, Tennessee.

   ii. Maudie L. Turner was born on 06 May 1884 in Tennessee. She married Paul Wilson

Fowler on 10 Jul 1917 in Marshall County, Tennessee. She died on 19 Apr 1960.

   iii. Nancy Eliza Turner was born on 11 Aug 1886 in Marshall County, Tennessee. She

married Ward Thomas Fowler on 12 Jul 1919 in Marshall County, Tennessee. She died on

02 Dec 1920 in Marshall County, Tennessee.

   iv. Lillie M. Turner was born in Jan 1889 in Tennessee.

   v. Kenneth Roy Turner was born in Oct 1892 in Tennessee.

7. John Thomas Hawkins-2 (John Daniels-1) was born on 11 Jun 1859 in Lewisburg, Marshall County,

Tennessee. He died on 24 Feb 1935 in Ardmore, Carter County, Oklahoma.

Annie Catherine McAdams daughter of John Brysen McAdams and Caroline Unk was born on 26

Apr 1861 in Lewisburg, Marshall County, Tennessee. She died on 23 Sep 1927 in Ardmore, Carter

County, Oklahoma.

John Thomas Hawkins and Annie Catherine McAdams were married on 20 Nov 1884 in Marshall

County, Tennessee[2]. They had the following children:

   i. Lessie Nell Hawkins was born on 01 Nov 1883 in Marshall County, Tennessee. She died

on 04 Dec 1949 in Modesto, Stanislaus County, California.

   ii. Susie W. Hawkins was born in Nov 1885.

   iii. John Carson Hawkins was born on 18 Jun 1889 in Oklahoma (Lebanon, Indian Territory).

He married Myrtle Nall on 17 Sep 1910 in Carter County, Oklahoma. He died on 26 Mar

1973 in Beumont, Jefferson County, Texas.

   iv. Sam Clifford Hawkins was born on 13 Jun 1891 in Tennessee. He married Lydia Pearl

White on 12 Dec 1912. He died in Jul 1971 in Ardmore, Carter County, Oklahoma.

   v. Clara Jane Hawkins was born in Jun 1892. She died in Feb 1955.

   vi. James Shepard Hawkins was born in Jan 1894. He died on 26 Oct 1910.

   vii. Bessie Pearl Hawkins was born in Dec 1897 in Indian Territory. She married Richard

Blane Byrne about 1911. She died on 14 Mar 1978 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

   viii. Ettie Anna Hawkins was born on 06 Jan 1906 in Provence, Indian Territory, Oklahoma.

She died on 04 Oct 1979 in Ardmore, Carter County, Oklahoma.

   ix. Hettie Dean Hawkins.

Georgia Owens daughter of Samuel Owens was born on 05 Feb 1880 in Camden, Arkansas. She

died on 30 Oct 1963.

John Thomas Hawkins and Georgia Owens married. They had no children.

8. Ewell Lee Hawkins-2 (John Daniels-1) was born on 09 Apr 1863 in Marshall County, Tennessee[5].

He died on 10 Jan 1936 in Petersburg, Marshall County, Tennessee[6].

Mary Lu McAdams daughter of Joseph Henry McAdams and Mary L. Peyton[5] was born on 10 Feb

1867 in Petersburg, Marshall County, Tennessee[11]. She died on 18 Jan 1940 in Petersburg, Marshall

County, Tennessee.

Ewell Lee Hawkins and Mary Lu McAdams were married on 24 Dec 1885 in Marshall County,

Tennessee[2]. They had the following children:

   i. John Thomas Hawkins was born on 29 Sep 1887 in Tennessee. He married Modena

Kate Tate about 1910. He died on 19 Apr 1973 in Petersburg, Lincoln County, Tennessee.

-- Sources --

 1   Marshall County Court Clerk, Tenn State, Marriages Jan 1838 thru Nov 1849, 93. John Hawkins to

      Nancy H. Bills Md 16th September 1845 "solimnized the Rites of Matrimony between the Within

      Named parties 16th September1845 Wilson P. Davis J.P.".

 2    Marshall County Court Clerk, Tenn State, Marriages Jan 1838 thru Nov 1849.

 3    Marshall County Marriages.

 4    Tennessee State Marriages, 1765-2002.

 5    Cemetery Records of Marshall County Tennessee by Marsh & Whitsell, 166.

 6    Marshall County Tennessee Death Certificate.

 7   "Florida Marriages" at familysearch.org.

 8   Lewisburg Tribune, Atlanta Constitution, and Family Bible.

 9   Marriage License & Family Bible.

10   1900 Census of Marshall County Tennessee, Census shows Myrtle and John Ray had been

     married 6 years at the time of the census in June 1900.

11 Tennessee Deaths and Burials, 1874-1955, FamilySearch.org.

12 Thomas Ross Turner's family tree, Marshall Co. Gen Soc. books.

 

Hawkins DNA Group #1 Fourth of July Story

Hawkins DNA group #1 has several participants who descend from Benjamin and Sarah Willis.  This couple was living in the Culpeper/Orange County area of Virginia during the Revolution.  Benjamin and Sarah had four sons who were born in the late 1730s to the late 1740s.  These sons were named Benjamin, William,  James, and Moses (not necessarily in that order of birth).  During the Revolutionary War, this was a very patriotic family.  There is no doubt that they did their part for our freedom!

Benjamin Sr. died sometime c. 1782.  Sarah is found in the court records for Orange County on Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th of May 1782 having her claim allowed for having provided for 275 pounds of beef on July 20, 1781.  You know, I am not entirely clear on whether Sarah and Benjamin lived in Orange or Culpeper county.  If you want a discussion of this, look at my post dated:

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 (this is in my marshamoses@blogspot.com blog....not the DNA blog)

Here are the four sons of Benjamin and Sarah Willis and their service:

I. James married to Jane Bourne was a captain in the militia:

Reubin Boston gives a deposition in Jane Hawkins application for a pension in Anderson County, KY in 1836.  He states that he lived in Orange County and knew Captain Hawkins during the Revolutionary War. .....  He states that he served in Capt James Hawkins Company in 1781.

also
James received a land grant in Ky for his services in the Revolution and they moved to KY.

Warrant No. 1925 to James Hawkins for 100a as private in the Virginia Continental Line for a term of three years.  Nov. 21 1783

(this information from book by Dorothy Ford Wulfeck called: Hawkins in Virginia, Kentucky and Caroinas.  This book can be viewed on the ancestry site)


 A History of Orange County by WW Scott p. 261 shows James Hawkins recommended as lieutenant in 1777 and as captain in 1779.

II. William Hawkins is found on a list at a court held by the Justices of Orange County, Court at the courthouse in April 1782 of claims that were allowed to be just and reasonable for providing 375 pounds of beef, 20 and 1/2 pounds of bacon recieved by Prettyman Merry Lt. Orange Militia for the 18 months men marching to Fredericksburg.  

III. Benjamin Hawkins Jr. is found on the list at a court of Orange held in summer/fall of 1782 for supplying 3 and 1/5 bushels of wheat on October 14, 1780.


IV.  Moses, was a Captain in the 14th Virginia Regiment.  He was Captain of the 8th Company.  Moses was killed at the battle of Germantown.

 The Orange County records are full of records that were made as the orphans of Moses were provided for.  For Example in Will book 3, page 173:

The estate of Moses Hawkins, dec'd, to Thomas Coleman. In 1788-1789, board and cloathing for four orphans of Moses Hawkins. Paid Duncan Campbell, Benjamin Hawkins, John Thomas, Reuben Moore, Isaac Rucker, Benja Willis, Thomas Coleman, guardian. Account returned into court 22nd Feb 1790.

Moses' widow, Sarah Strother, married her husband's good friend and neighbor, Thomas Coleman 28, June 1781.  This couple moved to Kentucky as did many of our Hawkins DNA group #1 ancestors.  Records tell us that Thomas Coleman was a corporal in the company commanded by Moses Hawkins of the 14th Virginia regiment, and a friend of long standing.

The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington. The British victory in this battle ensured that Philadelphia, the capital of the self-proclaimed United States of America, would remain in British hands throughout the winter of 1777–1778. Now part of the city of Philadelphia, Germantown was an outlying community in 1777.

I have run out of time today with many questions in my mind about what I have written.  Hopefully someone in Hawkins DNA group #1 can help me edit, clarify, and fix the problems that I did not get to.  Some of my questions are whether each of the sons are living in Orange or Culpeper  during the Revolution....and whether Benjamin and Sarah are living in Culpeper or Orange at the time.  

Information about WeRelate

I just heard from Frank Hawkins with information on a Wiki called WeRelate. Frank is a member of Hawkins DNA group 02, participant #9426.  His earliest ancestor is Noah Hawkins (abt 1767-1814) and Susannah Reynolds (1772-1858).  

Frank has told me that WeRelate is touted to be the World's Largest Genealogy Wiki.  To access go to:

www.werelate.org

I haven't yet tried the site.  Let me know if you do try it and what you think!  Here is what Frank told me about the site:

Recently, a contact of mine on findagrave.com mentioned WeRelate, a genealogy web site I’d not previously heard of. Today, three months later, I'm hooked. If like me, WeRelate is new to you, here’s an introduction to what it is and what it does.
WeRelate is a free genealogy web site where genealogists and family historians share their work in a collaborative "wiki" environment. It’s a free public-service wiki for genealogy sponsored by the Foundation for On-Line Genealogy, Inc. in partnership with the Allen County Public Library.
Genealogy software programs and online sites, like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org, provide research tools and information to help individuals build their own family trees. WeRelate.org promotes sharing and collaboration across multiple researchers and family trees, resulting in a single "tree." To achieve this, people like me upload individual GEDCOMs that are then merged with matching information already on the site.
By sharing my tree and research on WeRelate, I’m contributing to a larger community effort. I’ve already benefited from this collaboration by having a number of people add documented background and historical information to my ancestors’ pages – information I did not previously know of or have access to.
To date, WeRelate.org has pages for over 2,000,000 people and families. And with each new person and family page added, it’s an outstanding opportunity to share what I know and learn from other researchers. What could be better than that!

Hawkins DNA Group #1 and Railroad connections

I am chatting with another researcher this morning who has helped me edit some of my posts.  I found myself making a statement that is based on a hunch---absolutely no proof!  just one of those crazy gut feelings that will probably turn out to be NOTHING!  But I think that I will say it here and see if anyone can prove or disprove the thought.  I think perhaps the Cullen and Glass DNA matches and I may have touched on the idea at one time because I vaguely remember knowing that the part of New Jersey that they are both associated with was at one time a railroad center.  I'll try to look that up and put a map or photo or some such thing here ....

But I have a hunch that the Hawkins male(s) who was/were the ancestor(s) of these men had a railroad connection.  Hawkins DNA group #1 has an unusually close connection to jobs on the Railroad.  I realize that in the late 1800's Railroad jobs were the hot jobs much as technology jobs would be in today.

In my own Hawkins family, three brothers ALL left Orange/Lousia County, Virginia for Railway jobs in the late 1800's.  Two came to Huntington, WV and the other went to Georgia>Missippi>Arkansas>Kansas with railroad jobs.

I would like to add the other Railroad jobs idea to this....group #1 help remind me of the stories you have told me!

DNA Family Group #1

As I wrote my blog post last week trying to get my head in order on our Family Group #1's various matches, I was struck by the fact that we seem to have a subgroup.  I am going to name it FG1Buncombe.  I realize that  all five of the subgroup do not have a connection to Buncombe County, NC.  However, I think that three of them do.  And for me in the early days of chatting with our Group #1 participants, I always thought of Dot's and Inez's lines as being the ancestors who had lived on land that is now a part of the Biltmore Estate.  So I apologize to the other two participants in having chosen a name that is helpful to me, but perhaps not as helpful to them.  This is what I typed into my blog earlier this week:

Kits #76532 and #68105 both believe that they descend from Benjamin and Hannah Hawkins who lived on land that is now part of the Biltmore Estate in the mountains of NC.  There is suspicion of ties to Campbell County, Virginia and then back to the Northern Neck of Virginia.  It is possible that this group connects to William Hawkins who was the orphan of John and Elizabeth (Butler?) Hawkins who both died in Richmond County, Virginia c. 1716 and the brother of Benjamin who was married to Sarah Willis.

For good maps of the Northern Neck go to:

http://marshamoses.blogspot.com/search?q=Northern+Neck

The above two kits are very close matches to kit #46919 and 59402.  Kit #46919 descends from Joseph Hawkins (1801-1867) who is associated with McMinnville TN.  Kit #59402 is associated with a Benj Hawkins b. 1750 in NC and died in 1826 in TN.  The descendents associated with Kit #59402 migrated to Dekalb County AL abt. 1830 from the McMinn/White/Warren county area of TN. 

For line of kit #59402 see:
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/3585014/family?cfpid=-1714525665&selnode=1  

Kit #46458 would seem to fit into a subgroup with these four participants.  This participant has ties to a James Hawkins found in Buncombe County, NC (same as Kit #46919 and 59402).  This James Hawkins moves to Bradley County, TN by 1840.  Bradley County is shown in Red on below map.....perhaps it is a coincidence that he is living so close to Kit #46919's ancestor? 

Janice is the researcher who is connected to Kit #46458.  Her e-mail is jsblackhurst@comcast.net

Here is what Janice believes to be true about her line:

"My brick wall is JAMES HAWKINS born about 1805 in North Carolina; but he moved to Bradley Tennessee sometime before 1830. He was married to someone named Catherine - I still haven't found her maiden name. He and Catherine had children:  Thomas (b.1831), Tilman (or Tilmon b. 1833), Sarah Elizabeth (b. 1835), James (b. 1837), Jane (b. 1840) and Andrew Jackson (b. 1841).  Sarah we believe married a John Trotter there in Bradley Co.  The eldest son Thomas married Derusha Atchley.  (The Atchleys were a big family in Bradley Co too).

James Hawkins was a widower by 1860; and he and some of his sons moved to Georgia during the civil war period.  It appears he may have returned to North Carolina; and might be the James Hawkins living alone on the 1870 Buncombe Co NC census.   I've looked at some of the Hawkins in early Buncombe - but still haven't been able to quite connect him to whoever his father was.

My cousin's kit #46158; also had some close matches with Gene Hawkins and Vern Hawkins.  I've been in touch with Janet - and she thought that things point to a John Hawkins who moved down to North Carolina from Virgina around 1750; the Rowan Co NC area. But I haven't had a chance to dig into Rowan too much to see if there is a connection."

Because I do research on Rowan County in the mid 1750s for a line unrelated to my Hawkins line until the early 190's,  I am very aware of the fact that Rowan County was HUGE in that time period.  How huge was it?  When was it formed?  For answers to those questions I went to:

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~george/countyformations/northcarolinaformationmaps.html

It wasn't until 1750  that there was enough population in the backwoods of North Carolina to form Counties.  Before that Bladen, Johnston and Granville had just had unestablished western boundaries that extended indefinitely.  In 1750 Anson was established but the western boundaries were still not very clear.  In 1752 Orange was Created out of Anson and Anson became the entire western area of North Carolina.

In 1753 Rowan was created and that caused the entire western part of North Carolina to be in either Anson or Rowan.

It wasn't until 1791 that Buncombe was established.  Thus when we look at these NC Families, we have to think about the time period that we are considering to compare if they might have been living near each other.  My Elliott family was living in Rowan County when they first moved from Penn to NC but they were living in the part that later became Randolph County.  

I had worked on the Hawkins family in Campbell County, Virginia July 20, 2012...take a look at the blog post:

http://marshamoses.blogspot.com/2012/07/william-joseph-hawkins-of-campbell.html

I believe that this family group may have connections to this FG#1Buncombe subgroup.  Let me know what you think.