Welcome to the
family of
James Ewing of Pocahontas
Please note that the migration of people in the 1700s played a big part in how counties were formed. In some cases, a person could live on the same tract of land and be in four or five counties during the time he lived in that one location. Also, West Virginia did not become a state until 1863 a number of years after James and his sons had moved on to Ohio. Today, Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties are in West Virginia; but, they were in the state of Virginia during the first two or three generations of this family.
James Ewing - Pioneer
by
Nancy Hanks Ewing
( 1922-1987)
Is Presented in Three Volumes
Compiled
by
Barbara Ewing Powell
1994
Edited for the Internet by James R. McMichael
JimMcMcl at gmail dot com
To Volume 1 Table of Contents James Ewing -Pioneer
To Volume 2 Table of Contents Children of John “Indian John” Ewing
To Volume 3 Table of Contents Children of William “Swago Bill” Ewing
Children of John and Ann Smith Ewing
Children of William and Mary Mc Neill Ewing
JAMES EWING - PIONEER, this book I is the story of James and his family. JAMES EWING - PIONEER, the second book comprises 22 chapters and is the continuation of this book I. Each chapter in Book II highlights one of John and William's combined 22 children and traces their descendancy as far into the present as possible, based upon the information derived from family member's correspondence and records, researching census, county courthouse records and state archives.
Just a little background history of my involvement with Nancy Hanks Ewing and how I became an instrument in Nancy's dream of JAMES EWING - PIONEER becoming a reality.
Nancy and I met in the 1960s when she placed a call to Gustine, California. Nancy was living in Muskegon, Michigan. Nancy had found a letter that my great Grandmother, Letitia C. Tinnin Ewing had written to her Grandfather, Alvin Enoch (A.E.) Ewing in the 1940s. The first Ewing the telephone operator connected Nancy with, in my area of California that morning was a woman who remembered me - because of my asking about her Ewing connections many years before. Nancy was given my phone number.........and another missing Ewing link was placed into the pieces of an unending puzzle. My direct descendancy had eluded A.E. because they had immigrated to California in the 1870s and Nancy had searched for several years before coming upon the "letter" and decided to call to see if any Ewings were still in the area. Nancy and I corresponded and shared information until her death in 1987.
In the spring of 1985, while my husband and I were on a visit to Southern California, we made a special trip to Del Mar to visit with Nancy. We spent the afternoon getting to know each other and after years of corresponding - we truly felt like family. It was a marvelous afternoon and I am so thankful that I had the brief opportunity to know Nancy as a person, not just her marvelous words on paper.
It was in a Christmas card in 1987 sent by Nancy's daughter, Barbara Sager, that I learned of Nancy's death. Nancy's Surfcomber, Del Mar Potpourri article - which was written by Barbara for it's last appearance, told of Nancy's memorial service. You will find that record of Nancy's memorial service included in this work.
As the years passed, I often wondered who was carrying on Nancy's beloved work, James Ewing - Pioneer. Genealogy, collecting and recording family histories has been of interest to me for many years - even prior to my "meeting" Nancy. In 1991 I answered a query from John Burris of Woodlake, California looking for a descendant of "Indian" John Ewing. In sharing information we found that we are second cousins, four times removed. At one point in a telephone conversation, Nancy's name was mentioned. He knew Nancy and her daughter, Barbara Sager. He had visited with them several times and had been given conservatorship of Nancy's boxes containing binders, research papers and drafts of her JAMES EWING - PIONEER. What a thrill it was for me to know that all Nancy's work had been preserved. John was searching for someone to assist him in putting Nancy's genealogical information on the Personal Ancestral Files (PAF) Program. "Would I be willing to help him?" Of course the answer was YES!
Between John and I, over 16,000 entries were submitted to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1992. These entries may be researched in any Family History Library. Some errors have been detected and corrections are being made, but the basic information is now available to people researching Ewings and their collateral families.
With the submission of the PAF files to the Family History Library, phase one was completed and phase two began. Phase two was the compiling of Nancy's outlines, drafts and stories on the computer to be published in book form. This took several years on a "time-available" basis, but in October of 1994 the work was completed.
As you read JAMES EWING - PIONEER, Book I and Book II, remember that this is Nancy's book. Nancy put many years into researching records, and many more years and a lot of her energy into combining her research into a book form that would be easy for a researcher to use, as well as a novice to follow. As I typed page after page of her book, many times it was as if Nancy was looking over my shoulder and assisting me with deciphering her work.
A note of explanation: The book draft on the last four chapters in Book II, Jacob, Abram, George and Andrew were in outline form, so had to be composed into readable text. Nancy was familiar with many of the places the Ewing families settled in Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, etc., this compiler is not. Nancy's drafts had many abbreviations, some in her own "code". Some towns and counties did not have a state listed with them, hopefully the right towns and counties were put with the proper states.
Anyone researching written records knows that compiling data from another's written notes is difficult, and even trying to correct information depends upon how well the compiler deciphers the written word. Nancy's records were transcribed as correct as possible. Some errors are unavoidable, and this compiler apologies for those found by the reader.
Nancy's books should be as complete and correct as possible, therefore please address all errors to my attention for correction in future print outs. If, in reading these books, you find your family and their history is not complete it would be wonderful if you would send me an updated family history listing the missing names, birth dates, death dates, marriages and any information needed to complete your families records.
With the completion of JAMES EWING - PIONEER, Books I and II, the dream Nancy had for so many years has been achieved.
The researcher will find an every name index at the end of each book.
All material found in these two books can be copied and used at the readers discretion. An important part of genealogy is the sharing of family information with others - by sharing research findings with interested family members, you are keeping your heritage alive for future generations.
BARBARA EWING POWELL
OCTOBER 1994
JAMES EWING - PIONEER, Volume I, II and III, begins with what is known of James Ewing of Augusta and Bath Counties, Virginia and later, with the change of county and state lines, Pocahontas County, West Virginia. The books continue with the stories of James' sons, John (Indian John) and William (Swago Bill), their families and collateral families.
The gathering of material and the collecting of family genealogy and histories for her book consumed many years of NANCY HANKS EWING's life. From the time Nancy inherited her grandfather's archives, upon his death in 1945, her dream was to see the family history in print. Nancy took over the challenge of being the JAMES EWING FAMILY HISTORIAN upon the death of Alvin Enoch EWING - who was always called A.E. He is mentioned as a source through-out each volume.
A.E. was an attorney and member of the Michigan Legislation and lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was the son of Henry Mc Kendree EWING, who was the son of Enoch EWING, who was the son of William (Swago Bill) EWING. A.E. documented stories of individual families and collected family genealogies. A.E.'s grandfather, Enoch, was a great source of information for him. A.E. wrote many family histories. Some were published in historical books and in newspapers articles. He and Mr. Calvin W. Price, Editor of the Pocahontas Times in Marlinton, West Virginia, corresponded for many years. A.E. was a contributor on local history as well as Ewing history for Mr. Price's newspaper. As the years passed, and more legal documentation became available - not just family traditions passed from one generation to another, A.E. found that some of the histories he had gathered, and that were printed, were inaccurate. He tried to correct the inaccuracies where he could, but it was not possible to change history books and articles printed and read years before.
A.E.'s legacy to Nancy was a roomful of archival material. Soon, Nancy had her own room devoted to Ewing history - shelves and filing cabinets full of correspondence with Ewing family members, pictures of Ewing families, family history books and research materials. The book on James Ewing began to evolve as the years passed. Like many genealogist, vacations were taken where research could be done, family homesteads and cemeteries could be visited and personal contact could be made with "cousins" - all great sources for "James Ewing - Pioneer". In the 1980s, Nancy Hanks Ewing and her precious "James Ewing - Pioneer" moved to Del Mar, California from Muskegon, Michigan. In Del Mar, Nancy was editor of the Del Mar's newspaper, Surfcomber's, society section, "Del Mar Potpourri." Del Mar's Centennial year was in 1985 and Nancy took on the job of researching and writing the history of the Del Mar area. To that end, "DEL MAR - LOOKING BACK" was published and available for distribution in the spring of 1988.
Just as Nancy did not live to see JAMES EWING - PIONEER in print, she did not get to see DEL MAR - LOOKING BACK published. Nancy Hanks Ewing died November 10, 1987.
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CHILDREN OF JAMES EWING, PIONEER
1. Jeanet Ann EWING
Born: about 1742
Died: 1817, Greenbrier County, West Virginia
Married:
1st about 1757,
Archibald CLENDENNIN
Died: 15 July 1763
2nd 1767
John ROGERS
2. John EWING
Born: 27 Dec 1747, Orange County, North Carolina
Died: 23 Dec 1824, Huntington Township, Gallia County, Ohio
Buried: Vinton, Ohio
Married: 22 Apr 1774, Pocahontas Co., West Virginia
Ann SMITH
Born: Aug 1754, Tyrone, Kington of Ireland
Died: 11 May 1809, Addison Township, Gallia Co., Ohio
3. Elizabeth EWING
Born: about 1750
Married: George DAUGHERTY
Moved to Kentucky, no further information found
4. Jane EWING (Susan Jane)
Born: about 1753
Married: 11 Apr 1786,
Moses MOORE
by: Rev. Samuel SHANNON
"from whom she soon parted"
Marriage Bond filed at Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia
Some records state: Wrm Springs, Bath Co., Virginia
5. William EWING
Born: 24 Dec 1756, Bath County, Virginia
Died: 7 Oct 1822, Ewington, Gallia County, Ohio
Married: 16 Nov 1785
Mary MC NEILL,
daughter of: Thomas MC NEILL, Greenbrier, Pocahontas Co., West Virginia
Born: 25 Dec 1771,South Branch, Hardy County, Virginia
Died: June 1858, Summersett Township, Mercer Co., Missouri
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Among Nancy's pages of documentation and drafts, is a partial list was found of those who had contributed EWING information over the many years of her researching the descendants of JAMES EWING. It is important that recognition, and thanks, be given to those family members who so graciously and willingly shared their EWING genealogy and stories.
CHILDREN OF JOHN AND ANN SMITH EWING
CHILDREN: CONTRIBUTORS:
1. WILLIAM
2. SUSANNAH HOLCOMB BOOK
BILL SWINNEY
RUTH MARGESON
MAYOR W.R.HOLCOMB
ROGER EWING TODD
3. JOHN SMITH BARBARA EWING POWELL
HUBERT SPADE
4. JEANET CORA GAPIN
VERNE BOWEN
WEED BOOK
LOIS LUANN HOWELL
5. SARAH HOLCOMB BOOK
EVERYBODY IN GALLIA CO., OHIO
ROGER EWING TODD
6. NANCY ANN RUTH MILLER MASTERS
WILLIAM REYNOLDS NELSON
7. ANDREW CHANNING
8. ELIZABETH
9. LYDIA JOHN BURRIS
RALPH AND FRED DAILY
10. SAMUEL FABER K. AMES
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CHILDREN OF WILLIAM AND MARY MC NEILL EWING
CHILDREN: CONTRIBUTORS:
1. ELIZABETH DODRILL BORK, PEARL TWYMAN
2. THOMAS GENEVA LEWIS
JAMES M. EWING-BLUMHAGEN
BETTY BENSON
RAYMOND EWING
3. JONATHAN ELIZABETH WESSON
MABEL BARBER
4. WILLIAM LORETA BEERY
JOSEPH STRONG
DONALD STRONG
CLARICE COFFMAN
HOWARD O. EWING
5. JAMES VIVIAN B. HULL
CLARICE COFFMAN
6. JOHN BERDENA FOLKERS
7. SARAH NO ISSUE
8. ENOCH NANCY HANKS EWING
9. JACOB KATHRYN DE HAVEN
10. ABRAM RAYMOND KITCHEN
THE GOOCHES
11. GEORGE DONALD EWING'S BOOK
BEATRICE CLARK
"COUSIN BESS"
12. ANDREW RUSSELL ALDREICH
IRENE NILES MICHAEL
GRACE PEEP
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1. A.E. Ewing Collection
2. William Ewing Bible
3. John Ewing Record Book
4. United States Census Records
5. Helen Blumhazen Collection
6. Ina Redenbaugh Collection
7. Cora Gapen Collection
8. Personal Knowlege of Nancy Hanks Ewing
9. "Our Ewings in America" by Donald Brown Ewing
10. "The Holcombs, Nation Builders" by Mc Pherson
11. "Heritage of a Pioneer" by Dodrill, Published 1966
12. Gallia County, Ohio Records
13. Jackson County, Ohio Records
14. Fitzsimmons Family Records
15. Geneva Lewis Records
16. Nicholas County, West Virginia Records
17. Van Wert County, Ohio Records
18. Pocahontas County, West Virginia Records
19. Logan County, Ohio Records
20. Hardesty's "History of Gallia County"
21. Hardesty's "History of Meigs County"
22. Kathryn De Haven Famiy Records
23. Cemetery Monuments
24. The Weed Genealogy
25. Hanna of Castle Sorbie, Scotland and Descendants
by Rev. James Arthur McClannahan Hann of Oak Hill
26. Betty Benson Family Records
27. James Monroe Ewing Family Records
28. Virginia Tietsort Family Records
29. Ruth Stover Family Records
30. Henny Cherrington Evans' Help
31. Loreeta Beery Records
32. Mabel Barber
33. Irene Michael
34. Richard Sheppard
35. Elizabeth Wesson
36. The Auldriches
37. Ralph Macomber
38. Ellen Tyler Thomas
39. Virginia Carson
40. Ann Dater
41. Kent County Records
42. Ralph Dailey
43. Mrs. Paul J. Gooch
44. Gallia County, Ohio, Historical Society Publications
45. The Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah
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