Vol. 1 Forward

Welcome to volume one of FEATHERSTON FINDINGS!
This volume is the beginning of a new series of booklets designed to be of help to all of us interested in this surname. In the past, we've each done our individual research and shared those results with our correspondents.
With FEATHERSTON FINDINGS, we now have a central repository and a place to share our research with other genealogists and family historians. This series will include information on all variant spellings; i.e. Featherstone, Featherstun, Featherson, Fetherston, Fetherson, etc.
Each volume will contain at least 25 pages plus an index.
Please let me know of others who may be interested in the Featherston surname, so they may be made aware of this new publication. It is not necessary to purchase these booklets to submit miscellaneous material, branches and/or queries for publication.
If you have any suggestions regarding improvements or desired changes in future volumes, please let me know.
A big thanks to all who have made this first booklet possible by sending  in material, branches and queries. Also a special thanks to all who responded to my introductory letter with their encouraging words.
Each of us have varied interests regarding our genealogical work. By combining our efforts, interests and talents, we will make progress in our endeavours. Let's all work together to make this effort a big success.
Thank You,
Aug 1990

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Vol. 1 Index
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME 1

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Vol. 1 Page 1

 Index to Giles County, Tennessee Deeds 1839-1842

Bk. 0, p. 178
Kelley Featherston bill of sale to Thos. Martin

Bk. 0, p. 352
Bill of Sale from W.T. Featherston to Mary Hamilton
Bill of Sale from W.T. Featherston to Mary Thompson

Bk. 0, p. 521
Bill of Sale from W.S. Featherston to R.P. Shelton

Bk. Q, p. 144
Bill of Sale from Robt. R. Featherston to Joshua Baker

Giles County, Tennessee Deed Book Q, page 144
Robt. R. Featherston
To ! Bill Sale Registered the 30th day of September 1842
Joshua Baker
I have this day bargained & Sold & do hereby convey unto Joshua Baker his heirs & assigns for & in consideration of the sum of five hundred dollars to me in hand paid the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged a certain negro girl Slave for life named Milly, aged about fifteen years & now in the County of Decoto & State of Mississippi. I do covent with the said Baker to warrant & forever defend the title to said Slave to him his heirs & assigns against the lawful claims of all persons whatsoever. I do also warrant said Slave to be sound, healthy & sensible & Slave for life.
Given under my hand & Seal Sept 30th 1842.
Test James F. Davis Robert R. Featherston (Seal)
Isaac Morrison
State of Tennessee Giles County &c
Personally appeared before me Edward D. Jones Clerk of the County Court of Giles County, James F. Davis and Isaac Morrison Subscribing witnesses to the within named Bill of Sale, who being first sworn depose and Say that they are acquainted with Robert R. Featherston the Bargainer, and that he acknowledged the same in their presence to be his act and Deed upon the day it bears date In testimony whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and affixed the seal of said
Court at the Clerks office in the Town of Pulaski.

Giles County, Tennessee Deed Bk. AA, p. 275
31 Oct 1859. I Elizabeth Featherston of Carrol 1 Co., Ark. one of the granddaughters and legatees named in the will of William Johnston late of Giles County, Tenn. in his will dated 2 Jan 1857. Appoint Robert H. Johnston of
Giles Co. her attorney to receive all due her. Recorded 18 Jan 1860.
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 The Virginia Genealogist Vol. 23 No. 1 - Jan/Mar 1979

BEWARE OF THE CHARLOTTE COUNTY, VIRGINIA, MARRIAGE BONDS:
THE FEATHERSTON FAMILY

By Mrs. Margaret T. Macdonald, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Mrs. Catherine L. Knorr's Marriage Bonds and Ministers' Returns of Charlotte County. Virginia, 1764-1815 was first printed in 1951. It has been widely sold and used and is still available.
Mrs. Knorr nowhere states exactly what she examined in compiling the bonds of Charlotte County, although she mentions discrepancies between the dates on the marriage bonds and the ministers' returns. However, the page
numbers that she gives in her book as references show she used a typescript of unknown provenance, still in the Clerk's Office at Charlotte County House, and also undoubtedly a handwritten volume of ministers' returns also at the Clerk's Office. The latter contains no genealogical information, other than the name of the bride and groom, supposed marriage date, and name of officiating minister. Stuart B. Fallen, present Clerk of Charlotte County, is
emphatic that his predecessors would never have allowed Mrs. Knorr access to the original bonds.
Whoever made the typescript which Mrs. Knorr copied was not a genealogist and made inferences of relationships that were incorrect, as will be shown in two of the following examples. Four original marriage bonds, chosen because they were the bonds of the four oldest males of the Featherstone family, which I have been researching for years, were recently examined.

The first as printed in Knorr, p. 27, is:
10 December 1787. Charles (1) Featherstone and Lucy Elmore, dau. James Elmore. Sur. James Tarpley. Married 12 December by Rev. Thomas Johnston. p. 107
This is nearly correct. The marriage bond has written across its face Caries/ Carlos (2) Featherstone and Lucy Elmore, dau. of James Elmore of sd. county.

The second, as printed in Knorr, p. 27, is:
4 January 1796. Jeremiah Featherstone and Elizabeth Elmore, dau. James Elmore. Sur. Jesse Elmore. p. 234
This is correct. A small piece of paper inside the bond reads: "This day Jessee Elmore brother of Elizabeth Elmore came before me and made oath that his said sister Elizabeth is upwards of twenty one years of age - that he heard his father James Elmore Refuse to give to Jeremiah Featherstone who is about to be married to the said Elizabeth Elmore a Certificate to the Clerk of the Court of the said county of the age of the said Elizabeth that he has often heard his father say she was over Twenty one years old - the said Jessee Elmore saith his sister Elizabeth is older than he is - and that [ ] Jessee is over Twenty one years — [Signed] Guinn [?]."

The third bond has caused much trouble and confusion. Printed in Knorr, p. 27, one finds: 26 August 1794. Hezekiah Featherston and Nancy Tarpley, dau. John Tarpley. Sur. Charles Featherston. Married 28 August by Rev. Edward Almond, p. 212
There is a considerable amount of material in the Charlotte County records that shows that the Nancy Tarpley who married Hezekiah Featherston, was the daughter of James Tarpley. In the Court Order Books of August 1796 (3) are two suits in which Hezekiah Featherston and Nancy his wife sued the executors

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Vol. 1. Page 3

 of James Tarpley, deceased, and the heirs of James Tarpley. In one the Featherstons were joined by John Eudaly and Mary his wife. Mary is known to have been a daughter of James Tarpley (4). There is a similar suit in May 1798 (5). When James Tarpley made his will (6) he named only his sons and his married daughters but his son William Tarpley made his will (7) and named all his siblings, including a Nancy Tarpley. Finally, an indenture (8), dated 1806, between Joseph Friend and the legatees of the estate of James Tarpley, deceased, includes among the legatees "the heirs of Betsy Miller (9) and Nancy Featherston, who are deceased." Why then did the marriage bond typescript say that Nancy Tarpley was the daughter of John?
Examination of the original bond shows a small enclosed scrap of paper which says: "Ann (10) Tarpley was born 2 day of July 1769". [Signed] John Tarpley.
August 26 Witnessed Carloss (X) Featherston
94 Agnes (X) Tarpley (11)
There is nowhere any statement that John Tarpley is Ann/Nancy Tarpley's father. The relationship was inferred from John Tarpley's sending a statement to show that Nancy was of age to give her own consent. Nancy Tarpley's
father, James Tarpley, was dead. John Tarpley was her uncle (12).

The last bond examined has caused problems in a different way. It reads in Knorr, p. 27:
18 May 1804. Wyley Featherstone and Sally Elmore (13). Sur. Samuel Green. Wyley son of Jeremiah Featherstone p. 365
There are two Jeremiah Featherstons in Charlotte Co., Va., records and it can be proved that both men were too young to have fathered Wylie. The original bond revealed a piece of paper saying: "This is to certify that Wyley featherson (sic) is of eage (sic) to act for his self."
Tese(?) Mrs. Jean featherston (14) Jeremiah featherston (15)
On the back of the same piece of paper, the surety, Samuel Green (16), made oath, among other things, that "his (Wylie's) father and mother are both dead." The parents of Wylie Featherston are unknown, but we do know that his father's being Jeremiah is incorrectly inferred. It is extremely probable that Wylie was a first cousin of the other Featherston men.
The results strongly suggest that anyone with a marriage in Charlotte Co., Va., and especially with a stated relationship in the printed marriage bonds that causes problems should certainly see the original bond. The first
175 years of Charlotte County marriage bonds have recently been microfilmed and are at the Virginia State Archives.
Footnotes:
(1) The typescript says Carlis. The ministers' returns say Caries. The original bond says Carlos/es. His name seems to have been Carolus and though he had many variants (Carless, Carloss), he never, so far as I
know, was Charles.
(2) The original bond says Carloss.
(3) Charlotte Co., VA Order Book 10, p. 205.
(4) Knorr, op. cit., p. 26, shows: 1 October 1787, John Eudaly and Mary Tarpley, dau. James Tarpley. Sur. Carless Featherston. Married same day by Rev. Thomas Johnston. Mary Eudailey is named as a daughter in
the will of James Tarpley (Charlotte Co., Va., Will Book 2, p. 21).
(5) Charlotte Co., Va., Order Book 11, p. 162.
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(6) Ibid., Will Book 2, p. 21. James Tarpley made his will 2 Nov 1791; it was proved 6 Feb. 1792.
(7) Ibid., Will Book 2. p. 49. William Tarpley made his will 29 Apr 1794; it was proved 2 June 1794.
(8) Ibid., Deed Book 10, p. 136.
(9) Betsy Miller was named in James Tarpley's will as daughter, Elizabeth Miller. Her husband, David M. Miller was an executor. The marriage is in Knorr, op. cit. p.
(10) Nancy was a nickname for Ann. Ann Tarpley used Nancy almost exclusively
(11) Agnes Tarpley was John's wife. Charlotte Co., Va., Deed Book 11, p. 35, 26 Jan. 1807, shows a deed between Joseph Venable and John Tarpley and Agness his wife.
(12) James Tarpley (Jr.) and John Tarpley are both named in the will of their father James Tarpley (sr.) made 22 July 1780 in Brunswick Co., Va.. and proved 28 May 1781 (Brunswick Co., Va., Order Book 2, p. 167).
(13) Samuel Green, the surety, made oath about "Sally Elmore whose mother and father are both dead." This means she must be the daughter of James Elmore (Sr.) and his first wife, who are both dead. James Elmore (Jr.)
was still alive. I know of no other Charlotte Co., Va., Elmore who could be her father.
(14) This is Jean Wright Featherston, daughter of Mary ___ and Robert Wright of Brunswick Co., Va. He made his will 11 Aug. 1781, proved 26 May 1783. (Brunswick Co., Va., Order Book 2, p. 438), and named his
daughter Jean Featherston. He left her a Negro girl named Fib and in 1784 on the personal property tax list of Brunswick Co., Va., Charles Featherston has, for the first time, two slaves, "Fib and one young one." Jean Wright married at a time and place unknown Charles Featherston whose will was made in Brunswick Co., Va., 3 Apr 1788 as Charles Feariston (Brunswick Co., Va., Will Book 5, pp. 342-43). The Feariston will was proved 25 Jan. 1790 by Jesse Turner and John Porter. Brunswick Co., Va., Order Book 15, p. 261, shows that the will of Charles
Featherston was proved the same day by the oaths of the same two men.
There can be no doubt that the will of Chare Is Featherston is that written as Charles Feariston. A careful genealogy of the Kentucky branch of the Featherston family done by Mrs. Elizabeth Featherston Selliers in the early 1930s says that Jean Wright Featherston, who died 16 Nov 1812, was the mother of Hezekiah, Carolus and Jeremiah Featherston.
Interestingly, she does not give their father's name. The Feariston/ Featherston will appoints "Kyai" as one of the executors. I presume this is a nickname for Hezekiah. Jeremiah is called "orphan of Charles Featherston" in Charlotte Co., Va., Order Book 10, p. 12 Jan. 1796, when he chose Moses Eudaly as his guardian. I have found nothing, other than circumstantial evidence to show that Carolus was also a son of Charles Featherston, but I believe he was. Charles Featherston had at least seven children and very possibly a wife before Jean/Jane/Gen Wright.
(15) Jeremiah Featherston, the youngest child of Jean Wright and Charles Featherston, was born 4 Nov. 1776 and died 11 July 1854, according to his tombstone in the Lexington, Ky., cemetery. He and Elizabeth Elmore,
born 7 March 1771, died 3 March 1864, had five children. Most but not all, of the Fayette Co., Ky., Featherstons are descended from his son Robert Wright Featherston, born 30 March 1803, died 24 March 1889.

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