GENEALOGY of some of the descendants of THOMAS DEW Colonial Virginia Pioneer Immigrant TOGETHER WITH GENEALOGICAL RECORDS AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF FAMILIES IN VIRGINIA, MARYLAND, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, WEST VIRGINIA AND TENNESSEE ♦ All Rights Reserved ♦ Compiled by ERNESTINE DEW WHITE GREENVILLE, s. C. 1937 A worthy ancestry is a stimulus to a worthy life . ... RusKIN COPYRIGHT, I~ J 7 By ERNESTINE DEW WHITE GREENVILLE, $. C. ) r This 'Book is 'JJedicated To the descendants of our American progenitor-to foster the privilege to emulate him in his uprightness and to keep unspotted the family name. To my two livi11g aunts-Mrs. Thomas Baylor Henley; nee Fannie LeRoy Dew, now in her 90th year, and Mrs. Alex­ ander Campbell Acree; nee Lucy Themas Dew, now in her 8 5th year, who, by their reverence for their forebears, have preserved old letters, portraits and other heirlooms. PREFACE In the year 19 31, an incident happened which caused me to endeavor to trace authentically my paternal Dew lineage. Until then I had been quite content knowing my lineage back to my great-grandfather and also knowing the history of the family, which had been handed down tradi­ tionally and otherwise from generation to generation. Since traditions are generally based on facts my research has sub­ stantiated practically everything which had been passed down in my branch of the faITily. We were not aware, however, that the Dew family had so many branches and was such a large family. The Dew family, that came to Virginia in the early part of the seventeenth century, was descended from an old English family. There seems to have been much fam­ ily solidarity in the old English family and also in the early American family during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, many members of the family followed the tide of pioneer­ ing to the new lands and wide-open spaces of the south and west. Later on their offspring moved still farther. Thus, by the beginning of the twentieth century, many of the different branches became entirely unknown to each other. Such has been the case with practically all the families in America that are descended from early American pro­ genitors. One could spend years and years in endeavoring to au­ thentically place each one with the family name, now liv­ ing in the United States, in his proper place on the family tree. Ancestors multiply so rapidly-two in the first-de­ gree, four in the second, eight in the third, and, by the same rate of progression, one has over a thousand ancestors in the tenth generation, this being approximately the number of ancestors one now living had since the first permanent settle­ ment was made in America in 1607. However, after more than five years of intensive research, I have succeeded in making out my Dew branch and in placing many others where they belong according to the deductions from the rec- 8 The Dew Family ords which I have found and from other information kindly given me. I believe that there is ample proof for every de­ duction made. As I have discovered such a rich fund of data on the family, I feel it my duty to have it printed in permanent book form so as to preserve it. I have placed under "Miscellaneous" some data and rec­ ords on other branches which I have not been able, in so short a time, to place in their proper connection. It is hoped that some member, or members, of these branches, can secure more information and be able to make their proper connections. I have arranged my branch, that of the Virginia family, by numbering the parents and their children just as de­ scended. Many of the early members of these are ex­ current as I could find no other data regarding them. I have used simple abbreviations: b-born, m-married, d­ died, circa-about. I have placed a few photos, excerpts and biographical sketches where they seemed to be of in­ terest. I wish to gratefully thank Mr. Hugh B. Johnston, Jr., of Wilson, N. C., for compiling the genealogy of the Dew families of the Carolinas, and Mrs. Avi I. Smith of Knox­ ville, Tennessee, for compiling the genealogy of the East Tennessee families. I heartily thank Mr. Howard Preston Dew of Charles­ ton, S. C., for much researching that he has done on the Dew family, also, Mr. Judson Lamar Dew of Charlotte, N. C., for designing the book. The following have been kind and helpful by furnish­ ing family names and data: Miss Hattie Belle Gresham and Miss Mary Sue Dew, both of Richmond, Va.; Mrs. John B. Boatwright of Mullins, S. C., Mr. Theodore Martin Dew of Baltimore, Md., Mrs. William 0. Kennedy of West Milford, W. Va., and Mrs. 0. G. Judy of Salem, Va. Sincerely, ERNESTINE DEW WHITE. April 13, 1937. Greenville, S. C. HISTORY OF THE DEW' FAMILY AND THE VIRGINIA FAMILY INTRODUCTION A family Genealogy does not concern any except those who are mentioned therein or those who are akin to those mentioned therein. It is not expected to be of any inter­ est, whatsoever, to others. Interest in Genealogy has increased so much of late. It is needless to mention here the valid reasons which can be offered in favor of preserving authentic family lineages. No authentic, or real, lineage can be based on tradition, hear­ say, or guess. There must be found some legal record which either shows the direct line of descent or from which log­ ical deductions of the same can be made. These records, such as wills, deeds, birth and death notices, marriage rec­ ords, U. S. census records, tax lists, etc., are usually found in old Courthouses, State Archives, old Parish church rec­ ords and old newspaper files. Due to the fact that many of the oldest courthouses were destroyed during both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, it is almost impossible to authenticate each descent in every branch of a colonial family during the earliest period of our country. Many of the old records, which are still in existence, have become faded and worn with age and are in frag­ mentary condition. The spelling is poor. Correct inter­ pretations cannot always be made by the copyists. It must also be remembered that even in England edu­ cation had not advanced very far at this time. Illiteracy was prevalent and the English language and its spelling had not become stabilized. The first two or three generations of native born Ameri­ cans had practically no opportunity for obtaining an edu­ cation. The richest planters either sent their sons to Eng­ land to be educated or else imported teachers for their fam­ ilies. A pathetic evidence of the lack of education even among those who held important positions of trust and honor in the colonies is their poor spelling. "The lamp of learning" seems to have almost flickered out and had it not 12 The Dew Family been for the establishing of "Harvard College" in Massa­ chusetts ( 1691) and "William and Mary College" in Vir­ ginia ( 169 3), there is no telling how long the lack of ed­ ucation would have prevailed in our colonies. However, very fortunately for the children of later times, Thomas Jefferson, "the father of our public school system," con­ ceived and put into practice the first ideas of our present highly developed system of "free education.'' The following paragraphs are taken from Tracts relat­ ing to the colonies in North America. They were written by Captain John Smith in regard to the Virginia Colony and printed in London during the early days of the colonic,: "They have in their Colony Pinnaces, Barkes, great and small Bo1ts mmv hun­ dreds, for most of their plantations stand upon the River sides or up little Creeks, and but a small way into the Land so that for transportation and fishing rhcy use many Boats." "Many young youths from 16 years and upward are needed for Apprentises and Servants for some years, then to have Land given them, and Cattell to set them up. Thousands of these kinds of young boyes and maydens wanting. All kinds of Trades­ men may live well there, and do gaine much by their labours and arts." n!-.fasters should take ten, twelve, or as their is occasion, for apprentiscs. The Masters by this may quicklie grow rich, these may learn their trades themselves, to do the like; to a generall and an incredible benefit, for King, and Country, Master and Servant." "That the Passengers also come safe and well, the seamen of late years having found a way, that now is 5, 6, and 7 weeks they saile to Virginia free from all Rocks, Sands, and Pirats; and that they return home in 20 Jayes sometimes, and 3 0 at most; the Winds commonly serving more constantly, being W'csrcrly homeward, the Easterly outward bound." It would be vain to imagine that all of the immigrants who came over to a new country to undergo the hardships and dangers of fighting the Indians and subduing a wilderness were titled noblemen. However, it is a fact th::t m:rny connections of such in whose veins flowed the sc1mc blood that coursed through theirs, were among the Ic2.di:1g col­ onists. Also, many of the artisans, who follov,'cd the sim - ple and necessary callings needful to subdue :. wilderness, such as surveyors, carpenters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, masons and the like were akin or connected with the fami­ lies of the best blood of England.