CHAPTER XXXXIII THE EWINGS OF GEORGIA – OUR ANCESTORS Chapter XXXVIII includes information on JOHN EWING and his family, John being one of the four sons of William Ewing born about 1709. Names of some of John’s children were located on page 41 of the Census of 1788 taken of BIG SPRING PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Newville, Cumberland Co., PA. Most of the names were found in the 1806 will of John Ewing of Pleasant Township, Fairfield Co., Ohio. Two of the younger sons were on the will but not on the 1788 Census. One, “John, Jr.” claimed by a descendant was on neither list. We compare the two lists for your review at this time: BIG SPRING CENSUS of 1788 NAMED IN 1806 WILL OF JOHN EWING Name Age Birth- Year Name Amount Estate Paid John Ewing 50 1738/9 William Ewing $ 412.48 Sarah Ewing 48 1740 James Duncan (m-Mary) $ 166.24 Jane Ewing 22 1766 Jane Ewing $ 166.24 William Ewing 20 1768 William Herron (m-Rebecca) $ 56.24 Martha Ewing 18 1779 Thomas Ewing Mathew Ewing 16 1772 David Ewing Adm. Jointly $665.18 Mary Ewing 12 1776 Mathew Ewing $ 20.00 James Ewing 10 1778 Joseph VanHorn (m-Martha) $ 2.00 Rebecca Ewing 8 1780 “Our William” who came to Georgia: Martha married Joseph VanHorn 22 Nov 1792; Mary married James Duncan 5 June 1798; James Ewing married Eleanor Gillespie 25 Apr 1809; James Ewing married 2nd sister, Elizabeth Gillespie 21 Oct 1813. Missing from the will are John Ewing, Jr. and James Ewing. It is believed they already had their inheritances as had Martha VanHorn, probably Mathew and Rebecca. The two younger sons were Thomas “born 1782 in PA Census, OH and David born 20 Oct 1784” (Tombstone). Chapter XXXVIII does not list all the Deeds of EWING who came to GEORGIA. There were too many but we traced the children of Thomas Ewing died 1800 SC son of William of Prince Edward Co., Va. Chapter XXVII. Also his nephew Samuel Ewing son of William son of William of Prince Edward Co., VA. We also traced Samuel Ewing and Mary Daniel, son of George Ewing of Wythe Co., Va. son of Samuel Ewing died 1758 in Prince Edward Co., VA, Chapter XXVI. Both of those men were half-brothers to Nathaniel Ewing of Cecil Co., MD. We list below indications that four sons of above John Ewing died 1807 in Ohio may have come to Georgia but only William stayed. 1st John Ewing, Jr. is, probably, the John Ewing who was to receive a grant of 450 acres in Franklin Co., GA in 1786. We do not have the date of his Application but in HISTORICAL SKETCHES by Rev. G.H. Cartledge 1960 page 35 states “The first migration from Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania to New Hope in Northeast Georgia, took place in 1786 and Allen Leeper, William Hodge and others started from Pennsylvania to Georgia in 1785.” Franklin Co., GA Deed Book N page 100 John Ewins and wife, Elizabeth purchased of Andrew Erwin about 1784 but no date of actual possession. Wilkes Co., GA Deed Bk UU page 28. John & Elizabeth purchased 200 acres on William Creek in 1791 recorded 5 Aug 1804. John Ewins bought land from John Holmes who had owned land “our William Ewing” purchased. 2nd William Ewing is the next eldest son of John Ewing died 1806. Tho he is ned, first, in the Will, I found William paying tax in 1802 in Jackson Co. GA in Capt. Aaron Woods District. He had 50 acres of 3rd Quality land that had been Granted to FEW on the waters of Beech Creek next to Littleton Riggins. He paid 37 ½¢. The same is true for the years 1803 and 1805. In 1807 he is taxed on 100 acres in Jackson Co., GA in Capt. John W. Shacklefords District. It was 3rd quality land and was purchased from Joseph Campon the 27 May 1807 and paid $400 for it. It had been granted to Spratlin. It was “on Marburys/Marburg's Creek and bordered Evans.” Jackson Co., Georgia was created in 1796 from Franklin Co., GA. (I found no Deeds to this William Ewing in Franklin Co., GA.) A copy of this Deed and others relating to William and Hannah Ewing are in the first few pages of this chapter. See ahead . 3rd Mathew Ewing is the next son of John Ewing died 1806 and is mentioned in the will of John Ewing. He is also on the 1788 Census of Big Spring Presbyterian Church. He was paid £2.0.0 from the Estate of Allen Leeper on 10 July 1791 by Allen's sons, James Leeper and Charles Leeper. (See Inventory #61; Account #27 Cumberland Co., PA Courthouse, Carlisle, Pennsylvania Office of Wills and Orphan's Court Records). In 1793, Mathew Ewing enlisted as a Private in Capt. John Hodge's Company of the Elbert County, Georgia Militia. He enlisted the same day as his cousins William Allen David Ewing and Thomas Ewing (whose Deed he had witnessed the year before.) By 1800, he is back in Franklin Co., PA, Metal twp. which had been taken from Cumberland Co., PA. By 1806, he is in Pleasant twp. Ohio when his father died. He and wife, Mary Maguire, bought the Pleasant twp. Fairfield Co., Ohio land of his father from the others and sold it by 1810. 4th James Ewing is the next son of John Ewing died 1806 and is not mentioned in the 1806 will of John Ewing. He is, however, on the 1788 Census of Big Spring Presbyterian Church. We have mentioned before that he, like his sister 398 Chapter XXXXIII The Ewings of Georgia 399 Martha Ewing VanHorn (wife of Joseph VanHorn) had already received a portion of their father's estate prior to his death. As James Ewing was born in 1778 he would have been 22 years old when he enlisted in Jackson County, Georgia Militia, Volunteer Troops of Dragoons in the 2nd Regiment. His enlistment is dated 15 June 1801. He was called “Gentleman” (a man of means) and was made a 1st Lieutenant. I sincerely believe it was this man and not his cousin James Ewing born 1782 whose father, James Ewing, had died in 1791 leaving him £36. That James did not receive his inheritance until 1804 after he became 21. That James did pay tax on land as “underage” in 1802, but would hardly have been called “Gentleman” in 1801 is my thinking on this. The Deeds in Georgia are, at times, confusing being recorded in two counties for the same Deed as County lines were changing so fast. Madison Co., Ga was created 5 Dec 1811 from Clarke, Elbert, Franklin Jackson and Oglethorpe Counties! In Madison County Deed Book A page 3 dated 9 Dec 1809, James Ewing purchased of William Allen David Ewing 151 acres for which he paid $1,600. It bordered the South by South Fork of Broad River and North by John Mark's Land. William Allen David Ewing signed the Deed. It was not recorded until 1812. It is my belief that this is the James Ewing above, not the brother of William A. D. Ewing. The above James Ewing had married Eleanor Gillespie in Big Spring Presbyterian Church on 25 April 1809 and brought her to Georgia, is my belief. Proof is in the fact that his younger cousin by the same name was in Bedford Co., TN and witnessed the counter-signing of Deed Book A page 200 Madison Co., GA where William A.D. Ewing sold his last land through his “Lawful Attorney James L. Ewing”, his son, to Stephen Smith on 12 October 1815. All the descendants of James Ewing died 1791 moved to Tennessee with Allen Leeper. James Ewing's wife, Eleanor Gillespie died prior to 21 October 1813 for that is when he married her younger sister, Elizabeth Gillespie both daughters of George and Sarah (Young) Gillespie of what became Frankford twp. Cumberland Co., Pa. They were married at Big Spring Presbyterian Church. James was not on the 1810 Census of Cumberland Co., PA nor on the 1820. We “assume” he died after 1813. Elizabeth Ewing is buried in Big Spring Cemetery with inscription “Elizabeth Ewing daughter of George Gillespie, born 1790; died Jan 16, 1846.” She is, also, shown as being received into the Church on 13 October 1822. It is my theory that she sold the Madison Co., GA land and moved back to Cumberland Co., PA with her orphans. See page 356 which proved she and the children were living on HER land which they inherited when she died in 1846. She inherited it from her father, George Gillespie when he died. I suppose James Ewing had lost all his money. He had paid an enormous sum of $1,600 for 150 acres in 1809. A few years later, 1815, the 562 ½ acres sold for $1,200 showing the decrease in land values. They thought the land was “worn out”. This sale was recorded in Madison Co. Deed Book A page 200. None of the daughters of John Ewing came to Georgia unless Jane Ewing the elder sister of our William Ewing came here to help him with the children. There is another semi-elderly woman in the household of Green Berry Ewing in 1820 who may be Jane. We have no proof of course but she is not; shown in Pleasant Twp., Fairfield Co., Ohio Census as being a part of the household of any of the other brothers and sisters.