Dodie , Jane, and others following the question of the 18th century Johns, Many, many thanks for the information you have posted over the years and know that one person was noting everything being posted on the early Johns. In trying to tie John of Wilkes county, NC, to an already identified line, I have done more rethinking on the John of Wilkes to see if anything could help in the identification. For example, Dodie's statement that John was not noted in the 1819 will of Mary, wife of Lawrence, or that there was any real proof that John was the son of John prevents a real quandry in tying John to Lawrence as John was definitely alive at this time of the 1819 death and is not noted in the will. . Some data on the John of Wilkes might provide information , however, to exclude some of the other known Johns. John of Wilkes was first on the census of 1810 there as a 45+ male (born pre 1765) and a female 26-46.Four males and three daughters were also members of this family unit and the ages do include children rather than two family units. In 1820 John again is 45+ (born pre 1775) and a female 45+ was in the household. Two males and one female complete the family. John was also on the 1830 as 60-70 (born 1760-1770) but with no female old enough to be his wife. IF these census reports are accurate, John was born 1760-1765 and he does not appear on the 1840 census. These dates for his birth would tie to a son James born about 1790 and by the 1850 census James' reported his birth as Pennsylvania. There is an unknown female on the 1810 census who was born 1784-1794; James or her as the first child is unknown. Case one. It appears then the John of Col Ewings Battalion might be too old for this John but the John of 3rd Maryland or under Capt. Beal would be possible if John of Wilkes were born in the 1760-1763 period. Neither of these is an obvious match with John of Wilkes. Case two You also noted some other Johns on the 1790 census as Amelia county with 7, Cumberland with 5; IF the Wilkes census of 1810 is accurate, John would only have had two children , James and unknown daughter, by 1790 and a census report of 1790 could have had no more than four whites for the Wilkes John - if all survived. Case three The 1810 Giles county Va. John would not have been the Wilkes as Johnwas counted in the 1810 Wilkes census and the count in Giles is much larger than the family of John of Wilkes. Case four. John McChan" b. abt. 1748 d. 1821 living in Frederick Co., MD has a birth date earlier than John of Wilkes and John McChan listed as a soldier in the Maryland Line who applied for a pension in Frederick, MD 4/3/1818, aged about 70 who in 1820 said he was 70 and that he had an 11 year old son at the time. Another ref. says he was 73 in 1818 and died in 1821. This on p. 242 of Rev. War Patriots of Frederick, MD by Henry C. Peden, Jr Since John was alive and in Wilkes in 1820 and 1830 this is not the same man. Case five John b. 3/1/1757 d 2/3/1841 in Lawrence Co., TN who <i>may</i> be the one who enlisted in the Rev. War in Ohio Co., Va. Again this one is excluded since John of Wilkes was dead pre 1840 census and before the 1841 death and the Tn. John has a history in that area when John was alive in Wilkes. Case six. On p. 139 of Tenmile Country, Leckey notes a John McCannes as a soldier who took the Oath of Allegiance to the Commonwealth of Virginia in Ohio County on Sept. 24, 1777, appearing on Zachariah Sprigg's list.<br><br> This one is still a possibility if not the one in Tennessee. but it is pushing the birth date of John of Wilkes Case seven John b. 1757-1784, son of Thomas of Harrison Co., VA although this John may have remained in Ireland.<br> remains a possibility and some coincidences indicate a stronger possibility. John of Wilkes son James had a son Thomas Harrison and this is the first use of either the name Thomas or Harrison in this line. This grandson of John of Wilkes was born in 1838 and by this date William Henry Harrison was becoming more popular in the nation and may have had children born after him. This Thomas was supposed to have migrated about 1799 to Chester Pa. and later Harrison, Va. This does not fit with a pre 1790 birth of James, son of John, in Pennsylvania according to the 1850 Wilkes census. Case eight. I have not absorbed some of this information which came from Jane and the archives.John b. bef. 1768 m1. 1789 Catherine Brown in Harrison Co., VA and m2 Jane Eyerson bef. 1805. Were these wo separate men?Which one died in Greene Co., PA which was part of Washington Co., PA, which was part of Westmoreland Co., PA. Dodie, was the John who married Brown the son of Lawrence, if a son, or not? YOu traced one John into Indiana; was this the one? Case nine Greene County, PA: Estate of John McCANN deceased; Letters of Administration granted to Jonathan Johnson the second <br> day of August 1814. Bond with Thomas Miller and John Inghram as securities taken same day. This excludes this Green county John from being John of Wilkes who was still alive after 1814. This is the John for whom Jane has noted John McCann who lived in Greene County, <i>may</i> be the one appearing on or as:<br> (1) Zachariah Sprigg's list of soldiers who took the oath of Allegiance to the Commonwealth of VA in Ohio Country in 1777 as John McCannes;<br> (2) the Assessment Roll for Cumberland Twp, Washington Co. in 1784 as John McCon;<br> (3) list of "signers" of the petition for a new State of Westsylvania circa 1780 as John McCann; and<br> (4) 1790 Census for Cumberland Township as John McCann with 2 males under age 16.<br><br> I do not know what the age of John in this census was in this census and if he is the one with 5 the family unit is too large for John of Wilkes. in 1790. Case ten John b. 12/30/1788 d. 6/17/1875 <br> is too late for the John of Wilkes who died 1830-1840. PLEASE follow the logic and let me know privately or on the list if so many of these Johns can be excluded from being the John who started the wing of the family in Wilkes county, NC. I do not have an 1800 census listing on him and if he is the John associated with Lawrence he dropped out of sight in Va pre 1798. Can anyone help in this exercise which wll never seemingly have an absolute conclusion. Jim Snodgrass [email protected] Knoxville, Tn.