This won't answer your question but may give you some clues -- Mary B. KEGLEY, in her book "Early Adventures on the Western Waters," Volume V, has a writeup on your BLESSING's on pages 214 - 216. Other (mis)spellings of the name that Mary came across are: BLESSLE, BLESLY, BLESSLEY, BLASSING, PLESSY, PLESLEY, PLESSLEY, PLASLEY, PLESLY. Also on page 193 of Vol. V are plots of various adjoining tracts in the St. Paul's Community that includes Jacob BLESSING's 440 acre Land Grant between the South Fork of Reed Creek and Pine Run, dated 06 Feb 1800 (VA Land Grant Book 44, pages 272-273). A neighbor on the south of the 1800 Land Grant was Barnabas "Barney" MESSERSMITH. Bob Ford