lcgs_washburn

ORIGINS OF THE LAWRENCE COUNTY WASHBURN FAMILY

by
Patricia Washburn Long

GENESIS OF THE WASHBURN NAME AND EARLY FAMILY HISTORY

The name Washburn originated at the time of the Norman conquest as “de Washbourne”. Bourne” is from the Old English “burna” meaning a spring or stream. Washbourne specifically means a place where the fuller scoured and cleaned thick wool cloth (“Fuller’s stream”). 2 The founder of the family in England was of Norman ancestry and was allegedly knighted on the field of battle at Hastings by William the Conqueror. The family was endowed by William with lands and the Manor of Little and Great Washbourne in the counties of Gloucester and Worcester, England. The family took its name from these two estates.

WASHBURN ROOTS IN AMERICA

Washburns were among the very early settlers of this country. The most well-documented of these are John and William Washburn, who were generally believed to be brothers. John and William settled in Duxbury, Massachusetts (ca. 1632) and Hempstead, Long Island (ca. 1644), respectively. The John Washburn descendants especially are very well documented as they married into several Mayflower families. However, forefathers of the Lawrence County Washburns that are the subject of this paper seemed to have settled in neither Massachusetts nor New York but rather Virginia. A Joseph Washburn is indicated as having been in Virginia by 1634, a Daniel Washburn in 1641, and a John Washburn as early as 1619. As will be seen later, a direct linkage between the Lawrence County Washburns and any of these early Virginia settlers has yet to be established.

JAMES WASHBURN: LAWRENCE COUNTY SETTLER

     The first documented Washburn in Lawrence County was James Washburn (1828-1904).     James was born in Kentucky.   (See later discussions on James’ ancestry). He had lived in Kent County, Michigan (Grand Rapids area) for at least 25 years before migrating to Tennessee.   It has never been clear to family researchers why James left Kentucky for Michigan as a young man.   Family legend has it that James was apprenticed out for work as a young teen-ager in the Owensboro, KY area.   After suffering mistreatment at the hands of his overseer, family legend says he fled to Michigan were he took work on a farm.
     It is known that James worked on a farm belonging to William Myers of Cortland, MI. It was there that he met his future wife, Pamelia Wall, who worked in the house for Mrs. Myers.
They were married at the Myers farm on May 25th 1851.     The 1860 Kent County, Michigan census provides information on the James Washburn household as follows:

NAME Age Sex Occupation Value Real Estate Value Personal Property Place of Birth
James Washburn 31 M Farmer     ---   $50 Kentucky
Pamelia Washburn 27 F    England
William H. 7 M    Michigan
John F. 1 M    Michigan

Records show that James Washburn volunteered at Cannonsburg, MI for enlistment in the United States Army on August 12th, 1862 for a period of three years. He was assigned to Company H of the 21st Michigan Infantry and received a $25.00 bounty for enlisting. James served as a wagoner for the company for the entire extent of his service.7 The 21st Michigan Infantry participated in encounters with the enemy at Perryville, KY., October 8, 1862; Lavergne, TN., Dec. 27, 1862; Stewart’s Creek, TN., Dec. 29, 1862; Stones River, TN, Dec. 29, 31, 1862; and Jan. 1,2, and 3, 1863; Tullahoma, TN., June 24, 1863; Elk River, TN., July 1, 1863; Chickamauga, Ga., Sept 19, 20, and 21, 1863; Chattanooga, TN., Oct. 6, 1863; Brown’s Ferry, TN., Oct. 27, 1863; Mission Ridge, TN., Nov. 26, 1863; Savannah, Ga., Dec. 11, 18, 20, and 21; 1864; Averysboro, NC., March 16, 1865; Bentonville, NC, March 19, 1865. James was captured by the Confederates at Chickamauga on September 19, 1863 and was paroled at Chattanooga ten days later. He was mustered out of the Army at Washington, D.C. on June 8, 1865. Upon mustering out James was paid $75.00 bounty. 7 In 1888 James applied for and was granted a disability pension based upon illness/injuries as a result of his Civil War service.

The 1870 Kent County, Michigan census for the James Washburn household is as follows:

NAME Age Sex Occupation Value Real Estate Value Personal Property Place of Birth
James Washburn 42 M Farmer $2000 $610 Kentucky
Pamelia Washburn 38 F Keeping house   England
William H. 17 M Works on farm   Michigan
John F. 11 M At school   Michigan
Edgar                       8            M         At school                        Michigan
Charlie A.                 4         M                                                  Michigan
Ulysses S.                 2        M                                                   Michigan

      James Washburn came to Lawrence County after the Civil War undoubtedly in an attempt to improve his station in life.   Family legend holds that James traveled through the Summertown area on his way from Shiloh to Columbia, TN to catch a train home to Michigan after being injured and discharged at the Battle of Shiloh. He allegedly was so fond of the Summertown area that he purchased land there and moved his family south.   However, several facts seem to contradict the legend. The first is that the 21st Michigan Infantry, in which James served, was not at Shiloh.88   Also, James was not discharged from the Army until the War’s end. 7 The first Lawrence County deed record involving James Washburn is dated August 5th, 1879. James purchased 200 acres for eight hundred dollars from an Alfred Johnson of Plainfield, Kent County, Michigan.   James’ residence is given as Cannon, Kent County, Michigan.   The Lawrence County land is described as being in “range four and section two on the waters of big Buffalo”.      The exact location of the land is difficult to determine. One clue is given from examination of the deed for the property of Loretta Washburn, located approximately one half mile southwest of Summertown on the Henryville Turnpike. The deed to this land identifies the property as part of the original James Washburn land.
     The relationship, if any, between James Washburn and Alfred Johnson, grantee in the first Lawrence County Washburn deed, is not known.   Mr. Johnson could possibly have been a land speculator who purchased Lawrence County land at post-Civil War low prices for re-sale to his Michigan neighbors. Speculation on Summertown land did occur in the 1870’s and 1880’s as demonstrated by Joseph Crane’s very successful real estate business10,11. Mr. Crane’s land promotion was responsible for the migration from Indiana to Lawrence County of other ancestors of the author.
      James and Pamelia Wall Washburn raised six sons: William, John, Edgar, Frank, Charles and Ulysses (Lewis). Their descendants through their grandchildren are given below: 12

James Washburn died June 30, 1904 at his home in Summertown, TN. According to Pamelia Washburn’s application for a widow’s pension, his death was caused from a “congestive chill”. The testifying doctor was J.H. Pickard, MD of Summertown.

ANCESTORS OF JAMES WASHBURN

     According to various census records, 4,6 James Washburn was born in Kentucky in 1828-9. The 1900 Lawrence County, TN census indicates he was born in January 1828. The identification of his parents has always been problematic to family researchers. Examination of the 1830 Kentucky census indicates thirteen Washburn households. Six of these households had males less than five years old, the age category under which James would have fallen at this time.   The heads of these six households were Gabriel Washburn in Calloway County, Benjamin Washburn, Jr. in Shelby County, Lewis Washburn in Shelby County, James Washburn in Clark County, Delaney Washburn in Jefferson County, and Uriah Washburn in Fleming County.   The 1840 Kentucky census also indicates thirteen Washburn households.   Five of the six Washburn households mentioned in 1830 with males less than five can be identified in the 1840 census. These are Gabriel, “Bein” (believed to be Benjamin, Jr. from the 1820 census), Lewis, Delaney and Uriah.   All reside in the same county as indicated in the 1830 census.   Only James cannot be positively identifed from 1830 to 1840. The James Washburn in Clark County in 1830 could possibly be the same James Washburn shown in Henry County in 1840. The assumption that they are the same will be made for sake of discussion.
     Examination of 1840 census records for the six Washburns mentioned above (Gabriel, Bein, Lewis, Delaney, Uriah and James) indicates Gabriel, Bein, Lewis and Uriah with males in the same age bracket as James (10-15).   No other Washburn households in the 1840 census indicate males in that age range.   Thus, Gabriel, Bein, Lewis and Uriah are consistent between the 1830 and 1840 census and can be considered potential fathers of James Washburn.
      To further focus the research, the 1900 Lawrence County census was consulted to determine the place of birth of James’ father. In this census James indicated his father was born in Virginia.   A search of the 1850 Kentucky census does not find Benjamin, Jr. (or “Bein”, as he is referred to in the 1840 census), who has perhaps died by this time. Gabriel, Lewis, and Uriah can be found in this census.   Gabriel states he was born in North Carolina; Lewis born in Kentucky; and Uriah born in Kentucky.    Thus, there is no one Washburn in the 1850 census who had sons approximately the same age as James and who was also born in Virginia.
     Several secondary sources13,14 indicate that in the 1830-1840 period, all Kentucky Washburns with Virginia origins descended from a Benjamin A. Washburn, born Culpeper County, Virginia August 3, 1763 and died Shelby County, Kentucky, May 2, 1847. 11 Benjamin served in the Virginia Militia during the Revolutionary War and received a pension. After the War, in which he served as one of the patriots under General Washington, he married Miss Mary Beason in 1784.   Shortly thereafter with his bride he followed Boone’s trail through the wilderness to Kentucky, along with some other pioneers, and settled near Paris. Four years later he came to Shelby County, Kentucky.
     About this date Virginia had granted large bounties of land to her soldiers of the War of Independence and also treasure land warrants in redemption for the depreciated currency. These lands were located in Kentucky, and a large immigration followed.   In 1791, while Kentucky was still part of Virginia, Benjamin Washburn built a stone house which stood near Shelbyville, KY until about 1986 when it was lost to fire. The letters patent to this old homestead were issued from Richmond, Virginia, and were signed by Patrick Henry, Governor of the Old Dominion.15
     In his massive two-volume work “The Washburne Family in America”, Brenton Washburne writes that Benjamin A. Washburn had seven sons: Delaney (b. 1784), James, Benjamin, Lewis, John (1789-1840), Samuel (1802-1872), and Moses.   This book further indicates Benjamin A. Washburn’s son James as the father of James Washburn, the subject of this article. No sources are cited by Mr. Washburne. There is a James in the 1830 Kentucky census, Jefferson County, household #126. The fact that this James lives near to Delaney Washburn in household #124 hints at a possible relationship to Delaney, a son of Benjamin A. Washburn according to Mr. Washburne. The census details indicated one male 5-10, one male 10-15, and one male 40-50. None of these fit a son James born 1828 although it is known that for various reasons census returns can be misleading and even incorrect. The James Washburn in the 1830 Jefferson County, Kentucky census does not seem to appear in the 1840 Kentucky census.    The James Washburn in the 1840 Henry County, KY census appears to be a different person based on age comparisons.
     In summary, the parentage of James Washburn (b. 1828 Kentucky, -d. June 30, 1904 Summertown, TN) remains a mystery due to the incomplete or sketchy information uncovered by researchers to date. Washburn family genealogists will continue to pursue this research.