John McAninch, son of Daniel, born 1778-1780, (probably) in Pennsylvania. Found in the early

Commissioner’s Books (Tax and Militia lists) in Lincoln County, Kentucky [Note 3], John is

first marked “21 and over” in 1801, indicating that he became 21 during the years 1800 to 1801.

This is consistent with later Tennessee census records, 50-60 in 1830, and 60-70 in 1840 [Note 4].


John would have spent his teen-age years traveling with the family, arriving in Kentucky 1798-99

[Lincoln Co., Kentucky, Commissioner’s Books, Note 3]. On October 7, 1801, he married Patsy

Cooper, daughter of William and Susannah Cooper, in adjacent Pulaski Co., Kentucky [Note 5].

John and his family are found in Casey Co. on the 1810 census [Note 6], with two sons and two

daughters. A short time later, 1811-1812, they move their family south to Giles Co., Tennessee.


There is evidence of (at least) two daughters, Peggy (Elizabeth?) and Rhoda, but we can only

estimate when they might have been born. Peggy married John White, 1814, Pulaski County [7],

so, she was prob. born 1790-1798, and it would be useful to know exactly where and when.

Rhoda married Peter Robinson, Casey County, 1817 [Note 8], so, we can estimate Rhoda born

‘before 1800’, and, both daughters could have been born during the long journey to Kentucky.


Samuel, second known son of Daniel, was born ca. 5 Feb. 1789, in Pennsylvania [Note 9]. A small

child during the long journey, Samuel was only 9 or 10 when the family reached Kentucky. His

first wife (mar. ca. 1809?) apparently died before the 1810 census, when Samuel is found with his

first child, daughter Sarah (“Sally”) [Note 10]. Samuel married (second) Polly Skidmore; they had

twelve more children, and went to Putnam and Hendricks Counties, Indiana, ca. 1830 [Note 11].


George A. McAninch, third son of Daniel, was born ca. 1794, in Virginia [Note 12]. Clearly,

he was born during the long journey to Kentucky, possibly in the Shenandoah Valley, or in the

Abingdon-Bristol area of south-western Virginia, along the ‘Old Wagon Road’ on the route to

eastern Tennessee [Note 13]. George married Mary Elizabeth Ross, 1817, Casey County, where

they raised 6 sons and a daughter; George is buried at Old Willow Springs Cemetery [Note 14].


Of Daniel’s five sons, George was the only one who remained in Kentucky [John, Daniel himself,

and youngest son (?)Henry went to Giles County, Tennessee; Samuel and his younger brother

Daniel (Jr.?) went to Indiana]. Thus, George A. and Mary Elizabeth (Ross) McAninch became

the founding family ancestors for all of the McAninch lines in Casey County, Kentucky, today.


1796 was a significant year for the family, finding them in Greene County, in eastern Tennessee

(Greeneville is the county seat; Greene Co. set off 1783 from Washington County). Daniel may

have planned to settle there; on October 14, 1796, he bought 100 acres “on the north side of the

Nolachukey River” from Jonathan Williams for “fifty-five pounds Virginia currency” [Note 15].


Also in 1796, the new Wilderness Road [Note 20] opened “from the Cumberland Gap to the

settlements of Kentucky”, rebuilt for “wagons loaded with a ton weight [and] four good horses”.

Soon, first William, and then Daniel, both took their families through the Gap into Kentucky.

______________________________________________________________________

Daniel McAninch, Part II: From Pennsylvania, 1790, to Lincoln County, Kentucky (2 of 6)

McAninch Family History NL, IX -2  April 2001  Copyright Frank McAninch page   2001-12


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