James McAninch (b.ca.1786, b.Pennsylvania?), Kentucky and Tennessee

James

James McAninch (b.ca.1786) was the oldest (known) son of the Kentucky pioneer

William McAninch (b.bef.1765; d.1813, Casey County, Kentucky) Notes [1] [2] [3]

Birth

There are no records of James’s date or place of birth; based on the historical evidence

available, James' birth can only be estimated as "circa 1786" (maybe "1785-1786"?).

In 1786, his father William McAninch (born before 1765) was at least 21 years old.

Born

Specific evidence can be found in Casey County, Kentucky, Tax records, which show

circa

James as ‘1 White Male 21 or over’ in 1807; since this was his first appearance on the

1786

Tax Lists, it clearly implies that he was ‘born ca.1786’ and turned 21 in 1807 [4] (a).

James is an adult witness (with paid expenses) in a Casey County Court case, 1810 [5]

(so, he must have been born before 1789), and two years later he is an adult taxpayer

on the 1812 Tax List in Giles County, Tennessee [6].

Unfortunately, the land records and tax records do not give any (other) age information.

Also, there is no age information in his father William McAninch’s 1813 Will [7].

And

James McAninch was born before 1787, long before his father William McAninch

married Doshia Dosey on 17 Oct. 1796, in Greene County, (eastern) Tennessee [8].

So, William probably had an earlier (first?) wife, name, dates, and locations unknown,

and James’ mother was probably William’s earlier (first?) wife.

Birth

James was probably born in Pennsylvania, or possibly Virginia? Where was William

-place

McAninch in the 1780s? Pennsylvania? Virginia? James was not born in Kentucky

(Kentucky statehood 1792), and he was not born in Tennessee (statehood 1796).

1790

Where were William (age at least 25) and James (age about 5) in the 1790 census?

Were they counted with Daniel McAninch, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania? [9]

Did the two families (Daniel and William) travel together down the Great Valley of the

Shenandoah and then head west into Greene County, eastern Tennessee? [8]

Myths

James was not "born 1797 Kentucky"; if born 1796-1797, he would be only 9-10-11

1796

in 1807, vs. ‘over 21’ on the 1807 Casey County tax record, and he would be only

-1797

13-14-15 in 1812, too young to be listed on the Giles County, Tennessee, tax records.

1800

The 1800 census schedules for Kentucky were lost in a fire during the War of 1812.

The ‘census substitute’ book compiled from the county tax records of 1800 shows

William McAninch in Pulaski County, Kentucky, July 1800, and Daniel McAninch

in Lincoln County, Kentucky, August 1800 [10].

______________________________________________________________________

James McAninch (b.ca.1786, b.Pennsylvania?), Kentucky and Tennessee

McAninch Family History NL v.XXX n.2  / Copyright Frank McAninch / pg.2022-12

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