December 15, 2023
Introduction: In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes more about early Virginia families, especially the Pemberton line. Melissa is a genealogist who has a blog, AnceStory Archives, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History.
Today I continue tracing the Jamestown family lines of the Crocker-Pemberton family. Over the past year I have been working with Katie Crocker on her family tree.
Katie is a direct descendant of Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins through her paternal side. Hopkins is an ancestor that can be used for membership into either the Mayflower or Jamestown Societies.
I have found several old Virginia lines connected to Katie’s mother Debra Sue Pemberton.
To recap: My last story covered the marriage between Katie’s 6th great-grandparents, Revolutionary War hero Colonel John Pemberton and Elizabeth Delaney, daughter of John Delaney and Frances Stanton Pemberton of Virginia.
An account book of jeweler Zachary Lewis offered some clues on when the marriage occurred in 1764.
Zachary Lewis was cousin to Elizabeth Delaney through marriage and she is linked to Jamestown’s Lewis, Warner, and Walker lines.
Lewis’s account book is a valuable source for tracing Jamestown ancestors and will be digitized in the new year. So, stay tuned. Read more: Tracing Jamestown Family Lines (part 1)
Here is a photo of a historical marker commemorating Katie’s ancestor, Colonel John Pemberton.
The inscription on this marker reads:
Pemberton Oak
Under the massive oak 0.3 mi. SW, Col. John Pemberton assembled his command in late September 1780 for service against the British. Joined by units from Virginia, they marched to Sycamore Shoals of the Watauga; thence the whole force, under Col. William Campbell, marched to defeat Ferguson at King’s Mountain. Descendants of Col. Pemberton still own the property.
Link https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=157949
Colonel John Pemberton is a local legend and widely known by a famous oak tree – a story that dates to the Battle of King’s Mountain of 1780, fought in South Carolina, a key turning point in the American Revolution.
I found several articles on the famous Pemberton Tree searching GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives. Here is some background on Pemberton and the historical marker shown above, written by historian Reverend Doctor Goodridge Wilson in 1959.
In this article, Wilson noted that the huge oak tree, still standing, was a magnificent sight and extremely sturdy [like Col. Pemberton himself]. At the time this was written Tom Pemberton was living on the home site of his pioneer ancestor Col. Pemberton.
Wilson wrote:
Sometime in the 1770s John Pemberton acquired several thousand acres of wild, fertile land in that region and made his home on it. He selected the shaded area near a great oak spreading its long limbs in a glade as the site of his cabin. Having qualities of leadership, he was chosen captain of [the] militia by his neighbors in the growing settlement and eventually attained the rank of colonel…
The [historical] marker was placed beside Highway 421 a few years ago by the State of Tennessee and is the standard roadside historical marker…
Pemberton’s company was a part of Col. Isaac Shelby’s command, as militia of Sullivan County, Tenn. Col. Shelby had originated the idea and started the ball to rolling. He enlisted the support of Col. John Sevier of Washington County, Tenn., and of Col. William Campbell of Washington County, Va., and they all were to meet at Sycamore Shoals on Sept. 26.
Captain Pemberton’s men mustered under the old oak tree before marching to battle. (Pemberton wasn’t promoted to colonel until after the war.)
Link: https://teva.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15138coll16/id/1
Sadly, the tree of legend fell in August 2002 and Sue Pemberton Vaughn, a descendant, was featured in the newspaper. “It hurts to lose the tree,” she said. Sue grew up hearing the patriotic tale of her ancestor who, along with other “Over the Mountain Men,” helped forge a victory after first gathering under the spreading branches of the old oak.
More lineage on Katie’s line:
- A son, Stanton Guilford Pemberton, was born to Colonel John Pemberton and Elizabeth. He married Sarah “Sally” King, daughter of William Kirby King and Elizabeth Sharp.
- Their son, Alfred Delaney Pemberton, married Hannah Owen, daughter of John Owen and Susannah Catharine Hartzell.
- Their son, Americus Stanton Pemberton, married Martha Ann Murphy, daughter of Francis “Frank” Murphy and Julia McDonald.
A family Bible in the private collection of the Pemberton family of Colorado contains portraits of Americus Stanton Pemberton (1828-1904) and Martha Ann Murphy (1830-1927).
That Pemberton family Bible also contains the couple’s marriage record, witnessed by Mr. and Mrs. John Buck on 8 December 1859, in Tuscola, a city in Douglas County, Illinois.
When Marth Pemberton died on 20 March 1927, her obituary noted she had: 5 children (one son, Alfred Francis Pemberton, is Katie’s 2nd great grandfather); 21 grandchildren; 29 great grandchildren; and 1 great-great-great grandchild.
Explore over 330 years of newspapers and historical records in GenealogyBank. Discover your family story! Start a 7-Day Free Trial
Note on the header image: the Pemberton Oak. Courtesy of Tennessee Virtual Archive.
To be continued…
