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Davidson County was established North Carolina 17 May 1783, four years after the South West Territory was officially opened for settlement. Sumner County was established in 1786. Both counties became part of the State of Tennessee when the Western half was partitioned from North Carolina 01 June of 1796. Three years later on 13 February 1799, portions of Davidson and Sumner Counties were partitioned into Wilson County; named after David Wilson, a Revolutionary War hero.
Click the Wilson County button above for additional information.
Clement Clem Johnson Jennings 1770 – 1837
Son of Robert Robin [B. or Garland] Jennings [1725] 1726 [1733] – 1794 [1798] & Rachel Allen Patterson 1728 – [1794] 1798 [1799]
Clement Johnson Jennings was probably born in 1770, rather than 1768 or 1769, as some genealogy profiles and family trees indicate. He was one of thirteen children, if Moody was a cousin. Siblings arrived at rather regular intervals; about one every two years between 1755 and 1774. A 1770 birth seems logical because it fits properly into a fairly consistent pattern of birth years for his siblings. Clem and all of his siblings were born in Prince Edward County, Virginia. His brothers, Allen, Robert Bob, David Davey, Elkanah Cain, and Moody Jennings [possibly a cousin] are each listed on the Prince Edward County property tax roll for 1792.
1792 Prince Edward County, Virginia Tax Roll
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The Family
Ann Wimbish Cook married Clem on 27 January 1797 in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Probably, not long after his mother died in 1798, Clement Johnson Jennings and his first wife Ann traveled from Prince Edward County, Virginia, with their first child. They quickly settled in the northwestern corner of what became Wilson County, Tennessee. Like many of the first pioneers in Tennessee, Clement Johnson Jennings and his brother purchased property ownd by early territorial speculators - veterans of the Revolutionary War. Large teritorial land grants were issued in the western half of North Carolina that became Tennessee in 1796. Clem made multiple land purchases during the next few decades. He also resold some portions of his land holdings over the course of his lifetime.
Shortly after arrivomg at Nashville iat the close of 1798. Within days at the beginning of 1799, Clement and his brother Richard jointly purchased 200 acres of farmland bordering the Cumberland River. Richard and his wife Elizabeth (Wood) must have arrived simultaneously.
Children by Ann Wimbish Cook 1776 – 1812
1) Mary Polly 1798 – 1862
2) Jesse 1802 – 1873
3) Stephen 1804 – 1838
4) Anderson 1806 – 1868
5) Nancy Ann 1807 –1891
6) Sarah 1808 – 1859
7) Rachael 1810 – 1831
Ann may have died during childbirth in August of 1812. At that juncture, there were seven children in the household - ranging in age from two to fourteen.
Clem quickly remarried on May 26, 1813. He registered a marriage bond for $1,250 with Benjamin Estes serving as guarantor. Three neighbors, Mr. Estes, a horse trader, Mr. Joshua Tipton, a blacksmith, and Mr. Whitson, also endorsed the bond. James Vinson and William McElurath witnessed the marriage certificate that was registered at the Wilson County courthouse, although the wedding actually took place in Sumner County.
Elizabeth would bear six additional children. So, altogether there were thirteen in Clem's family. Coincidentally the the same number of children born to his parents.
Children by Elizabeth Sitty Bennett 1782 – 1880
8) William Bennett 1814 – 1881
9) Catherine (Hitch) 1815 – Unknown
10) Malinda 1814 – Before 1847
11) Julia Ann 1817 – 1885
12) Clement Clem Anderson 1821 - 1852
13) Robert Bob 1823 - 1824
Note: Goodspeed’s History of Wilson County, Tennessee mentions Clement Jennings among other settlers on [Big] Cedar Lick Creek first settled was first recorded in Sumner County, North Carolina 04 February 1786 and later under Grant Number 410, dated 27 June 1793.
Early settlers such as Robert Taylor, Samuel Elliott, and William Wilson owned significant acreage in northwestern Wilson County. In addition to Clem, Robert Taylor also sold land to several of Clement's relatives, including his brother-in-law, the renowned Reverend Fountain Elliott Pitts; his wife's brother - William Bennett, and his daughter-in-law's family - the Bretts [frequently misidentified as Britt].
Note: The County was named in honor of William Wilson. He was a Revolutionary War hero.
Intermarriage between families from agrarian communities was common. The Jennings family and several of their neighbors in Wilson County were no exception. Jennings siblings married sons and daughters of the neighboring Brett, Everett, Gleaves, Howell, Pitts, Taylor, Wray [often misspelled as Ray], and Vaughan families [sometimes spelled Vaughn]. Barthomew Brett’s daughter Elizabeth married Clement Anderson Jennings [a.k.a. Jr.]. Brett's daughter Martha married Reverend Fountain Elliott Pitts. All of these families were located on nearby farms, each situated along the banks of the Cumberland River. John Gleaves and his son Thomas, as well as William Wilson with his sons John R. and Andrew established their homes on nearby Stoner Creek. Marriage between these families would continue into the next few generations as well.
In addition to Tennessee, several of Clement's brothers and cousins from Virginia also sought new opportunities in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina and Alabama. Migration of descendants from Virginia colonial families to the South and West was largely driven by economic necessity. By the second and third generation, expansive plantations established by the earliest settlers had been subbdivided into much smaller family farms. This left many families struggling. Each subsequent generation inherited only fragments of land; no longer sufficient to sustain an average-sized household. Consequently, it became increasingly common for brothers and sisters to sell their property to siblings, other local relatives, or neighbors. In order to ensure economic viability, consolidating smaller farms not only became beneficial, but essential. Some would take up other occupations. But a fundimentally agrarian economy still made it nescessay for many to move on, branching out into expanding territories. Many become pioneer farmers and ranchers.
Driven by economic necessity, many descendants many descendants from the original Colonial Virginia families migrated south and west. Through inheritance, once expansive plantations were divided into significantly smaller family farms, leaving the next generations struggling. Fragmented farmland could no longer sustain an average-sized household. In order to ensure economic viability, selling their smaller farmsteads to neighbors, siblings, or other relatives became quite common. Thus, Clement Johnson Jennings, some of his brothers, and cousins sought new opportunities in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, and South Carolina.
Locally, the Murfrees and several of the Jennings’ neighbors were historically prominent families in Wilson County, Tennessee. Among those bordering the Cumberland River were farms belonging to Edward Mitchell, Elijah Moore, William Sanders, Cayleb Taylor, Clem's father-in-law Bartholomew Brett, William Johnson, Josia[h] Woods, W. T. Cole, Joseph Kirkpatrick, Henry Davis, James Tipton, Thomas Wray [also misspelled as Ray], Ruben Slaughter, Daniel Glenn, James Hunter, Ransom King, Henry Locke, Ephraim Beasley, Sterling Tarpley, and William Putway. Along the course of Big Cedar Lick Creek families of Theopolis Bass, John Everett, James Everett, John Gleaves, Ruben Searcy, Joshua Kelly, James H. Davis, Thomas Davis, Howell Wren, William Ross, Edmund Vaughan, George Smith, Harmon Hays, and Daniel Spicer established farms and built their homes. Subsequent generations of these families commonly intermarried. Jennings’ married into the Bass, Brett, Cole, Davis, Everett, Gleaves, Howell, Kelly, Wilson, Wray, Taylor, and Vaughan families across several generations.
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Clem’s Land Holdings in Wilson County, Tennessee
Eventually, Clem and his sons established multiple, mostly adjacent, farms in the northwestern corner of Wilson County along the eastern bank of the Cumberland River. Several deeds were recorded, beginning with the first one from 24 December in 1799, when Michael C. Sweetman, of Davidson County, signed a deed to Clement and his brother Robert Jennings for a two hundred acre tract. That particular parcel was landlocked and access to water was cumbersome. It was also surrounded by acreage belonging to the Crabtree family. So, there was no room to expand. Some of the soil there is not very good for agriculture. The property was bounded by Nonaville Road and the Cumberland River, downstream at Big Cedar Lick Creek.
Meanwhile, in 1801, neighbors Cornelius Joiner and Theopolis Bass purchased adjacent land which originally belonged to Charles Arrington and Themopolis Banks. That property had been part of an earlier 1783 Revolutionary War Veteran Land Grant in Sumner County, North Carolina. Mr. Bass built a water powered mill on the creek, near the center of the property, and eventually started selling additional tracts surounding it as well.
1804 Wilson County property tax records, from what had been Captain Crawley’s district, show both Clem and his brother Richard living there. This area is commonly known as Cedar Creek today. It is rocky and uneven in elevation. Despite the drawbacks, the Jennings brothers and theit wives probably built their first temporary homes there. The family called this area the Lower Plantation.
Currently, there is no documented history to identify an actual residence for Richard and his wife, Elizabeth Wood. Between 1899 and 1807, Richard's name only appears on the deeds where the brothers bought and sold their jointly owned 200 acres. Both the 1820 and 1850 Census reveal that Richard and his wife were still residents of Tennessee. Future research for tax records may eventually provide information about their whereabouts between 1807 and 1820
Clem and his first wife Ann constructed their first cabin on top of a buff overlooking the floodplain on the eastern bank of Cumberland River. Since this high ground lacked springs, water had to be hauled uphill from the river. For that and a few other reasons, the Jennings brothers sold that property to William Crabtree in December of 1807.
The original log cabin burned down about the time of WWII. Local lore attributed the fire to a squatter named Alvin Bruce. He was known to be making moonshine at the old cabin.
Note: It was common to distill some of the corn and other grains grown on local farms into Tennessee 'mountain dew' – clear whisky. Knowlege and skills for making moonshine would prove to be quite valuable for Clement's grandson, William Anderson Jennings. Details are found in the narrative about William's time in Brazil.
Soon after, Clem began buying land bordering Big Cedar Lick Creek where boundaries were first described in the 27 July 1785 Donelson Land Grant from Davidson County, North Carolina. Brothers Samuel, William and Benjamin Banks jointly purchased an adjacent 100 acres from Cornelius Joiner on the 26th of September in 1808. Joiner had previously purchased the same land from William Arriston and Themopolis Banks. Those boundaries ran from Little Cedar Lick Creek, at the old buffalo trail, going west to Drake’s Lick. After Clem acquired 100 acres, then owned by William Sexton, he built a second, much larger double-crib log structure. This layout was typical of pioneer homes in the era. Two large rooms were separated by a ‘dog run’ - an open porch at the center. The new home was further south, and much closer to easy acess for water. It was a much better home site, with more fertile bottom land, as well as several springs and small streams good for irrigation. There were substantial stands of mature timber too. Neighbors were also willing to sell some or all of their adjoining property. So, there was sufficient space to expand the Jennings farm for future generations. This location came to be called as the Upper Plantation. The home was eventually recognised as a historic landmark by the local community. A sturdy structure, it survived for nearly one and a half centuries. However, also it burned down in the 1960's.
Charles Arrington's son, William, also sold some of the 1783 Land Grant property to William Sexton and his brothers, Samuel and Benjamin. Clement Johnson Jennings also obtained an additional 100 acres of it from Mr. Joiner in September of 1808. Charles had inherited the land from his father. Boundarieh ran from Little Cedar Lick Creek to the old buffalo trail going west to Drake's Lick, then following the Big Cedar Lick Creek to where it flows north into the Cumberland River.
Eearly on however, there were property line disputes with the neighbors. Because of local magnetic diviation, original property boundaries were displaced by about 7 degrees east of true north. Further complicating matters, boundaries were often unrecorded. And there were overlapping claims from the land grant era. Over time, boundary lines and deed descriptions based upon landmarks became unreliable. Creeks and streams migrate, trees die, and wooden rail fences rot away. Trails meander and roads widen or alter course. Before there were county courthouses, these early agreements and settlements were recorded in colonial and pioneer era church ledgers.
The following year, in September of 1809, Clem bought what was supposed to be 95 acres on the east side of Cedar Creek. This land was in the southeast portion of Mr. Bass's property. In actuality, it turned out to be nearly 300 acres. Theopolis Bass had claimed this additional acreage to the south. He eventually settled boundary issues with Mr. Arrington and Mr. Sexton where earlier 1775 Land Grant boundaries had overlapped with those from 1783.
As did all pioneers, the Jennings families made essential improvements on their land; clearing trees and brush to create additional arable land and trails. They dug drainage ditches, and built stone or split-rail fences to retain livestock. Over the years, Clem added several more acres to his land holdings east of the creek.
By 1860, his son Anderson had extended Jennings land holdings even further east. There is a cave near that border, about a third of a mile west of Benders Ferry Road and one quarter of a mile north of Liberty Chapel Road. The cave entrance is high enough for a man to walk in for more than 100 feet and remain standing. The opening continues much farther into the hill, but the ceiling quickly slopes downward. An interesting episode from local history includes a tale about how this cave became important during the Civil War. For the full story, go to the Red Button for Wilson County above.
Note: Based on multiple deeds, it is estimated that Clem eventually acquired slightly more than 900 acres. Nor are there any records showing any of his immediate descendants, or their siblings ever repurchased the original 200 acre tract of the Lower Plantation..
An additional 50 acres were purchased 01 November 1819 from Samuel Vick and Edward Blurton of Wilson County. Clem then purchased another 76.5 adjacent acres on 24 August 1821 from Edward Blurton. This section was located just to the east of the 1819 purchase. Land from both of these acquisitions was originally part of the Sexton Land Grant.
Clem bought yet another parcel from Theophilis Bass in October 0f 1823. This was the mill property. At the same time, joint rights to use the mill pond were resold to the Taylors and Clem's brother-in-law, William Bennett, for $10.00. Abouth this same time, Clement Johnson Jennings and his second wife, Elizabeth Bennett, bought still another adjacent parcel of land from Robert Taylor. They built a new eight-room house with clapboard siding just south of the mill on Big Cedar Lick Creek. Elizabeth lived out her life there. It eventually became known as Granny Jennings' Place.
In November 1819, he purchased 50 acres from Samuel Vick and Edward Blurton of Wilson County. This section was located just to the east of his 1818 purchase. Clem then purchased still another 76.5 adjacent acres from Edward Blurton 24 August 1821. That property is located just to the east of the 1819 purchase. Both of these acquisitions were originally portions of the William Sexton Grant.
An additional adjacent 150 acres was acquired from Josiah Stephenson in May the following year. Clem accumulated still more land after purchasing another 120 acres in August of 1825. That property had also been part of the original John Donelson Land Grant. Then Clem sold 113 acres of it to his son Anderson Jennings for $1.00 on May 30 in 1829.
Note: According to local historians, based upon the standards of that era, Clement Johnson Jennings was considered to be a 'large' landowner. Based on multiple deeds, it is estimated that Clem eventually acquired slightly more than 900 acres in Wilson County during his lifetime. The 1831 Wilson County Tax List shows Clem's property tax was assessed on 623 acres. His son Anderson was also assessed tax on his 113 acres.
Goodspeed's History of Wilason County, Tennessee, published in 1886, mentions Clement Jennings Sr. was an early settler on [Big] Cedar Lick Creek. Silver Springs was mentioned as a village in the Second Civil District. Maps of the era show the area located four miles east of Mt. Juliet in Wilson County, curently just north of Interstate I-40 and west of State Route 109. The Silver Springs Baptist Church is still there. These historical and geographic frames of reference are misleading though. See the Eratta section at the end of this profile.
1800's Map of The Jennings Farms in Wilson County, Tennessee
Topography of the immediate area is somewhat unique. Land slopes downward toward the north and the river. Thus the water course for creeks and streams in this area mostly flow from higher elevations in the south toward lower ground in the north and northwest. This topography is contrary to the common geographic frame of reference for map orientation, in this case, references to upper indicates south and lower is north.
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Clement Johnson Jennings's Will and Estate
Either before or shortly after he died in 1837, most of the land Clem Sr. acquired was conveyed to his children or sold to neighbors. Eventually, his son Anderson reacquired some of it. Those who had not already received their inheritance were specifically named in Clement's Will, signed on 19 March 1837 and probated on 8 April.
The Brett's were also next-door neighbors. They shared a common property boundary. Clem's Will stipulated that Elizabeth retain ownership of the 200 acres of land from her dower, plus an annual allotment from the farm products, and their home - 'The Mansion on the Upper Plantation. Because she outlived most of her children, the disposition of Elizabeth's property became very complicated after she died in 1880.
Note: Although no photographs of this structure survived, it may have been similar to Anderson's home, for which a single photo still exists.
It can be viewed on the Anderson Jennings page.
Newspaper Notice of Clement Johnson Jennings Estate Sale
1837 May 08 Republican Banner, Page 3
Jesse inherited portions of the farm land from the 1818, 1819 and 1821 purchases. Not long after his marriage in 1823, Stephen followed his elder sister to Lauderdale County, Alabama. He died there at age 33. He may have been given sufficient cash to purchase farm land in Alabama. It is also possible that Clem Sr. may have been aware that Stephen was dying too, which may account for the discrepancy between eleven living children and the mention of only ten in the Will.
Separate deeds from 1835 appear to indicate that Clem Sr. may have also previously assisted both of his sons, Anderson and William Bennett purchase land that same year. Clement may have already helped Stephen purchase a farm in Alabama. Stephen followed his elder sister to Lauderdale County, Alabama. When he left Tennessee, he may have had sufficient cash for that purpose. That could account for the difference between eleven living children and the mention of only ten in the Clem’s Will. Stephen had already married.ith land purchases. Anderson acquired an additional 100 acres, and William Bennett purchased 200 acres during that same year.
Clement Johnson Jennings also designated 60 acres on the Brett’s boundary be held in trust for his teenage son Clem Jr., with a provision that the land remain in the trust by his mother until after she died. Although it is not recorded in the Will, the 200 acres from Elizabeth Bennett’s dower were also intended for Clem Jr. along with the original log home near the mill. As it turned out, this provision would complicate matters for two generations because Elizabeth outlived her son. Clem Jr. died at the relatively young age in 1852. He was only age thirty-four. Elizabeth died in 1880.
On May 20, 1843, the estate executors jointly leased six acres on Cedar Lick Creek, including the Bass Mill Pond, to James H. Baird [husband of Clem Sr.'s daughter Julia Ann], Alexander Brett [husband of Clem Sr.'s daughter Malinda and brother of Cement Jr.'s wife Elizabeth], and William Bennett Jennings [Clem Sr.'s son]. The Bretts had already been involved in operating the mill for several years.
The first recorded instance of Elizabeth receiving her widow’s allotment of the farm's products is from 16 November 1852. It was recorded on 31 January 1853 by the Wilson County Court. It is fairly certain to assume she was well cared for, and she also received her allotment during prior years. Typically, such allotments also included an annual cash payment from the farm’s proceeds and a portion of its increase from animal husbandry. As a matriarch, she must have retained considerable influence over both her immediate and extended family.
Eleven years later, there is another entry in the Wilson County Court register for another set aside on behalf of Clement's widow. Identical documentation was resubmitted and witnessed by her sons, William Bennett Jennings and Enos Jennings, in November of 1864. For some odd reason, the county clerk did not record it until January 1865. That may have been because that was the month when it was actually awarded.
1852 Widows Allotment Transcript Widows Stipend for Elizabeth Bennett
Recorded January 31 – 1853 State of Tennessee Wilson County Court
In addition to the Murfree family, several of the Jennings family's neighbors were from historically prominent families in Wilson County, Tennessee. Among those bordering the Cumberland River were farms belonging to Edward Mitchell, Elijah Moore, William Sanders, Cayleb Taylor, Bartholomew Brett [sometimes missidentified as Britt], William Johnson, Josia[h] Woods, W. T. Cole, Joseph Kirkpatrick, Henry Davis, James Tipton, Thomas Wray [Misspelled Ray], Ruben Slaughter, Daniel Glenn, James Hunter, Ransom King, Henry Locke, Ephraim Beasley, Sterling Tarpley, and William Putway. Along the course of Big Cedar Lick Creek were families of Theopolis Bass, John Everett, James Everett, John Gleaves, Ruben Searcy, Joshua Kelly, James H. Davis, Thomas Davis, Howell Wren, William Ross, Edmund Vaughan, George Smith, Harmon Hays, and Daniel Spicer.
Families living along Big Cedar Lick Creek were those of Theopolis Bass, John Everett, James Everett, John Gleaves, Ruben Searcy, Joshua Kelly, James H. and Thomas Davis, Howell Wren, William Ross, Edmund Vaughan, George Smith, Harmon Hays, and Daniel Spicer. Subsequent generations frequently intermarried across several generations. Sons and daughters of the the extended Jennings family married into the Bass, Brett, Cole, Davis, Gleaves, Howell, Kelly, Wilson, Wray, Taylor, and Vaughan families.
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Family Burial Sites
Clement Johnson Jennings died 19 April 1837 at his home in Cedar Lick, Wilson County, Tennessee. He and both of his wives were most likely buried in gravesites that once existed at the far northwest corner of the Lower Plantation area on his property. Unfortunately, that portion of the old farm was submerged under a lake, which formed after a dam was constructed on the Cumberland River in 1962. Several unmarked grave stones can be also found on a rise of nearby higher ground.
The next-generation Jennings family cemetery is located near the middle of the property, close to the present fence line. It is near the east side boundary adjacent to the woods, at 360 15’ 12.87” north and 860 30' 31.47” west.
There are additional Jennings family cemeteries located at the northwest corner of what had been the William Bennett Jennings property. Those private graves are situated just west of Nonaville Road, at an intersection with Sandersville Road. They are about a mile south of Big Cedar Lick Creek.
Note: this location is not next to the similarly named Sandersville Ferry Road.
Another family graveyard from later generations is near the former site of another house that also burned in the 1960s. That house may have been the home of Clement Anderson Jennings Jr. These graves situated about one mile to the south. Burial locations of other Jennings clans and their descendants are also found in several cemeteries throughout Wilson County. They can be located in Lebanon, LaGuardo, Statesville, and Watertown.
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Acknowlegements
Most of the details about Clement Johnson Jennings' land transactions, the family farm map, and deeds were provided courtesy of David Howell. The Howells presently reside on the property previously owned by Clement Johnson Jennings and his descendants. The Howell family came by ownership as a result of intermarriage. David conducted extensive research to rectify survey errors and historical inadequacies. Over time, several boundary disputes occurred because old surveys were off by about seven degrees because magnetic north deviates from true north in that part of Tennessee. It turned out that rare, local, church records were invaluable because they document many of the settlements for contested boundaries during the 19th century.
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Sources
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Ancestry.com – Ahnentafel, Jon Kjellander, Tennessee Marriages
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My Heritage.com – Lisa Cagle, Linda Cernak, Dennis Adams, Eric Shapiro, Dylan Johnson, Dr. Wilton
McDonald II, Esq., Michael Small, Lori Whistler, John Maguire, Lucas, Troy Walker, Jacquelyn Hatton, William Benjamin Patterson
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Geni.com - David Scott O'Neil, Michael Small, Val John Jennings
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World Family Tree
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Communications with Charles Everett - Living Relative
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Communications with David Howell - Living Relative
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1792 Prince Edward County, Virginia Tax Roll, Page number cut off in microfilm image.
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Clement Johnson Jennings Family Bible
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Anderson Jennings Family Bible
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DAR 377304, 718425
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SAR A1003, A062427, 895468, 9330, 95681
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Boddie, John Bennett - Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight, Virginia, Chicago Law Printing Company, 1938
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Boddie John Bennett - Historical Southern Families, Volume IV: Jennings of Hanover, Virginia, Pacific Coast Publishing Company, Redwood City, California, 1960, Page 111
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Delgado, Sarah Hattie Hazel; Jennings, Thomas Earnest; Thurman, Modelle Rawls, and Williams, Frances Jennings – Jennings Descendants And Ancestors, Henington Publishing Company, Wolfe City, Texas, 1988 LC 88-070684
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Doughtie, Beatrice Mackey – Documented Notes On Jennings And Allied Families, Bowen Press Inc., 1961
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Partlow, Thomas E. – Extracts of Wilson County, Tennessee Tax Lists, 1955
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Wood, Tristin – Papers, 1808-1952, University of North Carolina Southern Historical Collections at the Wilson Library in Chapel Hill, NC
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1772 North Carolina Land Grants Book D, Page 185
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1813 Wilson County, Tennessee Marriage Bonds, Page TBD
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1799 Wilson County, Tennessee, Deed Book A, Page 55
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1807 Wilson County, Tennessee Grant Book C, Page 70
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1808 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book D, Page 20
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1811 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book E, Page 01
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1819 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book G, Page 398
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1819 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book H, Page 143
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1821 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book I, Page 71
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1823 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book, I Page 522
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1824 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book K, Pages 147, 148
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1825 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book M, Page 257
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1829 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book M, Page 432
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1930 Wilson County, Tennessee Census
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1837 Wilson County, Tennessee Will Book, Page 39
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1850 Wilson County, Tennessee Will Book, Page 158
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1852 Wilson County, Tennessee Will Book 2, Page 180
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1853 Wilson County, Tennessee Will Book 1, Page 117
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1853 Wilson County, Tennessee Will Book, Page 436
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1858 Wilson County Court Clerks Settlement Book, Page 345
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1864 Wilson County Court Clerks Settlement Book, Page TBD
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1865 Wilson County Court Clerks Settlement Book, Page TBD
TBD = To Be Determined Some microfilm or scanned images did not properly capture margins with page numbers.
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Errata
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Clement Johnson Jennings and his family did not live in Mt. Juliet or Silver Springs. Several genealogy profiles and family trees erroneously equate postal office location names as homesteads. The Silver Springs post office was located about four miles east of present-day Mt. Juliet in Wilson County, Tennessee. This tiny hamlet is located just north of Interstate I-40 and west of State Route 109 in Wilson County. The Silver Springs Baptist Church is still there. It is several miles from the closest historic boundary for any of the Jennings or affiliated family farms.
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FamilySearch International's History of Tennessee incorrectly identifies the children of the second wife, Elizabeth, as having been born in Virginia. Only the first child, Mary Polly [not Molly], was born to the first wife, Ann, in Virginia.
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Many Jennings genealogy profiles and family trees contain errors. Many are obviously perpetrated by AI amalgamating incorrect or undocumented data from multiple sources. These errors and duplications are particularly prevalent in MyHeritage.
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Wife: Judish Simmons was the wife of his brother, Samuel.
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Wife: Mary Baldwin 1776 – 1813 may have been born in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Genealogy profiles in Ancestry.com and Geni.com erroneously identify her as the wife of Clement Clem Johnson Jennings. In Mary's Geni.com profile, Clement’s children are identified as her step-children. It also shows a daughter named Sally Standley, but there is no birth, marriage of death documentation, nor any other sources cited for Mary. That same profile also excludes birth and death data for Salley. There is a connection between the Jennings and Baldwin families in Prince Edward County of that era. Esther Baldwin was the wife of Clement's brother, Elkanah Cain Jennings.
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Some genealogy profiles and family trees indicate Moody Jennings was a sibling of Clement Johnson Jennings. There is no documentation in any of the three different Moody Jennings profiles to support this notion. The Moody Jennings 1758 - 1823 shown in the 1792 Prince Edward County Tax List may actually be the son of Captain William Jennings Jr. 1726 - 1793 - brother of Robert.
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Continuing Research
Birth and death dates for both of Clement's parents are uncertain. There were three different Robert Jenningses in Virginia, all in or near the same location at the same time. Existing genealogical profiles for these families are rife with inconsistencies and overlapping children. Wives and are confused. Improperly documented and questionable DAR and SAR genealogies have contributed to this confusion.
Research continues to determine if Moody, 1726 - 1793, was a son of Roberts brother Captain William Henry Jennings 1726 -1793 [1794]. Just because he appears in the 1792 Prince Edward County Tax Register does not substantiate an assumption that he is a child of Robert and Rachael Jennings. At present there is no documentation to support the notion that he was a brother to Clement Johnson Jennings.
Note: there is still another cousin named Moody 1756 – 1823 was the son of Robert Robin Jennings 1733 - 1798 and Racheal Patterson 1726 - 1799. He was born in Campbell County, Virginia.
Clem made a significant effort to ensure his estate was shared equitably among both sets of his children. Clement Johnson Jennings had also come from a large family
He had eleven or twelve siblings. So he understood how estate dynamics could get out of hand. When he died, eleven of his thirteen children were still living, six sons and five daughters. Both Robert and Rachel had already passed away.
Prior to his death in 1837, most of the land amassed by Clem Sr. had either been conveyed to his children, or sold to neighbors. Over time, his son Anderson would also re-acquire some of it from his siblings, cousins, and neighbors.
Most likely, Clem had made allowances for the value of property previously transferred through gifts, dowaries ofr cash, land, livestock or slaves. He made a significant effort to ensure his estate was shared equitably between all of his children from both wives.Those who’d not already received all of their inheritance were identified in Clement’s Will, signed 19 March 1837 and probated 8 May that same year. Bartholomew Brett was the witness. The Bretts were next-door neighbors. They shared a common property boundary. Six years later, Bartholomew’s daughter, Elizabeth Betty Brett, would become Clement Jr’s wife.
We the undersigned freeholders of Wilson County after being duly sworn have proceeded to set apart to Elizabeth, widow of Clem Jennings so much of the crop and provisions on hand as will be sufficient [Illegible] to support her and her family one year from the death of the said husband, he set apart to her for said purpose the following [Illegible], 40 lbs. corn, 6 pork hogs, 1 cow & calf, 1 saw blade, 22 bushels wheat, the potatoes on hand, 10 pounds sugar, 50 pounds coffee, 5 $ worth of molasses, & [Illegible] lb. 1 stack fodder, 1 stack millet, and 500 bundles oats, & all the cotton on hand & five head of sheep and barrel salt.
Ayears Jamissons – Attendant to the widow of Clement Jennings and his dependents.
All which is respectfully submitted S. Lowe (Seal)
16 September November 1852 Robt R Taylor (Seal)
John D Taylor (Seal)
Upon his death, his second wife Elizabeth, sons Anderson, Jesse, Clement Anderson Jennings Jr., and daughter Malinda each inherited specified allotments of farm land. Jesse does not seem to have been given any acreage prior to Clem Sr.'s death. However, he was provided with a sizable portion of farmland according to the will. In lieu of land, he inherited property from the 1819, 1821, and possibly a portion of the 1818 purchases. Clem also stipulated: "It is further my will and desire that all the balance of my property, land, negroes, & etc., be sold and the proceeds to be equally divided among my ten children".
Clem also stipulated: It is further my will and desire that all the balance of my property, land, negroes, & etc., be sold and the proceeds to be equally divided among my ten children. Additionally, the Will seems to have made allowances for the value of property previously given to the other children. Additional details can be found in the profile narratives for each of his children.
Note: Elder sisters Malanda and Rachel and the youngest son Robert all preceded their father in death.
State of Tennessee Wilson County
Personally appeared before me Josiah S. McClain of the County Court of the County of Wilson William B. Jennings & Enos Jennings two of the supporting witnesses to the written decision being sworn by the former ... (cut off from the microfilm image)
4th Day of November 1867
J Scott McClain Clerk
Requested the 4th day of Nov 1864
Now for registration the 4th day of Nov 1864 at 10 O’clock A.M.
A N Vicks Registrar of Wilson County
Contemporary View of The Cumberland River
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