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 not 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.

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The Family

Ann Wimbish Cook married Clem on 26 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 owned by early territorial speculators - veterans of the Revolutionary War. Large territorial 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.

AftAfter his mother died in 1798, Clement Johnson Jennings, first wife Ann, and their first child migrated to the northwestern corner of what soon after became Wilson County, Tennessee. Like many of the first pioneers, Clement Johnson Jennings and his brother purchased property initially owned territorial speculators - veterans of the Revolutionary War. Large land grants had been issued in the western half of North Carolina, which became Tennessee in 1796. During the next few decades, Clem made multiple land purchases, and resold some of it over the course of his lifetime.

Arriving in Nashville at the close of 1798, it was only a few days later in 1799 that Clement and his brother Richard jointly purchased 200 acres of farmland bordering the Cumberland River.

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.

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

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Clem’s Land Holdings in Wilson County, Tennessee

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The Jennings Farms

Goodspeed's History of Wilson 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, currently 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 Errata section at the end of this profile.

1800's Map of the Jennings Farms in Wilson County, Tennessee

Note: 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 first 113 acres. According to local historians and standards of that era, Clement Johnson Jennings was considered to be a 'large' landowner. Multiple deeds indicate Clem eventually acquired slightly more than 900 acres of Wilson County farmland during his lifetime.

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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 March 19, 1837 and probated April 8th.

The Brett's were also next-door neighbors. They shared a common property boundary. Terms in Clem's Will stipulate 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 survive, it may have been similar to Anderson's home, for which a single photo still exists.

It can be viewed on his profile.

Newspaper Notice: Clem Jennings Estate Sale

1837 May 08 Republican Banner, Page 3

Separate deeds indicate that Clem Sr. assisted both of elder his sons, Anderson and William Bennett Jennings with land purchases a few years earlie. Anderson acquired 100 acres, and William purchased 200 acres in 1835.

Clement Johnson Jennings also designated 60 acres, on the Brett’s boundary, be held in trust for his teenage son. Although it is not recorded in the will, Elizabeth’s Bennett’s 200 acres from her dower were also intended for Clem Jr. The land was to be transferred to him, along with the log home near the mill, once he came of age. As it turned out, that provision complicated matters for two generations because Elizabeth outlived her son. Clem Jr. died in 1852 when he was only age 34. Elizabeth died in 1880.

On May 20 of 1843, the estate executors jointly leased 6 acres on Cedar Lick Creek, including the Bass Mill Pond, to James H. Baird and Alexander Brett. James was the husband of Clem Sr.'s daughter Julia Ann. Alexander was the husband of Clem Sr.'s daughter Malinda and brother of Cement Jr.'s wife Elizabeth Brett. The Bretts had already been involved in operating the mill for several years.

The Murfree's and several other Jennings neighbors were historically prominent regional families. Among those bordering the Cumberland River were farms belonging to Reverend Fountain Elliot Pitts, Edward Mitchell, Elijah Moore, William Sanders, Cayleb Taylor, Bartholomew Brett [sometimes misidentified as Britt], William Johnson, Josia[h] Woods, W. T. Cole, Joseph Kirkpatrick, Henry Davis, James Tipton, Thomas Wray [sometines 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 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 extended Jennings family married into the Bass, Brett, Cole, Davis, Gleaves, Howell, Kelly, Pitts, Wilson, Wray, Taylor, and Vaughan [in earlier years also spelled Vaughn] families.

Note: Topography in the immediate area is somewhat unique. The landscape 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, the term upper indicates south, and lower is north.

Upon his death, his second wife Elizabeth, sons Anderson, Jesse, Clement Anderson Jennings Jr., and daughter Malinda each inherited specifiic allotments.

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. But according to the will, he inherited land from Clement's 1818, 1819, and 1821 purchases.

Not long after his marriage in 1823, Stephen followed his elder sister to Lauderdale County, Alabama. 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.

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".

Note: Elder sisters Malanda and Rachel and the youngest son Robert had each preceded their father in death.

Contemporary View of The Cumberland River

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Family Burial Sites

Clement Johnson Jennings and both of his wives may be buried in a gravesite at the far northwest corner near the Lower Plantation area where several unmarked grave stones can be found on high ground. Unfortunately, portions of this area submerged under a lake after a dam was constructed on the Cumberland River in 1962. And, since a section of the oldest Jennings farm was later sold to William Crabtree in 1807, these visible but unidentifiable graves may not belong to members of the Jennings family.

A next-generation Jennings family cemetery is located near the middle of the property, close to the present fence line. It is close to the eastern boundary, adjacent to the woods at 3600 15’ 12.87” north and 8600 30’ 31.47” west.

Data from the 1860 Census indicated Clement Johnson Jennings owned two slaves named Spenser and Anthony. Presumably, both are buried somewhere on the original Jennings property. Several family members are buried there too, but markers have not survived.

According to a hand written note in the Wilson County Archives genealogy files, Spencer and Anthony's deaths were recorded in the Anderson Jennings family Bible. This indicates both were likely transferred to Anderson's custody after Clement Sr. died. The note also mentions that Spencer died before the census. It was signed by O. F. Howell.

His son David searched the bible and located a family register written in pencil. It was inserted between the Old and New Testaments. Annotations indicate Spencer was born 19 January of 1860 and he died in January of 1861. An actual day was not indicated.

The date of Anthony's death was recorded near the bottom of the same note. It corresponds with Ollie F. Howell's note at the archives. Anthony died 24 January of 1864. Anthony may have been Spencer's father.

There are Jennings family cemeteries located in the northwest corner of what had been the William Bennett Jennings property. Those private graves are situated slightly west of Nonaville Road, near the intersection with Sandersville Road. They are about a mile south of Big Cedar Lick Creek.

Note: this cemetery is not next to the similarly named Sandersville Ferry Road.

There is Jennings family graveyard, from later generations, near the site of another old house that also burned in the 1960’s. This may have been the former home of Clement Anderson Jennings - Clem Jr.

Burial locations of later generations and their descendants are located in several cemeteries throughout Wilson County. They are located in Lebanon, LaGuardo, Statesville, and Watertown.

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Acknowledgements

Most of the details about Clement Johnson Jennings' land transactions, the family farm map, and deeds were provided courtesy of David Howell. The Howell’s 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

Ancestry.com – Ahnentafel, Jon Kjellander, Tennessee Marriages

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

Geni.com - David Scott O'Neil, Michael Small, Val John Jennings

World Family Tree

Communications with Charles Everett - Living Relative
Communications with David Howell - Living Relative
1792 Prince Edward County, Virginia Tax Roll, Page number cut off in microfilm image.
Clement Johnson Jennings Family Bible
Anderson Jennings Family Bible
DAR 377304, 718425
SAR A1003, A062427, 895468, 9330, 95681
Boddie, John Bennett - Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight, Virginia, Chicago Law Printing Company, 1938
Boddie John Bennett - Historical Southern Families, Volume IV: Jennings of Hanover, Virginia, Pacific Coast Publishing Company, Redwood City, California, 1960, Page 111
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
Doughtie, Beatrice Mackey – Documented Notes On Jennings And Allied Families, Bowen Press Inc., 1961
Partlow, Thomas E. – Extracts of Wilson County, Tennessee Tax Lists, 1955
Wood, Tristin – Papers, 1808-1952, University of North Carolina Southern Historical Collections at the Wilson Library in Chapel Hill, North Caolina.
1772 North Carolina Land Grants Book D, Page 185
1813 Wilson County, Tennessee Marriage Bonds, Page TBD
1799 Wilson County, Tennessee, Deed Book A, Page 55
1807 Wilson County, Tennessee Grant Book C, Page 70
1808 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book D, Page 20
1811 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book E, Page 01
1819 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book G, Page 398
1819 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book H, Page 143
1821 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book I, Page 71
1823 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book, I Page 522
1824 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book K, Pages 147, 148
1825 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book M, Page 257
1829 Wilson County, Tennessee Deed Book M, Page 432
1930 Wilson County, Tennessee Census
1837 Wilson County, Tennessee Will Book, Page 39
1837 Wilson County, Tennessee Probate Court Register, Book I, Page 50
1850 Wilson County, Tennessee Will Book, Page 158
1852 Wilson County, Tennessee Will Book 2, Page 180
1853 Wilson County, Tennessee Will Book 1, Page 117
1853 Wilson County, Tennessee Will Book, Page 436
1858 Wilson County Court Clerks Settlement Book, Page 345
1864 Wilson County Court Clerks Settlement Book, Page TBD
1865 Wilson County Court Clerks Settlement Book, Page TBD

TBD = To Be Determined: because some microfilm or scanned images did not properly capture margins showing page numbers.

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Errata

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.
FamilySearch International's History of Tennessee incorrectly identifies 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.
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.com data.
Wife: Judish Simmons was the wife of his brother, Samuel.
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, Clem’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. However, there is a connection between the Jennings and Baldwin families in Prince Edward County from that era. Esther Baldwin was the wife of Clem’s brother, Elkana[h] Cain Jennings.
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 Clem's parents are uncertain. There were three different Robert Jennings’s 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 have been misidentified or confused. Improperly documented and questionable DAR and SAR genealogies have probably contributed to this confusion.

Research continues to determine if Moody, 1726 - 1793, was a son of Robert’s 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 yet another cousin also named Moody 1756 – 1823. He was the son of Robert Robin Jennings 1733 - 1798 and Racheal Patterson 1726 - 1799. He was born in Campbell County, Virginia.

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Family Burial Sites

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