Gov. John Letcher of VA
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Gov. John Letcher of VA
 tunnelm1
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Posted: 28 Jun 2005 10:26PM GMT |
Classification: Query
Surnames: Letcher, Houston, Huston, Davidson, Giles, Baker, Thompson, Dunlap, Paxton
I thought I would post some of my recent findings on Governor John Letcher of VA.
Comments/additions/corrections will be appreciated:
Robert and Ann (maybe Ann Dunlap, per some researchers)Davidson were in the Augusta Co., VA part of VA in the early 1700s. They had a daughter named Mary or Margaret (sometimes shown as Margaret/Mary) and a son named John Davidson (he married Elizabeth Houston). Margaret/Mary married Robert Huston/Houston, and they had Samuel Houston. Samuel Houston married a Paxton, and they had General Sam Houston of "Texas fame." It is my understanding that a daughter of General Sam Houston married John Letcher (son of Giles Letcher and Hannah Hughes), and that this couple then had the John Letcher who became governor of VA during the War Between the States. Giles Letcher had other children, including another son named Stephen Letcher, whose son Robert P. Letcher became governor of Kentucky. As his given name would imply, Giles Letcher was related to/descended from the Giles family. Based on the above, Governor John Letcher of VA was a Davidson, Giles and Houston descendant.
A grandson of Robert and Ann Davidson in Augusta Co., VA was also named John Davidson (son of the older John Davidson and his wife Elizabeth Houston). This younger John Davidson was born in 1757, and he married a Mary Thompson in Rockbridge Co., VA in 1787. I don't have a lot of confidence in their list of children, but some records show that they had a daughter named Elizabeth "Betsy" Davidson. Betsy married William H. Letcher. William H. Letcher was somewhat older than Governor John Letcher, but I do not know how/if they were related. If anyone has that information, please post it here. Thanks!
Governor John Letcher named one of his sons Greenlee Davidson Letcher (and one of his daughters had a middle name of Davidson, as I recall). I feel confident that Greenlee Davidson Letcher was given that name because there was a Greenlee Davidson who was an officer in "Letcher's Artillery" in the war. Greenlee Davidson was also chosen by the Governor to head the recruiting office in Richmond, VA during the war. Greenlee Davidson was killed in battle, as were two of his brothers. Greenlee Davidson was the son of James Dorman Davidson and his wife Hannah Greenlee, and the grandson of Reverend Andrew Baker Davidson and his wife Susan Dorman. The Reverend Davidson was the son of William and Martha (Baker) Davidson, and they had moved to Botetourt from the Buckingham/Prince Edward Co., VA area in 1774. Their land became part of Rockbridge in 1778, and they moved again by 1782 to what was still Botetourt.
I see no "blood relationship" between the Robert and Ann Davidson family and the William and Martha (Baker) Davidson family. Martha Baker was also a Thompson descendant, however, so she MAY have been a relative of Mary (Thompson) Davidson (more research is needed on the Thompsons out of Augusta Co., VA and the Thompsons out of Amelia/Prince Edward Co., VA). Based on the above, it appears that Governor John Letcher was related to one Davidson family and extremely close to the other Davidson family.
By the way, Greenlee Davidson had a brother named Charles A. Davidson (who was also in the war; he and only one other of the five total brothers managed to survive the fighting). Charles A. Davidson was the notary public for the amnesty document that was signed by Robert E. Lee in 1865 in Rockbridge Co., VA. Those are the only two signatures on the document (I have a copy).
One final possible "connection" follows:
The above William Davidson (who married Martha Baker) may have been the son of David Davidson (died about 1798) back in Buckingham Co., VA. David had a son named William, and he seems like the most "likely candidate" to have been the William Davidson who married Martha Baker around 1770 (+/-), per my research. David Davidson was probably married to Mary Giles, since two of their children were named Giles Davidson and Josiah Davidson (and Mary (Giles) Davidson had a relative named Josiah Giles who was the witness on the Rev. War pension application for her son named Stephen Davidson). I would not be surprised if this was a different branch of the same Giles family to which Governor John Letcher was descended. If so, then the Governor could have been related to William Davidson in Botetourt after all, via the Giles family.
Comments/additions/corrections will be appreciated:
Robert and Ann (maybe Ann Dunlap, per some researchers)Davidson were in the Augusta Co., VA part of VA in the early 1700s. They had a daughter named Mary or Margaret (sometimes shown as Margaret/Mary) and a son named John Davidson (he married Elizabeth Houston). Margaret/Mary married Robert Huston/Houston, and they had Samuel Houston. Samuel Houston married a Paxton, and they had General Sam Houston of "Texas fame." It is my understanding that a daughter of General Sam Houston married John Letcher (son of Giles Letcher and Hannah Hughes), and that this couple then had the John Letcher who became governor of VA during the War Between the States. Giles Letcher had other children, including another son named Stephen Letcher, whose son Robert P. Letcher became governor of Kentucky. As his given name would imply, Giles Letcher was related to/descended from the Giles family. Based on the above, Governor John Letcher of VA was a Davidson, Giles and Houston descendant.
A grandson of Robert and Ann Davidson in Augusta Co., VA was also named John Davidson (son of the older John Davidson and his wife Elizabeth Houston). This younger John Davidson was born in 1757, and he married a Mary Thompson in Rockbridge Co., VA in 1787. I don't have a lot of confidence in their list of children, but some records show that they had a daughter named Elizabeth "Betsy" Davidson. Betsy married William H. Letcher. William H. Letcher was somewhat older than Governor John Letcher, but I do not know how/if they were related. If anyone has that information, please post it here. Thanks!
Governor John Letcher named one of his sons Greenlee Davidson Letcher (and one of his daughters had a middle name of Davidson, as I recall). I feel confident that Greenlee Davidson Letcher was given that name because there was a Greenlee Davidson who was an officer in "Letcher's Artillery" in the war. Greenlee Davidson was also chosen by the Governor to head the recruiting office in Richmond, VA during the war. Greenlee Davidson was killed in battle, as were two of his brothers. Greenlee Davidson was the son of James Dorman Davidson and his wife Hannah Greenlee, and the grandson of Reverend Andrew Baker Davidson and his wife Susan Dorman. The Reverend Davidson was the son of William and Martha (Baker) Davidson, and they had moved to Botetourt from the Buckingham/Prince Edward Co., VA area in 1774. Their land became part of Rockbridge in 1778, and they moved again by 1782 to what was still Botetourt.
I see no "blood relationship" between the Robert and Ann Davidson family and the William and Martha (Baker) Davidson family. Martha Baker was also a Thompson descendant, however, so she MAY have been a relative of Mary (Thompson) Davidson (more research is needed on the Thompsons out of Augusta Co., VA and the Thompsons out of Amelia/Prince Edward Co., VA). Based on the above, it appears that Governor John Letcher was related to one Davidson family and extremely close to the other Davidson family.
By the way, Greenlee Davidson had a brother named Charles A. Davidson (who was also in the war; he and only one other of the five total brothers managed to survive the fighting). Charles A. Davidson was the notary public for the amnesty document that was signed by Robert E. Lee in 1865 in Rockbridge Co., VA. Those are the only two signatures on the document (I have a copy).
One final possible "connection" follows:
The above William Davidson (who married Martha Baker) may have been the son of David Davidson (died about 1798) back in Buckingham Co., VA. David had a son named William, and he seems like the most "likely candidate" to have been the William Davidson who married Martha Baker around 1770 (+/-), per my research. David Davidson was probably married to Mary Giles, since two of their children were named Giles Davidson and Josiah Davidson (and Mary (Giles) Davidson had a relative named Josiah Giles who was the witness on the Rev. War pension application for her son named Stephen Davidson). I would not be surprised if this was a different branch of the same Giles family to which Governor John Letcher was descended. If so, then the Governor could have been related to William Davidson in Botetourt after all, via the Giles family.