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R/RFHA Newsletter, June 1990 P.6
From Ron
Bourassa, 544 Anaconda Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80919
I descend
from a combination of ancestors which include the Broyles, Taylors, Woodings,
Hoover/Hubers and RAWLINGS. My knowledge of the RAWLINGS family begins about
1788. WILLIAM RAWLINGS was born in Virginia around that year and was living in
Rutherford County, Tennessee, by ca 1805 when he married Sarah R. Hoover. Their
son, LEWIS J. RAWLINGS married his cousin Elizabeth Hoover in 1838. LEWIS J.
served with General Zachary Taylor at Vera Cruz during the Mexican War. After
the Civil War, LEWIS and his family moved to Independence County, Arkansas,
where he spent the rest of his life. LEWIS had a son, JOHN KNOX POLK RAWLINGS,
and he also married a Hoover! That's three in a row! ELBERT FRANKLIN RAWLINGS
was the son of JOHN KNOX POLK RAWLINGS and he broke the chain by marrying a
Harris.
Our
family still cannot locate the parents of the aforementioned WILLIAM RAWLINGS,
b. Virginia around 1788, and any information on this line would certainly help
unravel this particular genealogical puzzle.
ELBERT
FRANKLIN and Sarah Elizabeth (Harris) RAWLINGS were my grandparents on my
mother's side. Their daughter, MILDRED HELEN RAWLINGS married my father Raymond
Andrew Bourassa in 1933.
Further
to the comment made by Charles "Stan" Rawlings of Missouri on P. 18
of the March 1990 Newsletter concerning the 3 MOSES RAWLINGS who served in the
Revolutionary War, here is his breakdown of 3 (and maybe 4) MOSES (southern
states). "I have counted 13 MOSES RAWLIN(G)S/ROLLIN(G)S in the THOMAS,
ANTHONY, AARON and other southern lines, most of them sortable. My main concern
is the three we have often spoken about. (1) MOSES who served in the
Revolutionary War from Virginia, in the Virginia militia, and who went to
Kentucky to take up settlement there, only to be killed by indians in the
spring of 1787 ... leaving a family of 7 sons and seven daughters. (2) Col.
MOSES RAWLINGS of Maryland who led Stephenson's Regiment at Ft. Washington in
New York, captured by the British, was paroled, and served on Gen. Washington's
staff in the procurement department. He leaves a very clear trail. (3) a MOSES
RAWLINGS who enlisted in October 1780 in Culpeper Co., VA under a Capt. Smith,
attached to a regiment commanded by Col. Buford. He was wounded in the Battle
of Guilford Courthouse and later lost both legs below the knees. Married Nancy
Cave in Ritchie Co., VA in 1814, and had 5 children, HENRY, JEREMIAH, SALLY,
EDWARD and REBECCA. He died there Feb. 4, 1856. He was supposed to have been
aged 16 when he joined up. Two bounty land warrantees were issued to him, one
for sixty acres, one for one hundred acres.
In
sending for copies of these warrants and other information concerning one or
all of these MOSES from the National Archives I received copies which might
indicate there was a 4th MOSES who served during the Revolutionary War. Since
we know something about these three, who is the fourth? I hate to mention this
but in George Rogers Clark's expedition to Ohio, a MOSES RAWLINGS is listed as
a deserter. {One hastens to point out that he could have been killed by
indians, or there could be another explanation.)
In any
case, there is a Virginia Land Office Military Warrant #3648 issued to a MOSES
RAWLINS of 200 acres of land in Kentucky for his services in the Virginia
Continenta1 Line. This was found in the Kentucky State Historical Society in
Frankfort. It was never surveyed and never taken up or used in Kentucky.
However, our MOSES who was killed by indians in 1787 had a son MOSES JR. who
did take up the warrant for land in Ohio, which was also a Virginia Military
District for purposes of issuing such warrants. It was surveyed in Ohio for 200
acres 14 July 1801 ... on Pea Creek in Ross County, then sold to Eleazer P.
Kendrick 18 October 1842. The bill of sale is signed by MOSES RAWLINS,
witnessed by WILLIAM RAWLINS and Rebecca Richards. Is this MOSES RAWLINS the
son of MOSES killed by indians.. .or a fourth MOSES?