An ancestral blog by Terrell Ledbetter (8th great-grandson of Thomas Ledbetter, the first in America); the picture below is of James River at Berkeley Plantation, Charles City, Virginia (site of original landing in America for Thomas Ledbetter) and taken by me in 2018
I have seen many family trees with incorrect entries, “Find a Grave” entries with false information and numerous ancestral posts with false assumption concerning the Ledbetter tree. Surely everyone’s tree is going to vary. Not every Ledbetter descendent comes from the first to land in Virginia, however the first several generations of the first Ledbetter’s in America should be corrected. The following blog states my arguments for the descendant tree referenced in this blog. Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion based upon their own records and research. After the second generation, different Ledbetter lines began to immigrate. My direct line and comments may be informative to some who share a common Ledbetter ancestor.
I was fortunate to have the basic generational Ledbetter tree handed to me by my great-Aunt, Lillie Mae Ledbetter (Melton/Sawyer) who was born in 1909 and was the daughter of my great-grandfather, Higgins Ledbetter. The tree had been built, corrected, and handed down over seven generations when she gave me the tree in 1973. It gave the name of each grandfather, birth and death dates, and the spouse. This was a direct line tree where most of the non-direct line siblings were not tracked. I trust this direct line as the information was handed down directly from generation to generation, probably recorded in family bibles. My dad had also told me stories over the years, some of which were of the five brothers who were the second generation (children of Henry Dawson Ledbetter). My dad’s sister, Aunt Edith Ledbetter Fortune, also told me stories from her childhood memories of the Broad River Ledbetter family from George Ledbetter/Lizer Murphy and Higgins Ledbetter/Lafaria Searcy. I also received confirmation of my findings from Stuart Nanney, married to Luther Ledbetter’s daughter, showing the true lineage back to Richard Ledbetter Sr.
I am a direct descendant of two sons of Henry Dawson Ledbetter. In addition, my tree indicates on several occasions Ledbetter cousins have married. As a result I have strong Ledbetter DNA.
Revision August 8, 2022:
I have added an approximately 3000 named-descendant-tree from Thomas Ledbetter (1600). This tree is on Ancestry and is entitled “Descendents of Thomas Ledbetter (year 1600) by Terrell Ledbetter.” There will be occasional additions to this tree as more information is available to me. I have not added many families past the early 1900’s because I do not wish to add a living person to the tree. Once a Ledbetter female married, I only carried to her grandchildren in the tree. It is not my intention to carry the tree to living descendants, but you should be able to find you grandparents.
You will have to be a member of Ancestry to be able to log in and call up the tree. Once on Ancestry, and after you call up the subject tree. you can move through the tree to find your ancestor. There is a search function that will get you to the part of the tree that has your ancestor.
Please do not use this information to feed any other site. This is my work in establishing this information and the technology of Family Tree Maker and Ancestry to provide it.
There are a tremendous amount of Henry’s, Richards, and Johns in the early years, so you have to be very careful with your tree. My Richard I, born in 1644 was the father to Drury, John, Charles, William and Richard II, all born just after 1700. Some trees show my Richard Ledbetter I as the son of Henry’s son John. Other trees disprove this. There are just too many Richards during a short time period thereby creating much confusion. The third continued to generate a flurry of Johns and Richards all born within a short time frame of each other. It is so easy to get confusing and incorrect trees because of this.
Tradition for naming sons were as follows, but be careful, some did not follow tradition:
• first son named after paternal grandfather
• second son named after mother’s father
• third son named after the father
• fourth son named after the father’s older brother
By the time the fifth (5) generation was born, around 1720-1735, I roughly calculate there were 600 Ledbetter off springs descending from Thomas, the first to come. The early families had six to twelve children. It did not take long for the line to grow.
In the discussions below, I show the direct line to me through Richard Ledbetter I in bold letters. As mentioned above, I have two lines from the second generation, Henry Dawson Ledbetter. One line is from Richard Ledbetter I and the second line is from Frances Ledbetter. I do not bold a lineage from Frances Ledbetter.
As noted above, all direct lines are available in the descendants I have added to Ancestry.
1st Generation in America
Thomas Ledbetter (May 11,1600-1658) – Mary Molisse Thomas (1603-1673)
As written by James A. McClain in Ancestry.com, the Ledbetter family home was in Durham County, Northumbria, England from after 1570 until Thomas immigrated after 1622. His grandparents were French Huguenots who had fled France some years before the Massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572. The Huguenots were protestants who were being driven out of France by the Catholics. In England, they were Episcopalian or members of the Church of England.
Anglican Church in Seaham, England
A descendent of this family (in Seaham), William Leadbetter, had left Seaham for Ireland in the early 1740’s and his wife, Mary Shackleton, published a short history of the family in 1744. Mary Shackleton wrote that the family had fled France and their historical family name was LeBete. The family had located at Seaham, an old Viking fishing village on the North Atlantic Coast of Durham County. The family apparently was in England for only two generations before Thomas immigrated. In short, the long-term ancestry of this family was northwest-Europe and the short ancestral surname was “Le Bete“, which translates to “beast.”
Seaham countryside
My great Aunt’s records indicate that Thomas and his wife Mary Thomas immigrated to Charles City, Virginia after1622. Their names were not recorded as living or dead from the role carried out after the Indian massacre in 1622, so it is most likely that Thomas and Mary immigrated closer to 1625. Public records indicate that Edward Tunstall had sold 125 acres to Thomas (probably 1637 when Tunstall moved to Henrico Country) and Thomas had received an additional 99 acres due to arranging transportation of Margary Lucus and Mary House to America in 1638. Governor Berkeley transacted with 224 acres south of the Appomattox River on April 29,1668 to Henry Ledbetter. By this time, Thomas had been deceased by ten years. Due to the fact that no immigration records have been found, nor land records until after 1637, it is my own personal theory that Thomas and Mary could have been indentures and only after working off their transportation costs, were they able to buy the land from Tunstall in 1637. Some have stated they were landed gentry and purchased land after they arrived in 1635. I trust my information that was handed down to me on the immigration period, so I do not agree with that.
This land transacted from Gov. Berkeley was south of the Appomattox River and between the current cities of Petersburg and West Petersburg, Virginia. A branch of the Appomattox in this area was called Ledbetter Creek for years. The first three generations lived here totaling over ninety years.
2nd Generation, children of Thomas and Mary
Henry Dawson Ledbetter (1625-1698) – Mary House (1624-1672)
John Ledbetter (1635-1698) – This is still to be reconciled as some trees claim that Henry was the only child to Thomas Ledbetter and Mary Thomas. I think there is enough evidence to suggest that John was the second son of Thomas and Mary. His reported birth year of 1635 indicates he was a second generation of the first to come. There is zero information on this John. Any new information on him and family would be greatly appreciated.
Some people have speculation is that Henry was married twice, and the second wife was Sarah Tolman. This is not true: there is credible evidence that Sarah Tolman and another Henry Ledbetter (in the similar timetable were born, married, and lived in Massachusetts). The Henry that married Sarah was born in 1633 and died in 1722. This couple lived and died in Dorchester, Massachusetts. This is a big incorrect jump to assume the Charles City Henry Ledbetter was the same as the Massachusetts Henry Leadbetter.
Also, the information I had handed down to me confirms that Mary House was the mother of all the boys and that Mary lived until 1672 in Virginia. This is proof that blindly following the tree some people post is not always true. In this case, is your Ledbetter ancestor from Virginia or Massachusetts? Don’t attempt to combine the two.
I have seen Henry’s birthdate as early as 1625 in Charles City, Virginia Colony. Due to lack of women in America, colonialists were granted land in exchange for transporting women to Virginia in the early 1600’s. Such was the case for Thomas as he received 99 acres for transporting Margry Linsal and Mary House (1624-1672}. This is the Mary House that Thomas’ son Henry married in April of 1658. Henry and Mary reportedly had five sons and one daughter. My father had information handed down to him from generation to generation and that information was that Henry had five sons. I tend to believe the five- son information and that is what I show in the descendants tree.
The land deed to Henry Ledbetter by Sir Berkeley in 1658 establishes his residency in the Appomattox River area of Virginia.
A judgement on record of October,1673 to Mary Ledbetter verifies her continued presence in the area and marriage to Henry, further proof that this line was Virginia and not Massachusetts in any way.
3rd Generation, children of Henry Dawson Ledbetter
Francis Ledbetter (1653 -17430- Martha Jones (1648-1745). Francis and Martha had a son, John, born in 1690. He married Frances Tedstall
The LDS geneology confirms that Francis was the son of Henry Ledbetter and Mary House but incorrectly claims his birth year as 1660. I have a direct line to Francis Ledbetter and Martha Jones as well as Richard I.
John Ledbetter (1662-1730)-Mary Frances Jones born 1648. A second source says Mary Frances Vandivers
Henry Ledbetter (1664-1771)
Richard I (July 4, 1666-1759) – Richard’s wife is possibly a Native American, a Siboney Indian
Drury Ledbetter (1666-1740)
William Ledbetter (April 10, 1668-1743)
Martha Ledbetter
Note that Henry’s first three sons were names of sons born by his father, hence the confusion. Uncles and sons with the same names are very confusing. There were too many Johns, Henrys and Frances in the first few generations. The was an overabundance of Richards.
More information on Richard Ledbetter I (1666-1759), fourth son of Francis
Richard lived in Appomattox River area until 1729 when many of the Ledbetter kin purchased land and moved to property which adjoined each other in Brunswick County, Virginia near present day White Plains.
This property was in proximity to:
∗ both sides of the Meherrin River
∗ southward to Rattlesnake Creek
∗ near Fountain Creek
∗ near Swiss Creek, Little Creek and Hounds Creek
4th Generation, children of Richard Ledbetter I
Henry Ledbetter (1690)
John Ledbetter (1701)
Charles Ledbetter (1703)
William Ledbetter (1709)
Richard Ledbetter II (1700-1751) – Mary Walton (1720-1779)
Richard II also made the move from the Appomattox River area to Brunswick County. He produced a huge number of male off springs in his short lifetime. He was the first Ledbetter to purchase land in the pioneer County of Brunswick. Richard owned the most land followed by brothers William and Henry. Richard became constable of the county in 1738 and overseer in 1739.
5th Generation, children of Richard Ledbetter II
Isaac Ledbetter (1732-1785)
Mary Ledbetter (1733-1741)
Drury S. Ledbetter (1734-1761)
Charles Ledbetter (1738-1774)
Richard B. Ledbetter III (1738-1841) – Nancy Ann Johnson (1745-1821)
Arthur Ledbetter (1740-1814)- Francis Brooks
William Ledbetter (1740-1818) _Mary Cheves
Captain George Ledbetter (1742-1803) – Elizabeth Walton (1740-
Captain George fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780.
Elizabeth Walton’s mother was Elizabeth Ledbetter (1730-1802) and daughter of Henry Ledbetter (1690-1751)/Edith Williamson (1690). Henry was the son of Francis Ledbetter (1653-1743)/Martha Jones (1648-1745). This is my direct line to Francis and Richard I, both sons of second generation Henry.
More on Captain George Ledbetter (1742-1803)—George moved to Rutherford County in 1775. A well-educated man who was involved with ratification of the continental congress. He also served as a Captain in the Battle of Kings mountain under Colonel Hampton. He later served as a sheriff and Justice of Peace for Rutherford County after the Revolutionary War.
6th Generation, children of Captain George Ledbetter
Elizabeth Ledbetter (1773-1790) – James Bradley
George (Walton) Ledbetter (1775-1866) – Sally Goodbread (1780-1875)
Isaac Ledbetter (1776-1837)- Ursala Bradley/Nancy King
William H. Ledbetter (1783-1849) – Ruth Lewellen
Nancy Temperance Ledbetter (1784-1840) -James Murphy- Their daughter Eliza (Liza) is referenced with George Ledbetter death below. Eliza and George Ledbetter were cousins
I have a direct line to Nancy Ledbetter as well as her brother George Walton. In colonial days cousins often married.
More on Walton George Ledbetter (1775-1866)—Walton married into the Goodbread family, an immigrant family from Germany. His wife Sarah Goodbread’s grandmother was Mary Ledbetter (1742-1625) who was the daughter of Richard Ledbetter III (1717-1751), thereby tying into the Ledbetter ancestry with a different grandfather. Walton George Ledbetter lived in the Montford Cove area of McDowell County.
Montford Cove, Rutherford County, North Carolina
7th Generation, children of Walton Ledbetter
William George Washington Ledbetter (1815-1864) – Eliza Murphy (1823-18970
George is shown by many people as George Washington Ledbetter (my own dad used this name) but George’s grandson Luther showed the name as William George Ledbetter in the family bible (source Stuart A. Nanney). Stuart was the nephew of Luther’s wife Kate and was confident that the real full name was William George. The marriage bond on his marriage to Liza Murphy was simply signed “George Ledbetter”. I am using the name William George Washington Ledbetter in my trees.
Madison Ledbetter (1809-1889)- Mary Lyda
Temperance Ledbetter (1816) – William Bertus Murphy
Squire Thomas Ledbetter (1819-1863)- Zillah Murphy/Malinda Gilliam. Squire Tom was not married to Zilla Murphy but got her pregnant not long before his marriage to Malinda Gilliam. Squire Tom paid William Bertus Murphy, who had divorced from Squire Tom’s sister Temperance, a sum of ten dollars to marry Zilla. Squire Tom and Malinda had more than their share of misery and pain. More on that below.
James Ledbetter (1830)

More on William George Ledbetter (1815-1864)
My details on George Ledbetter were told to me by my dad and Aunt Edith who heard stories from their grandfather Higgins Ledbetter and grandmother Lafaria when they were children.
George was a very skilled craftsman, blacksmith and farmer who provided food and support for those in the region who needed help. His wife’s family, the Murphy’s, had a wagon road inn. George was handy with repairing wagons and wheels as necessary. When the inhabitants of Broad River began to have trouble getting food on the table, George provided abundantly for the valley.
George was over thirty-five at the outbreak of the Civil War so he was allowed to continue farming while serving as a home guard. In 1864, George was ambushed and shot in the head by a deserter. His wife, Liza Murphy, picked up a rifle, found and shot the deserter. Liza cleaned up George’s body and buried him. At the time they had many girls and my great-grandfather Higgins who was two years old. The death was a serious burden to the family and was felt for generations.
The family lived in the Broad River area which is now on Hwy 9 about a third of the way between Bat Cave and Black Mountain, North Carolina.
Now the story of Squire Tom Ledbetter (George Ledbetter’s brother and neighbor) and Malinda Gilliam:
Squire Tom and Malinda lost four of their children during a 51-day period in the spring of 1859. On February 13, nineteen-year-old Mary Elizabeth died, followed by eighteen-year-old James W. on February 15. Six-year-old Alfred Walton died on March 16 and his brother Richard O. (11) died on April 6, 1859.
Squire Tom and Malinda’s oldest son John England Ledbetter served in the Civil War in Company H of the 29th North Carolina Infantry. He joined up in Asheville under Col. Robert B. Vance. At the Battle of Stones River at Murfreesboro, Tennessee on January 2,1863 he was killed in an assault with 5000 confederates under Gen Breckinridge. There were 10,266 Confederate casualties on that day.
Squire Tom’s brother and neighbor George was killed by a deserter in 1864, and his friend, cousin and neighbor, James H. Ledbetter was killed in the Civil War.
Three more of Squire Tom and Malinda’s children died before they were forty. Squire Tom outlived ten of his children.
Revision added September 1, 2022 for the effects of the American Civil War on the 8th Ledbetter generation– Males born from about 1830-1847 either enlisted or were conscripted to serve state regiments. To honor the Ledbetter descendants that perished in the Civil War, I will list their names as well as the name of their parents. Note that of the Ledbetter descendants that served, about eighty percent died in combat, prison camp or by disease. There are twenty-seven of them, a shocking number.
Col. Daniel Alexander Ledbetter — 1825-Aug 29,1862 Manassas, Virginia Son of Abner Ledbetter and Sarah Ann Calhoun
William George Washington Ledbetter– 1824-May 13, 1864, North Carolina- son of Walton George Ledbetter and Sarah Goodbread
John England Ledbetter– April 28, 1837-Jan 2, 1863 Murphreesboro, Tennessee- son of Squire Thomas Ledbetter and Malinda Gilliam
James H. Ledbetter–1843-February 18, 1863- son of William George Washington Ledbetter and Eliza Murphy
Joe H. Hill– Aug 10, 1842=Oct 15,1861 Portsmouth, Virginia- son of Rev. Wade Hill and Temperance Ledbetter
Alonzo C. Ledbetter–1846 Georgia-Dec 2. 1864 Georgia – Served in Company C, 27th Battery Infantry- son of William Ledbetter and Elizer Barren
George J. Ledbetter–1837-death date not known- Served in 31st Alabama-son of Timothy Ledbetter and Charlotte Temple
Henderson Ledbetter–Jan 6, 1823=Jan 3, 1862-Illinois-son of James Ledbetter and Mahala Dillard
James M. Ledbetter–1833 Tennessee-April 24,1864 Mississippi-Served in 1st Infantry-son of Isaac Willy Ledbetter and Sarah Burden
John Turpin Ledbetter–1832-May 19,1864 Farmville, Virginia-Arkansas regiment-son of John Ledbetter and Susannah Williams
Pvt. John Walton Ledbetter–1834-February 28,1864 Point Lookout, Maryland-Served in Company C, 34th NC Infantry-prisoner of war-son of Barzilla Ledbetter and Sarah Elliott
Pvt. Samuel Hampton Ledbetter–February 13, 1838-Ocatober 4, 1864 Maryland-Served in 16th NC Infantry-son of Barzilla Ledbetter and Sarah Elliott
Jonathan Ledbetter–1845 Georgia-September 23, 1864 Sumpter, SC-son of Joseph Henry Ledbetter and Deliah Davis
Pvt. Thomas J. Ledbetter–1835 Georgia-May 3, 1863 Spotsylvania, Virginia-son of Martin Gilbert Ledbetter and Dicey Tribble
Pvt. William Overton Ledbetter–January 12, 1840-August 24. 1863 Chancellorsville, Virginia-Served in 34th Infantry, Company C NC–son of Barzilla Ledbetter and Sarah Elliott
Note: You now realize that three sons of Barzilla Ledbetter and Sarah Elliott died in the Civil War. Samuel and William Overton Ledbetter served in the same company and infantry as my great-grandfather William Harris Elliott. William Harris was also wounded at Chancellorsville, Virginia but recovered at home in Rutherford County, North Carolina. William Harris was present at Gettysburg and serviced as a wagon driver for the artillery.
James Alexander Forrest–1836 North Carolina-May 1,1864 Richmond, Virginia-son of Alexander Forrest and Polly Taylor.
Pvt. Crawford Wheeler Gilmer-May17, 1840 Virginia-July 3,1862 Seven Pines, Virginia-served in 4th Infantry-son of Robert Gilmer and Jane Ledbetter
Pvt. John McDowell Harris- January 8, 1831-December 13, 1861-Stauton, Virginia-served in 16th Infantry-son of Zadock Harris and Mary L. Ledbetter
Pvt. John K. Raiford-1844 North Carolina-July 22,1864 Georgia-served in 4th Infantry-son of Robert Raiford and Caroline Spencer
Philip Thurmond-1830 Georgia-October 16, 1862-served in 13th Calvary-son of Philip Thurmond and Susan Ledbetter
Oliver Van Smith-1827 North Carolina-December 1864 Vicksburg, Mississippi-married to Zillah Ledbetter
John F. Spearman-August 31,1828 Pickens, Georgia-July 9,1862 Hanover, Virginia-served in 44th Infantry-son of Rev Gabriel Spearman and Martha Sarah Ledbetter
John L. Averett-1843 Georgia-February 7,1862 York, Virginia-son of John Averett and Mary Ledbetter
James Jones Bradley-1827 North Carolina-August 28,1863 Lauderdale, Mississippi-son of Richard and Arminta Bradley
Lt. John T. Chambless-August 27,1826- Georgia-September 9,1862 Cedar Run, Virginia-son of John D. Chambless and Obedience Ledbetter
Sgt. Murphy Elliott-1837-1865-served in Company B of 35th NC Regiment-son of Thomas Elliott and Mary Murphy
Commodor Decatur Epps-1835 North Carolina-December 20,1863 Murray, Georgia-served in 6th Calvary-son of James Epps and Rebecca Ledbetter
8th Generation, children of George Ledbetter (William George Washington Ledbetter)
William Higgins Ledbetter (1862-1932) – Lafaria Searcy (1868-1925)
Katherine Ledbetter (1845-1914)- Watsell Avery Lyda
James Ledbetter (1842)
Aunt Harriet Ledbetter (1863-1963)
More on Higgins Ledbetter (1862-1932)
Like his father before him, Higgins became a skilled craftsman, blacksmith and farmer. Aunt Edith told me that his wife Lafaria was a likeable woman. They lived in the Broad River area. You can see by the picture below that Higgins housed his sister and mother.
I believe the above picture was taken around 1905. My grandfather was Jim who died in 1951. I remember visiting my dad’s uncles Bryan and Luther on Sundays during the 1950’s. They all live in Broad River, Buncombe County, North Carolina. I have dated the picture to be about 1905 because Jim was born in 1890 and looks to be about fifteen in the photo. The picture caption above was not done by me but probably some child of Higgins and Lafaria as they call Harriet, “Aunt Harriet.” The older woman on the right that was captioned “Grandpa Higgins sister (name not known) is who I believe in Higgins’ mother Liza Murphy Ledbetter who passed away in 1912. She would have been eighty-four in 1905 and that appears correct from the image.
9th Generation, children of Higgins
Luther B. Ledbetter (1887-1969) – Kate Nanney
James (Jim) Lancaster Ledbetter (1890-1950) – Gardie Elliott (1891-1973)
Cletus L. Ledbetter (1894-1968) -Maggie Elliott
Ethel Pauline Ledbetter (1898-1994) -Charles Meese
John Long Ledbetter (1900-1957) – Hettye Nanney
Annie Eliza (1902-1998) – William Morris
Sam Ledbetter (1909-1927)
Lillie Mae Ledbetter (1909-1995) – Perry Melton (Mae was also married to my dad’s employer, Greg Sawyer).
Bryan Ledbetter (1896-1967)- Maggie Taylor
10th Generation, children of James
Roy, Frank, Holly, Grady and Mary Elizabeth (Edith) Ledbetter
Mr. Ledbetter
Thank you for that interesting history and for the pictures. I appreciate the word-of-mouth family history and the pictures – it enables us to connect with our ancestors and feel the successes and heartaches of their lives. I am James Ledbetter – descended from the branch of Ledbetters that traveled to Alabama in 1835 with many other families. My ancestors on that journey were Osborne Ledbetter and his family including 15 year old Alexander Hamilton Ledbetter. He married a girl named Nancy Ann Elliot that the group found wondering in the woods on the trip to Alabama – her parents had been attacked and killed by indians.
Thanks Jim. Oddly enough, my grandfather was James Lancaster Ledbetter and he married an Elliott from Rutherford County, NC near the S.C. border. Would you happen to have the ancestors of Nancy Elliot?
Also found that Osborne was son of Francis who was the son to Henry. So your ancestors go back to the first Ledbetters in America, the same as mine.
Mr. Ledbetter, I was born a Ledbetter also. My name is Mary Ledbetter Dillingham and my father was Lewis Brooksher Ledbetter. His father was Brooksher Spergin who was; to my understanding, one of either 11 or 12 children born in a log cabin that was located about 1/4 mile: on the side of the mountain, behind Ledbetter’s store on hwy 9 just before Old Fort Rd. One of my grandfathers brothers was Grover and I believe he is the one who opened the store. Another brothers was Jennings and they had a sister that I knew as Glennie and she lived in Richmond VA. I have tried to remember other siblings but can’t. It is also my understanding that their father was Tom or Thomas and he was married to either Mary or Eliza. My dad could not remember. He thought Mary but a little lady I had the pleasure to meet said Eliza. She was at that time 100 years old and said her father and my great grandfather were brothers. I don’t remember if she said her father was Higgins. For some reason the name Fotch is stuck in my mind. Family history that was verbally past down was of Vikings intermarrying with people on the Isle of Man off the Irish coast. That there were 3 Ledbetter brothers who immigrated to Virginia and that they or their sons went their separate ways and along the way the Broad River Ledbetters settled here in North Carolina. I have always wanted to compile my family tree and I am having trouble getting any farther back in the Ledbetter line than my grandfather. I have 2 sons and would like to let them know more about their ancestors.
Hi Mary. Your grandfather and Grover were my Dad’s uncles and I met them when I was small. I visited the Ledbetter Store on Hwy 9 many times and remember the monkey they had named Ike. Higgins was your great grandfather as well as mine, so we would be second cousins.
Hi Terrell, I would very much enjoy talking to you about our so closely shared family. I have so many questions that you could probably answer, and I have so many stories of times spent on the mountain in the cabin where my grandfather and his siblings were born. Did you grow up along Broad River and where do you live now. It would be great to meet my cousin and swap stories. I am not the best at computers and I am a terrible speller, but I can talk with the best of em. Please fell free to call me at 828-458-5075. I currently live in Hendersonville, NC.
Hi again Terrell, Since my last note, I have made a few discoveries on my end of things. Higgins being my great grandfather just didn’t fit with my memories from what my Dad had told me, nor with what my little 100 year old had told me. I have a mantel clock with Thomas Ledbetter’s name on it with the order information included. Dad had always said that it had belonged to his grandfather. From what I have found it appears that Higgins and Thomas were brothers and they had at least 7 more siblings. Thomas is listed as having 8 children including Grover and Glennie. I was sure of their being my grandfathers brother and sister.Once I found them I remembered some of the others listed; Ollie, George, and Ira. Jennings and my grandfather; Brooksher, weren’t listed so that takes the number up to 10and that is closer to what I remembered Dad telling me. I wish that I could remember my little ladies name but I have taken care of so many people. I am almost positive that she said Higgins was her father. Eliza was George Walton Ledbetter’s Wife and Thomas was married to Onnie Owenby. I knew we were related to the Owenbys but not how. We are still closely related and I would still love to talk to you about our family. I am so glad that I came upon you and the information you offered. I had hit a road block on the Ledbetter side of my and now I have gone back to William Ledbetter, born in 1543.
Thank you for all of this information. I am decended from Francis (Fannie) Ledbetter who was the daughter of Rev Charles Ledbetter. A lot of my dates for the Ledbetters are slightly off. This info is so exciting to see documented as I was given by my aunt.
Thanks for the reply. Where do you live now?
I am in Charlotte, NC. I would love to confirm this data. The info I have is from my uncles efforts. I have a huge chart that incorporates the Ledbetters, Waltons and Webbs. It makes my head hurt.
My info has Frances Ledbetter (1807) married to Thomas Page
Her father was Charles Ledbetter married to Frances Randle
His father is Henry Ledbetter married to Edith Williamson. They came from Brubswick County, Va.
Perhaps you can help me sort through this. Have you done a DNA test through ancestry?
Your blog is amazing.
Thank you,
Sandra Staff
I do have a DNA result. I think it is under the name “teeeagle”
My last name is Perthel. Please search it in ancestry under surname.
This is Harold Keisling, My grandmother was Sallie Emeline Ledbetter who married Emett Keisling. Sally was daughter of Andrew Jackson Ledbetter. My line traces back to Arthur Ledbetter 139-1814. I appreciat all the information you pave psoted and I thank you….halsheritage@twlakes.net
Thank you Harold. Where is your family from now?
Oh Harold. According to your info, we should be 6th cousins. If you are on Ancestry and have done the DNA testing, I should show up as your 6th cousin on DNA Matches. My name on Ancestry is teeeagle.
Thank you for this, I enjoyed learning more about the Ledbetter family. I descend from Richard Ledbetter II, and his son, Richard B. Ledbetter III. My branch of the Ledbetters settled in Marion, NC.
Thank you Melinda. Marion is just down the hill from where I grew up in Black Mountain, N.C.
My question is on
Nancy Ledbetter (1784-1840) -James Murphree/James Bowem
I have a direct line to Nancy Ledbetter as well as her brother George Walton. In colonial days cousins often married.
Do you think Nancy Ledbetter could be married to James Boren? I have a Nancy Boren in my family tree of which she came to Texas in 1827 (I am member of DRT through Nancy) and one of her children is Nancy Ledbetter Boren. I have searched and searched for this woman’s last name or when she married second husband. No one has been able to find Nancy’s burial place but it is in Ennis, Texas somewhere. I believe she was buried near her last son James Boren’s grave, but there is also a Boren cemetery in Ennis, Texas I believe my Nancy Boren died around 1850 and was a pioneer of Texas. What info do you have that can identify who this Nancy’s husbands were? I have taken DNA test…..and Nancy Ledbetter is being linked to Nancy Boren, so I need to prove that this is correct. Thank you for any help
Hey Deborah
I do not have anything on Nancy Ledbetter’s second husband at all but it seems interesting. I will look into it a bit. I have actually been through Ennis many times on the way from Houston to Amarillo.
Tee
Terrell
Are you Terry Ledbetter, son of Frank and Mary Ledbetter of Black Mountain.
I am Bill Elliott of Rutherfordton, son of Joe And Edith Goode Elliott.
My Grandparents were J Plato and Amanda Searcy from Cedar creek in Rutherford County. Plato was the older brother of Gardie Elliott Ledbetter, your Grandmother.
Frank and Mary Ledbetter and Joe and Edith Elliott visited each other often when I was growing up on the farm. I live on the farm where I grew up @667 Elliott rd, Rutherfordton. My email is elliottsii@aol.com. I would love to hear from you
Bill Elliott
Hi! Great to read! Im Tony Ledbetter and I live in Ellenboro NC. Im descend from Henry “the hatter” Ledbetter born in 1797, from what use to be Rutherford County but is now Cleveland county. His mother was Lavina Ledbetter and father is unknown. Im curious of where the link is to the VA Ledbetters cause im sure it is there.
Hello all,
I feel this is my lucky day to have stumbled upon this blog. I recently retired to Asheville/Arden North Carolina–a few miles from Marion, Black Mountain and Hendersonville–simply because this is a great place to live. When I began to study my ancestors a few months ago, I had no idea I had so many ancestors who either settled in NC or passed through on their way to Texas as new lands opened up.
Tony, Bill, Sandra and Mary, as soon as we can travel safely we should have a get together now that we are all in NC. I know I could benefit from your experiences. I’ve been relying on Ancestry.com and Find-a-Grave and I’m sure you can relate to the frustration of encountering so much misinformation.
My Ledbetter line ends relatively early–from Thomas to Henry to Richard to Richard to William. If I have my facts straight, William is my 6th ggf. He had a daughter, Martha, who married a Thomas Bohannon and took her away from NC. At least I THINK I have a Ledbetter line. I’ve spent so much time barking up the wrong ‘trees’ that I’m never quite sure I have anything right.
I look forward to hearing from any/all of you.
Best,
Valerie Summers
Hi Val
You retired to a great place. We have in common a 5th great-grandfather so we should be 6th cousins. The DNA matches will not probably indicate this as it is so far back. Beware about Find-a-grave information. So much of it is incorrect.
Tee
Hi. Its nice to read this. I live down the hill from you in Rutherford county. I have tracked my line back to a Lavina Ledbetter who had a son named Henry in 1796. I dont know who Lavina’s parents are or who Henry’s father is. This is as far as I have got. There are many descendants in the Rutherford Cleveland county area.
Tony
I have looked through my records of Ledbetters that would have been born around 1770-1776 and found no matches. The information in webisites is so incorrect. Nothing I read on the Find-a-grave or Geni websites on the Ledbetters is true. You basically have to find an old family Bible. My great aunt gave me my Ledbetter geneology from an old Bible.
Tee
Ok. Thanks!
Someone else commented on a Ledbetter who happened to be the brother of Lavina Ledbetter who was born in 1796 (which you say her son was born in 1796). This is the only Lavina I have found and it is most likely your relative. If this is your ancestor, he lineage is as follows:
Henry Dawson Ledbetter (second generation Ledbetter in America)
William Ledbetter 1662
John Ledbetter 1698
Daniel Alexander Walker 1757
Lavina Ledbetter 1796-1810
Hi! You’ve done really great work on the Ledbetters. Do you have any knowledge of Melungeon connections.? My great, great grandmother was Mary Arrena Ledbetter (b.1825) in either North Carolina or Georgia, depending on which census you read. Supposedly her father was James W. Ledbetter but I’ve also heard Samuel B, Ledbetter. Mary’s brother Daniel helped build the grist mill in Cades Cove, Tennessee. Thanks for your attention.
Lorraine Pool
From what I understand the lineage for your g-g-grandmother was as follows:
Henry Dawson Ledbetter
John Ledbetter
Matthew Ledbetter 1755-1830
James W. Ledbetter 1795-1870
Mary and Daniel Ledbetter
Your Henry Dawson Ledbetter is the same as my Henry Dawson Ledbetter, the second generation of Ledbetters in America