An ancestral blog by Terrell Ledbetter; picture is of James River at Berkeley Plantation, Charles City, Virginia (site of original landing in America for Thomas Ledbetter)

I have seen many family trees with incorrect entries, “Find a Grave” entries with false imformation and numerous ancestral posts with false assumption concerning the Ledbetter tree. Everyone’s tree is going to vary. Not every Ledbetter descendent comes from the first to land in Virginia, but the first two generations of the first Ledbetter’s in America should be corrected. The following blog states my arguments for the tree that follows below. Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion based upon their own records and research. For example, after the second generation, the Ledbetters scattered. New Ledbetter immigrants began to settle in America thus, obviously, creating more Ledbetter lines. 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 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 1990. 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. My dad’s sister, Aunt Edith Ledbetter Fortune, also told me stories from her childhood memories of the Broad River Ledbetters 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.
There are a lot of Henry’s , Richards, Johns etc 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 shows my Richard Ledbetter I as the son of Henry’s son John. Other trees disprove this. There are just too many Richards period thereby creating much confusion.
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 150 Ledbetter males descending from Thomas, the first to come.
1st Generation in America
Thomas Ledbetter (1600-1658) – Mary Molisse Thomas (1603-1673)
2nd Generation, child of Thomas and Mary
Henry 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.
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. 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.
3rd Generation, children of Henry Ledbetter
Francis Ledbetter (1653 -17430- Martha Jones (1648-1745)
Francis and Martha had a son, John born in 1690, that married Frances Tedstall
The LDS geneology confirms that Francis was the son of Henry Ledbetter and Mary House but 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) – Hanna Honour (1675-1758)
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.
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)
5th Generation, children of Richard Ledbetter II
Issac 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.
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 Ledbetter (1784-1840) -James Murphy Their daughter Eliza (Liza) is referenced with George Ledbetter death below.
I have a direct line to Nancy Ledbetter as well as her brother George Walton. In colonial days cousins often married.
7th Generation, children of Walton Ledbetter
William (George) 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 wifeKate 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”.
Madison Ledbetter (1809-1889)- Mary Lyda
Temperance Ledbetter (1816) – William Bertus Murphy
Squire Thomas Ledbetter (1819-1863)- Zillah Murphy/Malinda Gilliam
James Ledbetter (1830)
8th Generation, children of George 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)
9th Generation, children of Higgins
Luther B. Ledbetter (1887-1969) – Kate Nanney
James (Jim) Lancaster Ledbetter (1880-1950) – 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
Discussion of each generation and background information:
1) Thomas Ledbetter (1600-1658)
As written by James A. Mc Clain in Ancestry.com, the Ledbetter family home was in Durham County, Northumbria, England from after 1570 until Thomas immigrated in 1621. His family reportedly were French Hugenots who had fled France some years before the Massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572. A descendent of this family (in Seaham), William Leadbetter, had left the Seaham for Ireland in early 1740’s and his wife, Mary Shackleton, published a short history of the family in 1744 where she said the family had fled from France and their historical family name was LeBete. The family 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.
My great Aunt’s records indicate that Thomas and his wife Mary Thomas immigrated to Charles City, Virginia in 1621. Public records indicate that Edward Tunstall had sold 125 acres to Thomas earlier (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 Berkely transacted with 224 acres south of the Appamatox 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 were endentures and only after working off their transportation costs, were they able to by 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 handed down to me on the immigration period so I do not agree they were landed gentry after 1635.
This land was south of the Appamattox River and between the current cities of Petersburg and West Petersburg, Virginia. A branch of the Appamattox in this area was called Ledbetter Creek for years. The first three generations lived here totaling over ninety years.
In the late 1680’s, the family attended the Church of England, the Blandford Church in the Bristol Parish of Virginia.
It should be noted that the LDS indicate Mary Thomas to have been born in 1627 in Durham, England. This is obviously incorrect as we have the above mentioned land transactions in 1637 in Virginia when Mary would be ten.
2. Henry Ledbetter (1635-1698)
I have seen Henry’s birthdate as early as 1625. 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 (1624-16720}. This is the Mary House that Thomas’ son Henry married in April, 1658. Henry and Mary had six sons and one daughter.
I have seen reports that Henry had a second wife named Sarah Tolman. The Henry that married Sarah was born in 1633 and died in 1722. This couple lived and died in Dorchester, Massachusetts. I believe there is a big incorrect jump to assume the Charles City Henry Ledbetter was the same as the Massachusetts Henry Leadbetter.
The land deed to Henry Ledbetter by Sir Berkely in 1658 establishes his residency in the Appamattox 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.
3. Richard Ledbetter I (1666-1759)
Richard lived in Appamattox River area until 1729 when many of the Ledbetter kin purchased land and moved to land adjoining 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
4. Richard Ledbetter II (1700-1751)
Richard II also made the move from the Appomattox River area to Brunswick County. He produced a huge number of male offsprings in his short lifetime. He was the first Ledbetter to purchase land in the then 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 oveseer in 1739.
5. 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.
6. Walton 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 lived in the Montford Cove area of McDowell County.
7. 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.
He 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 and shot the deserter. Liza cleaned up George’s body and buried him. At the time they had several 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.
There is some varying information as to George’s full name. My dad told me it was George Washington Ledbetter and many trees show the same. However, Stuart Nanney, who was a close relative of Katie Nanney the wife of Luther Ledbetter told me that the family bible listed his name as William George Ledbetter. All census reports and marriage document shows only the name George Ledbetter.
8. Higgins Ledbetter (1862-1932)
Like his father before him, Higgins was 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 aunt.
I believe the above picture was taken around 1905. My grandfather was Jim who died when I was five 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.
9. Roy, Frank, Holly, Grady and Mary Elizabeth (Edith) Ledbetter children of Jim Ledbetter
The generation I have known well. May they all rest in peace. They will be remembered.
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.