1773 - after 1830
Virginia
David Lusk was one of the survivors when his father and brothers were killed in 1792. He was born about 1773, to Samuel Lusk sr and Susannah Stevenson.
The first record I have found for him is the 1793 Wythe County, Virginia tax list.
On 24 November 1794 in Wythe County, Virginia, David was recorded with a "treasury warrant" for hundred acres on Clear Fork of Wolf Creek. This Creek starts in what is now Tazewell County, runs through Bland County and ends in Giles County, Virginia at New River just south of the West Virginia state line (from the angelfire site on Thomas Godfrey)
He continued on the list for 1795, 1796, 1797, 1799, 1800, after which he appeared on the tax rolls of the newly formed Tazewell County. (He - and his brother Samuel - had signed four petitions requesting the new county be formed.) In 1798, he was granted land on Wolf Creek:
David Lusk 1 Nov 1798 Wythe County
100 a. On the waters of Clear fork of Wolf Creek between the land of John Compton, Senr., and William Kidd Grants No. 40, p. 621
In 1795, he and his brother Samuel worked on a survey crew.
At some time during the 1790s, he started living with Chloe Bailey. She had married David McComas in 1787 (Montgomery County, 11 January 1787); they had had no children for about 10 years, and then a son, James, was born. McComas apparently didn't think James was his son (in his will, he left him only $1), and apparently Chloe and David Lusk were prosecuted for adultery. (I have only seen abstracts of the court cases, and it is impossible for me to tell what they are about.) The first mention is in 1801, and the case - or others growing out of it - continues for at least three more years. In 1804 or so, David McComas left for Kentucky, and after that the court cases involving Lusks (his brother Samuel was involved in a lot of them too) die down. In fact, on August 16, 1804, a deed was signed by David Lusk and Chloe his wife.
David and Chloe had the following children . . . maybe:
Eli b. ~1798 d. aft 1870 Wyoming Co WV
m. 1. (1st cousin - d/o Richard jr)
Elizabeth Bailey 23 Nov 1817
2. Nancy Lambert 3. Olly Stanley 4. Nancy Akers
Absalom ~1801 m. (1st cousin - d/o James) Dilly Bailey 23 Nov 1817
Elizabeth b ~1802 m (1st cousin - s/o John) Archibald Bailey 6 Sep 1820
Susanna ~1805 m. (1st cousin - s/o Reuben) William Bailey 11 Nov 1819
Reece T b. 7 Nov 1805 d 4 Oct 1880 m. Elizabeth Morgan
I don’t remember where the birth date came from. Most of David’s descendants say Reece T was b ~1814
Chloe Julietta b~1808
Nancy b ~1806, 1810 m Hiram Pennington (s/o Wm. Pennington & Elizabeth
Wheeler)10 June 1827
John D (John C; Jehu C) b ~1800, 1805, 1812 m Polly Corder 21 October
1819.
William
. . . . and of course, possibly, James McComas b 1796. (Although James was always
known as McComas)
There is general agreement about the first 7 children (and James McComas). William is listed on one chart I have seen, but not on most others. John D Lusk may have been the elusive first son of Samuel and Sarah Bailey Lusk. It is fairly clear that John C and Jehu C are one and the same person - when you look at the 1820 census you can see that the "u" in Jehu could actually have been a sort of open "n" with pointy tops. The question is whether John D and John C are the same. I lean toward thinking they might be, since I have had such a hard time tracing John son of Samuel. BUT I think he is not the son of David and Chloe. [Nor do I think he is the son of Samuel and Sarah - see John Compton Lusk page]
David is on the Wythe County Tax lists (off and on) from 1793-1800. In 1801 he began
appearing on the (newly formed) Tazewell County Tax list (both personal and land tax lists)
1801 Personal property tax - 1m 16+, 4 horses.
1802 Personal property tax - 1m 16+, 4 horses
land tax - 100 acres
1803 Personal property tax - 1 m 16+. 4 horses
1806 Land tax - 120 acres (this was on property he got in 1805)
1814 Land tax - 72 acres Waters Bluestone
(He had gotten a land grant for 100
acres on the Bluestone on 1811 Aug 14)
1820 Personal property tax - - 1m 16+, 6 horses
(He paid personal property tax every year from 1801-1820, except for 1807- the details
for each year are not always included.)
In the 1820 census, David, his sons Eli and Absalom, and the ambiguous John all appear:
1820 Virginia Tazewell
p. 848 Lusk John 000100 011
1 male 16-26 (b. 1794-1804) John b. 1800, 1805
1 f 10-16 (b. 1804-1810) sibling?
1f 16-26 (b. 1794-1804) Polly Corder
Lusk David 100001 03001
1m under 10 (b. 1810-20) Reece T 1814
3 f 10-16 (b. 1804-1810) Elizabeth 1802, Chloe 1808, Nancy 1806
(Susanna m. 1819)
1m over 45 (b. bef 1775) David b. 1773
1f over 45 Chloe b. 1767
(p. 850) Luske Eli 1001 101
1m, 1f under 10 Eli ~1820, Nancy 1818
1m, 1f 16-26 Eli 1798 = 22, Elizabeth 1802 = 18
Lusk Abs 0001 201
2f under 10
1m, 1f 16-26 Absalom 1801, Dilly 1807
(Dilly's birtdate seems impossible - they were married in 1817!)
Sims lists David in Tazewell County with hundred acres on waters of Bluestone and 146 acres on Brush Creek in 1821. These two parcels of land are in what is now Mercer County, West Virginia. (from the angelfire site)
In the 1830 census, Chloe is living with a couple of her children or grandchildren:
1830 Virginia Tazewell p. 206
Lusk, Clark? Cloah? 3001 10001001
3 males, 1 female under 5 - children of Chloe jr?
1 male 15-20 (b. 1810-15) Reece T 1814
1 female 20-30 (b. 1800-10) Chloe jr b. ~1808
1 female 50-60 (b. 1770-80) Chloe b. ~1767
Most researchers believe that David was living with his daughter Susanna and son-in-law
William Bailey in 1830:
1830 Virginia Tazewell p. 195
Bailey William 10000101 (50/60) 22001
1m, 2f under 5
2f 5-10
1f 20-30 Susanna b. ~1800 = 30
1m 30-40 William b. 1798 = 32
1m 50-60 David b. 1773 = 57
In Feb 1833, at the age of abt 60, David Lusk presented to Congress, "... a declaration for a pension, which was sworn to, examined and ordered to be certified according to law..." (this information from Sandy Jessee). He must have died not long afterwards:
In June 1834...VA Land Tax Records: Listed as the "heirs of David Lusk"...now owners of his 101 acres and 25 acres on East River Mountain, in Tazewell Co., VA. (from Sandy Jessee). Another source says it isn't until 1837 that the "heirs of David" are listed. At any rate, he probably died sometime between 1833 and 1837.
But there is more controversy and strangeness surrounding David. I must admit that I have thought of David and Chloe in a romantic way: true lovers, prosecuted by the state, but with the support and understanding of all their kin. And it may have been so. But there is the 1830 census, with them living apart . . . . AND there is another woman who claims David as the father of her children: Jemima Thomas, daughter of John Thomas and Phoebe Blankenship.
The children of Jemima Thomas (and supposedly David Lusk) are:
Virginia "Jane" Thomas B: Abt 1818 in Virginia
Rebecca "Becky" Thomas B: Abt 1833 in Giles County, Virginia
Sarah W. Thomas B: Abt 1835 in Mercer County, Virginia
James Albert Thomas B: 1839 in Mercer County, Virginia
Caroline Thomas B: 22 Mar 1840 in Mercer County, Virginia
It is difficult to see how they could all be David's children, since he died before many of
them were born - although some of the ages are probably incorrect. Jemima Thomas is on
the 1830 census for Giles County, with three young girls, so Becky and Sarah must have
been born before 1830 - which does make it more likely for David to have been their
father. Thomas family researchers, by the way, insist that Jemima had ONLY five children,
and that David fathered them all.
1830 Giles p. 236
Jemima Thomas 0 males 120001
1 f under 5 b. 1825-30 Sarah?
2 f 5-10 b. 1820-25 Virginia Jane 1818; Becky?
1 f 30-40 Jemima
The claim that David is the father of Jemima's 5 children is based on a marriage record (this information came first from Sandy Jessee):
Mercer Co., VA/WV Marriages Book 1.
Sarah Thomas, age 19, born in Giles Co., VA, d/o Jemima Thomas & David Lusk married Green Davis, age 29, born Giles Co., VA, s/o Joshua & Sally Davis on 29 Nov 1854, by Rev. Landon Duncan.
And then I found a couple of books in the library.
Marriages of Mercer County, Virginia (now West Virginia) 1854-1863 [compiled by R. Martin & M. Gills (Bluefield, WV: n.p, 1966)] contained, besides Sarah's marriage (same information as above - except that Sarah was born in Mercer Co.), a marriage for Jemima's son:
Thomas, James A, 22 single b. Mercer, parent Jemima Thomas, farmer m 4 April 1861 (L25, p.8) Ruth J. Davis, 17, b. Giles, parent Mariah DavisMarriages in the New River Valley, Virginia [compiled by Theresa A Fisher (Boise, MD: Heritage Books, 1991)] contained marriages (or at least bonds) for two of Jemima's other children:
Thomas, Rebecca (d/o Jamima) - William Braxton - 29 Oct 1845 - Giles bond
Thomas, Jane (d/o Jamima) - Lindsey Davis - 5 June 1838 - Giles bond
Only Sarah claims David Lusk as a father, for what that means. And, incidentally, the dates of the marriages support the theory that the birth dates for some of the girls are incorrect. Jane, supposedly born 1818, could have been married in 1838 at age 20, but I really find it difficult to imagine Rebecca (supposedly b. 1833) getting married in 1845 at age 12!
(There was a marriage in 1859 for a Caroline Thomas, but she claimed Samuel and Juliette Thomas as parents.)
So. That is what I "know" about David Lusk, brother of Samuel.
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Documentation / Timeline
1793 - Wythe Co Tax list [WL]
1795 Jan 20 - on survey team (recorded in Wythe Co Survey Book 1-154; A12; 137)
1795 Mar 1 - ditto (recorded in Wythe Co Survey Book 1 - 175; A14; 1380)
1795 Wythe County Tax list [WL]
1796 - Petition to form Tazewell Co. [AP; 294]
1796 Wythe Co tax list [WL]
1797 - Petition to form Tazewell Co. [AP; 295]
1797 Wythe Co tax list [WL]
1798 - Petition to form Tazewell Co. [AP; 298]
1799 - Petition to form Tazewell Co. [AP; 299]
1799 Wythe Co tax. list [WL]
1800 September Term - William George v. David Lusk. Pt. Dismissed [ACI-13; 3]
1800 Wythe Co tax list [WL]
1801 Personal property tax - 1m 16+, 4 horses. [TP; 108]
1801 Aug 14 - Commonwealth v. David Lusk. Prest. Deft. pleaded not guilty. (Cont'd)
[ACI-38; 10]
1801 Oct 15 - Commonwealth v. David Lusk and Chloe McComas. Prest. On the motion
of the attorney for the Commonwealth, it is ordered that this suit be dismissed. [ACI-45;
13]
1801 Oct 16 - Joseph Hare, assee. David McComas vs. David Lusk and William
Davidson. Petition. Judgement granted the pltf. against the deft. for $20.00 plus interest
from 25th October 1799 until paid and costs. [ACI-47; 14]
–Same vs. same. Petition. Judgement granted the pltf. against the deft. for $25.00 from
the first of April 1800 till paid and costs. [ACI-47; 14]
1801 Dec 10 - On motion of David Lusk by his attorney an injunction is granted him to
stay all further proceedings on two judgments obtained against him by Joseph Hall, assee of
David McComas, for twenty dollars each until the matter is heard in equity, on his giving
bond in the clerk's office within three days from the present. [ACI-49; 15]
1802 May 13 - Joseph Hurt? ads. David Lusk. Answer filed and notice to disolve
tomorrow. [ACI-61; 19]
1802 May 14 - David Lusk vs. Joseph Hare? Injunction. (cont'd) [ACI-63; 20]
1802 Personal property tax - 1m 16+, 4 horses [TP; 112]; land tax - 100 acres [TL; 116]
1803 Jan 13 - John Crockett vs. David Lusk. Petition. Dismissed at defts. costs.
[ACI-87; 26]
1803 Mar 11 - David Lusk vs. Joseph Hare. Injunction. (cont'd) [ACI-91; 28]
1803 May 11 - David Lusk vs. Joseph Hare. Injn. Chancy. On the motion of the deft. by
his atty. and for reasons appearing to the court, it is ordered that the pltfs. bill be dismissed
and that the deft. recover his costs in that behalf expended. [ACI-98; 30]
1803 July 14 - David Lusk vs. Isaiah Perdue. James Dillon proved one day attendance as
a witness for defendant. [ACI-104; 32]
1803 Aug 11 - David Lusk = Grand juror [ACI-105; 32]
1804 Aug 16 - deed from David Lusk and Chloe, his wife, to John ____. [ACI-145; 44]
–William Davidson vs. Samuel and David Lusk. Case dismissed by pltfs. order & defts.
costs. [ACI-146; 44]
1804 Aug 18 - John Compton vs. Samuel and David Lusk. Case. Dismissed by plfts.
orders at defts. costs. [ACI-152; 46]
1803 Personal property tax - 1 m 16+. 4 horse [TP; 120]
1805 Dec 24 - deed from William Davison and Polly, his wife, to David Lusk. [ACI-206;
62]
1806 Land tax - 120 acres (from Davidson) [TL; 127]
1809 June 28 - deed from David Lusk and Chloe, his wife, to Hugh Tiffany
acknowledged. [ACI-335; 98]
- - Ordered by the Court that the following claimes be allowed and paid out of the present
year's levy: David Lusk for killing one old wolf - - $2.08 [ACI-337; 99]
- - Also, he was on the jury for 2 cases on this date [ACI 336; 98]
1811 Aug 14 - Land Grant- 100 acres on waters of Bluestone [AL62-70; 171]
1814 Land tax - 72 acres Waters Bluestone [TL; 146]
1820 Personal property tax - - 1m 16+, 6 horse [TP; 155]
Taxes - 1801-20 (x except for 1807) [AATP; 274]
1820 census - Virginia, Tazewell, p. 848
Lusk David 100001 03001
Most of the rest of this information comes from the Baily Family Book (ed Netti
Schreiner-Yantis)
1820 Tazewell personal property tax list, David Lusk - 1 tithable (w male 16+) and 6
horses
1824 - Giles Co - Debts due Henry Harmon estate - John Lusk, David Lusk - 30 Nov
1824
1827 Tazewell personal property tax list - David Lusk - 1 tithable, no horses, no property
1830 census - Virginia Tazewell
p. 195 Bailey William 10000101 (50/60) 22001
p. 206 Lusk, Clark? Cloah? 3001 10001001
1831 Chloe on tax list - no tithables, 3 horses
David - 1 tithable, no personal property
1833 David listed as a poll, but no personal property
1833 David applied for pension
1835 - 45 acres sold to William Brawley for taxes owed in 1834
David disappears from the personal property tax lists by 1834, but not from land tax until
1837 when "heirs of David Lusk" own his property. (this from Netti S-Y; Sandy Jessee
says 1834)
1836 - 1838 Chloe in tax records with one horse. next to daughter Chloe jr.
by 1840 Chloe sr disappears
Sources:
A= Archives of the Pioneers of Tazewell County Virginia / transcribed and edited by Netti
Schreiner-Yantis.
CI= Tazewell County Order Book #1 (included in that vol)
-#= page # in County Order Book
;#= page # in "Archives. . ."
Tp= Personal property tax list (included in "Archives...")
Tl= Land tax list (included in "Archives...")
M= Marriages 1800-1820 (included in "Archives...")
L= Land grants 1800-1820 (included in "Archives...")
WI = Tazewell Will Book #1, 1800-1832 (included in "Archives...")
P= Petition(s) to form Tazewell Co (included in "Archives...")
ATL = Annotated tax list (included in "Archives...")
TL = 1815 tax lists of Tazewell County, Virginia. [Transcibed] by Netti Schreiner-Yantis.
Springfield, Va. : [s.n.], c1971.
TM = Tazewell County, Virginia marriages, 1800-1853 / Pauline Haga. Signal Mountain, TN : Mountain Press, [1991?]
WL = Wythe County, Va. tax list, 1793-1800 / by Malita Warden Murphy & James L. Douthat.Signal Mountain, TN : Mountain Press, c1985
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