Person Page - 968

     Ivy Townsend was born in March 1891 at Alachua Co., Florida.¹ She was the daughter of Joel Noah Townsend and Sarah Ann Elizabeth Adkins.

     J. Milton Townsend was born in August 1889 at Marlboro Co., South Carolina.¹ He was the son of John F. Townsend and Mary Mittie Dupre.

     Jabez Townsend was born on 15 June 1762 at probably Orange Co., North Carolina.¹ He was the son of Thomas Townsend and Anaphilda Watson. Jabez Townsend married Mary Bailey, daughter of Rev. John Bailey and Priscilla Townsend, on 11 September 1786 at Lincoln Co., Kentucky.¹ Jabez Townsend died on 1 November 1817 at Logan Co., Kentucky, at age 55.¹ He was buried at Jabez Townsend Family Cemetery, Logan Co., Kentucky.¹

     Jabish N. Townsend was born on 18 February 1818 at Marlboro Co., South Carolina. He was the son of Jabish T. Townsend and Elizabeth Spears. Jabish N. Townsend married Ann C. (--?--) circa 1840. He married Hester Ann Townsend, daughter of John Townsend and Kiziah Hays, circa 1853 at Marlboro Co., South Carolina.¹ Jabish N. Townsend died on 10 November 1880 at Marlboro Co., South Carolina, at age 62.² He was buried at Parnassus Methodist Church Cemetery, Marlboro Co., South Carolina.³

     Jabish T. Townsend was born on 11 October 1783 at Marlboro Co., South Carolina.¹ He was the son of Jesse John and Rhoda Townsend. Jabish T. Townsend married Elizabeth Spears, daughter of James Edwin Spears and Lydia Meekins, circa 1806 at South Carolina. Jabish T. Townsend died on 5 April 1846 at Marlboro Co., South Carolina, at age 62.¹ He was buried at Mossy Bay Cemetery, Marlboro Co., South Carolina.¹
     
Biography of Jabish T. Townsend:

"He was a farmer, uneducated, very energetic, and by hard work and economy accumulated what was considered a fortune in his day. My paternal grandfather and grandmother unfortunately lived apart in their latter days. Incompatibility of temper and the intemperate habits of my grandfather led to this separation." [From the Autobiographty of Charles Pinkney Townsend]²

     Jack was born on 11 September 1930 at Lafayette Co., Florida.¹ He was the son of Alford Townsend and Hattie Louise Wilson. Jack died in September 1979 at Gilchrist Co., Florida.

     James Townsend was born circa 1763 at probably Orange Co., North Carolina. He was the son of John Townsend and Cortney (--?--). James Townsend married Frances (--?--).
     
Biography of James Townsend:

We have concluded in our biography of John Townsend (1740-1786) that James Townsend (1763- ) is the son of John Townsend (1740-1786).

The earliest mention of James Townsend is his name being in a Marlboro County South Carolina lease dated 6 April 1786 for land “on the NE side of great peedee river…joining on the NE land of William Allston and James Townsing”.¹ The William Allston land is possibly the 100 acres of land, Light Townsend (1745-1817) sold to William Allston in 1780 that was the original 100 acres granted Benedictus Townsend in 1764. The next mention of James is on an 8 April 1797 deed wherein Mathew Murphy sells to James Townsend for 40 pounds sterling, 200 acres on the NE side of the Pee Dee River.² Another deed dated 31 August 1798 shows that James Townsend sold 150 acres of the 200 acres he had acquired a year earlier from Mathew Murphy to Maurice Stapleton.² We estimate that James was likely born before 1765 based on his being at least 21 in order to own land in 1786. We thus place his birth year at circa 1763.

A James Townsend appears in three other deeds in Marlboro County as follows:
Deed 1: On 27 July 1814, Thomas Townsend sells James Townsend 50 acres.³
Deed 2: On 15 August 1815 John Townsend sells James Townsend 188 acres.⁴
Deed 3: On 1 January 1816, Robert Hays sell James Townsend 10 acres.⁵ We believe these are deeds involving James Townsend (1794 -1825), son of John Townsend (1760-1843) not the James Townsend of this biography. There were no further records concerning James Townsend of this biography found in Marlboro County, South Carolina and his name does not appear on any census records there.

We next find James Townsend of this biography receiving a land grant in Liberty County, Georgia in 1806.⁶ The number of acres of the grant is not indicated in the Index we obtained this information from. At the same time, Light Townsend received two 200 acre grants in Liberty County ⁶. This is Light Townsend (1770-1851) who served in the War of 1812, is found in the 1820 Liberty County Georgia Census and who moved into Jefferson County Florida in 1828.⁷ We believe that James removed from Marlboro County with his brother Light about 1806 to take up his land grants in Georgia. As will later be shown, all of James's sons all claim to have been born in Georgia as early as 1804 and 1806, so we believe that is the time James moved to Georgia.

The next record is Mrs. Frances Townsend with 5 young males and 2 young females found enumerated in the 1820 census of McIntosh County, Georgia. (McIntosh County is adjacent to Liberty County and we believe that the James Townsend family moved into McIntosh County from Liberty County before 1820). Thomas Townsend (1765-1828) and family is also enumerated in the same census. It is likely that Thomas Townsend and family moved from Marlboro County, Georgia to McIntosh County, Georgia between 1815 and 1820⁸ and likely lived near his close relative, James.

The 1821 Georgia Land Lottery shows that Elford, Josiah, Mary, L. Ansel, and Francis Townsend, all orphans of McIntosh County, as well as Frances Townsend, widow, won land in Henry County, Georgia. They apparently did not take up that land as in 1821, Frances Townsend was granted 400 acres of land in McIntosh County, Georgia.⁶

We next find Josiah Townsend and William Townsend families in the 1830 and 1840 censuses of McIntosh County, Georgia. We also find where Elijah Townsend received three grants of land totaling 600 acres in McIntosh County in 1834, 1835 and 1836 and William R. Townsend received two grants of 150 acres in 1839 and 1840. ⁶

We then find an Elijah Townsend (1804) family, William Riley Townsend (1806) family, a Josiah Elford Townsend (1813) family in the 1850 Census of McIntosh County Florida. .

We believe these three Townsend's are the children of James Townsend of this biography. Our basis for that is:

1. These are the only Townsend’s in McIntosh County between 1820 and 1850.

2. We believe the names of these three Townsend children closely match the names of the orphan children listed as receiving land in the 1821 Georgia Land Lottery and are certain that they are the children of Frances Townsend.

3. Biographies published in 1911 about William Columbus Townsend and James Walter Townsend, sons of Elijah Townsend refer to a James Townsend as being the father of Elijah and coming into Georgia in the very early 1800's.

4. Each of these three Townsend children, without exception named their first-born son, James. Clearly suggesting that there father was named James.

5. James Townsend appears to have left Marlboro County, South Carolina about the time he appears in McIntosh or Liberty County, Georgia.

     James Townsend was born on 22 December 1820 at Marlboro Co., South Carolina. He was the son of Jabish T. Townsend and Elizabeth Spears. James Townsend died on 14 August 1841 at Marlboro Co., South Carolina, at age 20.¹ He was buried at Mossy Bay Cemetery, Marlboro Co., South Carolina.¹
     
Biography of James Townsend:

James never married.

     James Townsend was born circa 1853 at Jacksonville, Duval Co., Florida.¹ He was the son of Josiah Elford Townsend and Sarah Oliver.

     James Townsend was born circa 1808 at Warren Co., Kentucky. He was the son of Light Townsend and Elizabeth "Betsy" Long. James Townsend married Catharine Ann Parrish on 7 June 1831 at Edmonson Co., Kentucky. James Townsend died in 1889 at Edmonson Co., Kentucky.
     
Biography of James Townsend:

The following biography is from Howard Bowers Light Townsend of Kentucky.¹ Reproduced below with permission:

James Townsen household, 1840 U.S. census, Edmonson Co., Kentucky, M704, Roll 189, p 78:
1, male, 30-40 years of age
1, female, 20-30
2, f, 30-40
1, f, 60-70

1850 U.S. census, Edmonson Co., Kentucky, M432, Roll 198, p 16:
James Townsend, age 42, male, farmer, $150 real estate, b. Kentucky
Catharine, 32, female, Kentucky
Elizabeth, 87, f, North Carolina
Elizabeth, 49, f, Kentucky

1870 U.S. census, Precinct 1, Edmonson Co., Kentucky, M593, Roll 459, p 26:
James Townsen, age 62, male, farmer, $1900 real estate, $1000 personal estate, b. Kentucky
Catherine A., 56, female, housewife, Kentucky
Elizabeth, 68, f, housewifing [sic], Kentucky
William L., 56, m, farm labor, Kentucky
Note: Elizabeth is a sister of James Townsen.
Note: William L. is probably William Long, probably a cousin of James Townsen.

1880 U.S. census Edmonson Co., Kentucky, T9, Roll 411, p 529A:
James Towson, age 72, male, single, farmer, b. Kentucky, father b. Pencelvana, mother b. N. Carolina
Catharine A., 65, female, single, wife, keeping house, Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina
William Long, 65, m, works on farm, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia
Note: Both James and Catharine are shown in the census record as "single" and Catharine is shown as "wife".

His will dated 11 Sep 1886, names his sisters Elizabeth Townsend and Nancy Dunn and Jefferson Kinser and wife Martha Kinser, and requires John E. Spillman to support "my kinsman William Long", proved Sep 1859 term of court, Edmonson Co., Kentucky, Will Book 2:70. Note: The will does not name his wife, Catharine.¹