Blann-Watts Genealogy

Welcome to The Linville Family Page, which furnishes historical detail beyond the site index, exploring eleven generations of Linvilles (& Linfields) in the line of Thomas Linvill of  Buxted, England.
 

3. Lois Marie Watts (Linville) -- Mother of Sylvia Marie Watts Blann. Born May 6, 1925, near Lafayette (in either Macon or Trousdale Co.), TN. She died April 23, 1994, and is buried at Martin’s Chapel Cemetery in Robertson Co, TN.  During her childhood, she lived in various communities in Macon County, among them, Willard, Hillsdale, Meadorville and Old Bottom. To better her financial lot and to escape the hardships of life in the hollows of Macon County, she moved to Nashville at the age of 17. She boarded with the family of one of her best friends, Helen Ballou, immediately finding employment at Carter Shoe Factory. The Ballou family had moved several years earlier to the Old Bottom community from Nashville, became friends with the Linvilles, then moved back to Nashville, telling Lois that if she ever wanted to move to Nashville, she could live with them. She married Sylvanus Dorris Watts on June 30, 1946. Their four children are: Sylvia (b. 1953), Taryon (b. 1957), Burton (b. 1962), and Lisa (b. 1964). She worked at Carter Shoe Factory until 1957, when Taryon was born. After that, when living in Nashville, she styled hair in her home until a few months before she died. She moved her family to several army posts with Sylvanus over the years: to Vine Grove, KY (near Fort Knox) October, 1958-February, 1959, Fort Knox, KY, from March, 1963 - June, 1966; Kaiserslautern, Germany, from December, 1966 - February, 1969; and Fort Huachuca, AZ, from June, 1972 - August, 1973. In the times between, they lived in Nashville. She made much of the children’s clothing through the years, and enjoyed cooking, flower gardening, and Country music.  Her parents were Jolly Mitchell Linville and Dora Lee Jones Linville of Macon Co, TN.

 

4. Jolly Mitchell Linville -- Jolly (Jollie) was the father of Lois Marie Linville Watts. Born on February 9, 1904, in Trousdale or Macon County, TN. He married Dora Lee Jones sometime between 1920 and 1923. Like his father, he had a tendency to drink a lot of moonshine whiskey. He was a blacksmith, as were at least two Linville generations back (Tandy and Jasper). He died on January 5, 1973. He and Dora had five children, all girls: Lois Marie (1925-1994), Dixie Pearl (b. 1927), Anna Lee (b. 1932), Bonnie Evelyn (b. 1935), and Doris Ann (b. 1941). A sixth daughter, Virginia Lucille, died as an infant. Jolly's parents were Tandy Patrick and Martha Susan Johns Linville. Jolly showed a certain degree of ESP all his life. He did not hesitate to act upon his intuition. When his daughter Lois' family returned from Germany in February of 1969, he and Dora lived on Town Hollow Road (now Bradford Hollow Road) about a mile from the Lafayette town square. The house had electricity, but neither plumbing nor a telephone. There was no way he could have known when they were going to visit. On the morning of the day Lois and Sylvanus planned to drive to Lafayette to see them after more than two years, he told Dora to fry a couple of chickens and make some dinner, because "Lois and her young 'uns are comin'."

 

5. Tandy Patrick Linville -- Father of Jolly Mitchell Linville, he was born ca. 1863. He married Martha Susan Johns (b. 1869, d. 1954) before 1891. She was considered an excellent cook, and, according to Jolly's daughters, was the decision-maker of the family. Tandy had a tendency to drink moonshine whiskey, but Martha did not allow that habit to dominate their lives. Before she arose each morning, it was Tandy's job to start the cooking and warming fire. They had five known children: Mirdle M. (b. Jan. 1891), Moody T. (b. Apr. 1895), Tandy A. (b. Jan. 1897), Oakley R. (1899-1959), Jolly Mitchell (1904-1973). Tandy was a blacksmith. He was somewhat small in stature, had a moustache and almost always wore a hat. His parents were Jasper and Matilda Linville. (The line from Tandy back to Thomas of PA is recorded in the book, The Linville Family in America, from which most of the following information is obtained.)

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6. Jasper Linville -- Father of Tandy Patrick Linville. Born in 1838/39 in TN. Married Matilda (?). They had seven known children: Cora (b. 1861), Richard C. (b. 1863), Tandy (ca. 1863/4-1957), Zulika (b. Nov. 1869), J. N. (b. ca.1872), William (b. ca. 1874), and Susie (b. 1878). Jasper was a blacksmith. His father was Henry Linville, and his mother's name is uncertain.

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 7. Henry Linville -- Father of Jasper Linville. Born 1784/1790 (1786) in NC, d. 1870/1880 in Macon Co, TN. According to the 1820 and 1830 Smith Co. TN, census, his wife was born between 1790-94. Her name is unknown, but one internet source (without supporting docuemtns) lists it as Louisa, another as Mary Jane Anderson. DNA evidence suggests a relation to the Anderson family with several matches to Jasper's line among Mary Jane's brothers. The evidence from the 1820-30 census records shows a female born in the early 1790s in the household of Henry Linville, who is presumably his first wife. The 1850 census shows Henry with a younger wife (b. 1811-12) named Mary, thought to be Mary Polly Shrum, since that name is given as the mother in the death record of Henry and Mary's daughter, Delilah. Mary Shrum was first married to Richard Gammon (b.1808), who died sometime after last appearing in the 1840 census. Thus it appears that Jasper, born in 1838 is likely the son of Henry's first wife and that Henry Linville and Mary Shrum were married sometime between 1840 and 1850. (DNA evidence suggests that Henry's son, Moses, born in 1840, is the last child of Henry's first wife.) The 1830 census lists ten children for the couple. Henry (b. ca 1786) does not appear in the 1840 TN census. By 1850, Henry is in Macon county. His first wife, the mother of Jasper, appears to have died, and a second wife, Mary (b. 1811-12, TN) is listed. Marriage records show that a Henry Linville married a Margaret Woodson in Franklin Co. TN on Sept, 26,1848 and the 1840 census shows a slightly older Henry Linville in Franklin, TN, age 60-69 (b.1771-1780) with a wife of the same age and a male under 5 who could be Jasper. (This is the only Henry Linville in the 1840 Tennessee census.) Yet a Henry and Margarat Linville appear in the 1850 Franklin, TN census and the couple is listed as age 26, thus the 1850 census clearly indicates that this is a different Henry Linville. Might he be Henry Jr., a son?). Henry is listed on the censuses as fathering eight more children after 1830, making a total of 18 children. Henry’s known children are: Iredell H. (b. 1809/10), Ephraim (b. 1826, TN), William H (b. 1826/7, TN), Brace M. (b. 1829, TN), Jasper M. (b. 1838, TN), Moses (1840-1861 TN), Wilson (b. 1846, TN), Malissa A. (1826-1921), Mary (b. 1848, TN), Nancy ( b. 1848?), Margaret (b. 1850), Delilah (b. 1852), and Aaron Hart (b. 1855, TN). Two other possible sons are John Allen Linville (1813-1889) and a Moses Linville, who is listed as a blacksmith born in 1816 in the 1850 Macon Co. TN census (his wife is named Jonie). There is a 17 year gap between the birth of Iredell and Ephraim and a 10 year gap between Brace and Jasper which suggests possible further marriages and perhaps missing children. Unfortunately the records are far from complete. Henry’s parents were Moses and ?? Linville of Surry, NC.

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8. Moses Linville -- Father of Henry Linville. Born ca. 1754 in Surry Co. NC, d. Surry Co. NC, ca. 1826. Appears to have been married twice, once ca. 1767 to a woman born before 1755 (about 1747) in Rowan Co., NC; second, between 1810/20 to a woman born 1775-94. A number of trees on Ancestry give the name of Moses' wife as Elizabeth Hester (born in 1749 in Bellow's Creek, Forsyth County, NC) but without supporting evidence. However, it appears the couple did name a daughter Elizabeth (1780-1755)--possibly after the mother? (There is a Nov. 13, 1851 marriage between a Moses Linville and Elizabeth Hester in Forsyth, NC., but it is too late to refer to the Moses Linville who died in 1826.) Moses' apparent children, born in Surry Co, NC, are: John, Brace, Thomas, William, Henry (moved to Smith Co., TN), Elizabeth, Margaret, Mary, Moses. Moses’ parents were Thomas and Hannah Linville. (Tax records show two Moses Linvilles in 1779; one in Washington Co., NC/TN--probably Henry’s son--and the other in White Co., TN-- probably the son of Moses’ brother, Richard.)

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9. Thomas Linville -- Father of Moses Linville. Born bet 1706-1708 in Chichester Twp. Chester, PA. He married Hannah (Morgan or Strode/Stroud?) ca. 1730. Hannah was born on February 19, 1713/14 in PA. Thomas and Hannah moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia for a time, and apparently left Virginia after 1747, settling in Dan River, Belews Creek, Granville County (later Rowan, Surry, Stokes and Forsyth Co., NC) There, some of his children became prominent landowners, with others moving to TN and MO. Thomas and Hannah had five known children, Thomas, Jr. (b. ca. 1735, VA, d. probably in White Co, TN, “Old Tom” ), Richard (ca. 1740-1821), David (ca. 1740/42-1786/7), Aaron (ca. 1750-Sept. 1824, NC), Moses (ca. 1754-ca. 1826, Surry Co., NC). (Two other possible children are daughters, Elizabeth and Lucretia, birthdates unknown.)  Thomas’ parents were John and Ann (Hendricks?) Linville. (NOTE: Nancy Ann Linville, daughter of Thomas’s brother, William, married Daniel Boone’s brother, George, in NC)

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10. John Linville -- Father of Thomas Linville (Linvill), he was born May 24, 1677 in Sussex, England. Probably around 1683, he immigrated to the village of Chester in Penn’s Colony  with his mother, Mary (b. August 24, 1653), possibly, his father Richard Linvill (b. ca. 1652 in Fletching Parish, Sussex), and his younger brother, Thomas Linvill (b. December 9, 1679, in Sussex). It is not clear when John’s mother, Mary, was widowed, but she remarried in 1684 to Thomas Baldwin, who raised John and his brother, along with seven more children born to her and Thomas Baldwin. In 1700/01, John bought 58 acres of land from James Swafer in Chichester Township, PA, possibly in preparation for marriage. On May 22, 1704, he sold the land to James Whitaker. Sometime before 1706, John married Ann (Hendricks?). They lived on Conestoga Creek as early as October, 1716, as part of the neighborhood that began the settlement of Conestoga. John Linville was later a signator on the petition to create Lancaster County, PA. During the mid1730’s, John and Ann with their children, William and Thomas, left Pennsylvania for the Shenandoah Valley, along with other families from Conestoga. John and Ann’s known children are Thomas (b. ca. 1706) and William (b. ca. 1710), and possibly, John or Jonathon. There is also possibly a son, Christian (b. ca. 1708), but this could be Thomas’ middle name, and therefore could refer to him, as he does not appear in the census with Christian, but does appear in the next one. John was a “husbandman”, or farmer. His parents were Richard and Mary of Sussex, England.  (Information from John back to Thomas of Sussex is from “A Second Visit With the Linvilles” by Alice Eichholz, Ph.D.)

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11. Richard Linvill -- Born ca. 1652. Son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Wickersham) Linvill.   Richard married Mary (?) (b. August 24, 1653, in Macefield (Maryfield, Maresfield) Parish in Sussex) around 1674. They had two sons, John (b. May 24, 1677 in Sussex, England) and William (b. December 9, in Sussex). Shortly after the birth of these two sons, the family, Presbyterians, left Sussex for William Penn’s Colony in America, evidently because of the threat they felt from Oliver Cromwell. It is not actually clear whether or not Richard made the passage from England, since, by 1684, Mary was a widow, and had remarried to Thomas Baldwin. They had seven more children together. Richard’s and Mary’s land in Fletching Parish, Sussex, was sold to Nicholas Cox ca. 1699.
 

12. Thomas Linvill -- Born ca.1632 or earlier, possibly in Buxted, England. Thomas is possibly the son of Edward and Jane (Page) Linfield of Buxted, who were married in 1616, but this is not certain. According to English records, the names Linfield and Linvill were sometimes used interchangably. Thomas was a yeoman in Fletching Parish, where his will was proved in 1697. He married Elizabeth Wickersham on an unknown date. She was the daughter of Richard and Elizabeth (Evans) Wickersham of Fletching Parish in Sussex County, England.

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13. Edward Linfield (Linvill) -- Born ca.1595 or earlier, Edward Linfield of Buxted, England is a likely candidate to be the father of Thomas Linvill. Edward married Jane Page in 1616. No further ancestry is known in this line.