The Dennis family is known far and wide throughout Montgomery County, North Carolina with descendants aplenty. Due to the large numbers of children that the Dennis’s had, it may be that most people who hail from Montgomery County probably have a Dennis ancestor, or two, or three, or more, in their family tree. Did I say they had large families? It is assumed that every Dennis who has early roots in Montgomery County descends from one of the children of Andrew Dennis.
Andrew Dennis was in Montgomery County when it was still called Anson. In 1779, he signed the petition to form Montgomery from Anson county along with Nathaniel Dennis who may be related to Andrew. I have not found any document that points to a relationship though. Some researchers mistake them for the same man, but they are not. The 1779 date puts both Andrew and Nathaniel being born before 1758.
In 1783/4, Buckner Kimball, a justice of the peace for Montgomery County found Nathaniel Dennis a ‘vagrant’ and without due process of law, ordered Edward Pennington to give Nathaniel 13 lashes on his bare back. Nathaniel responded by taking his case to court in Salisbury, Rowan County, and “prosecuted for the state aforesaid in this behalf” and laid out his case in a 6-page document. The court empaneled a jury who found that Buckner Kimball “unlawfully” and “under the color of his office” “maliciously and oppressively” executed punishment without the due process of law. Buckner Kimball was fined ten pounds and removed from the office of the justice of the peace of Montgomery County for this act, though he may have been reinstated later.
Both Andrew Dennis and Nathaniel Dennis are found on the 1790 Census for Montgomery County. Both are over the age of 16, born before 1774. Nathaniel is shown with six boys under age sixteen while Andrew is shown with six girls, ages not shown. Nathaniel had four girls, ages not shown, and Andrew had one boy under age sixteen, probably Andrew Dennis Jr. who was born about 1780 and would have been around 10 years old in 1790.
Nathaniel had eleven people in his home while Andrew had eight. Very similar households regarding the number of children and their ages, at least those we can compare. So, it is possible that Andrew and Nathaniel are closer in age and may be brothers or cousins.
The 1790 Census for Montgomery has been alphabetized so it is impossible to know who the neighbors were.
The only thing that may distinguish their ages is that Nathaniel was buying land in 1761 in Anson (now Montgomery) County and Andrew is not shown purchasing land until 1779, some 18 years later about the same time he signed the petition to divide Anson County.
What is interesting is the land Nathaniel Dennis purchased in 1761 was on Thickety Creek, current-day Mount Gilead area, some 20 miles from where Andrew Dennis lived on Cedar Creek in the Uwharrie area of Montgomery County. Nathaniel sold his land on Thickety Creek in 1768 to Jacob Shepperd. The 1761 land purchase date pushes Nathaniel’s date of birth before 1740 as he would have been older than 21 years in 1761 to purchase land.
Note: Christopher Christian witnessed the 1768 deed between Nathaniel Dennis and Jacob Shepperd. More on the Christian family in another blog.
Although I can find no other deed where Nathaniel purchased land in Anson or Montgomery counties, I know that he did because in 1796 a survey was done in Montgomery County for John Walker, heir of Robert Walker, for land on the Northeast side of the Pee Dee river on [Dutchman’s] Mill Creek including Nathaniel Dennis's improvement ... joining Richard Bell's land. So, Nathaniel must have, after selling the land on Thickety Creek in 1768, moved to the area of Dutchman’s Mill Creek, current-day area of Uwharrie, which is exactly the area where Andrew Dennis started buying his land in 1779.
On 10 May 1779, Andrew Dennis entered a claim for 150 acres of land on the south side of Island Creek on a branch on the south side of Edward’s line. The survey provides more information that the land was on the Northeast side of the Yadkin River beginning at a corner of John Edwards. Cary Pritchard and John Lightfoot were chain carriers.
On 1 Dec 1779, 4 years into the Revolutionary War, Andrew Dennis entered his claim for another 150 acres of land on the east side of the Uwharrie River on the waters of Cedar Creek, near the mouth, including William Ballard’s improvement. Benjamin Bell and John Bell were chain carriers.
On 6 Sep 1782 Nathaniel Dennis presented his Revolutionary War claim to the auditor’s office of Salisbury District and was allowed 8 pounds and 2 shillings. This claim does not necessarily mean that Nathaniel Dennis served in the Revolutionary War, but most likely, had provided supplies (voluntarily or not) to the cause.
On 15 Jul 1795, Andrew Dennis filed another land entry. John Crump records it in the land entry book as being 50 acres joining Joseph Bell and John Walker on the waters of Cedar Creek. The survey provides some additional information that the land is on Uwharrie River and joins Benjamin Bell who along with Thompson Clement were chain carriers.
On 10 Apr 1800 Andrew entered the last entry for land that I can find. 50 acres on the south side of Cedar Creek joining John Stewart Sen. and Thompson Clement and John Clement and his own line. A. Dennis and Thompson Clement were chain carriers for the 1802 survey.
The Census for 1800 shows Andrew Dennis, age over 45 (born before 1755), his name written between John Medford, who is found with land grants on Cedar Creek, and Moses Oliver, who was a chain carrier for a survey for Stephen Neal on the waters of Barnes Creek. The Census taker looked to have been attempting, in a somewhat disorganized way, to alphabetize the names, but failing at the attempt.
Living in Andrew’s household are 1 male under age 10 (probably James Dennis born about 1798), 2 males ages 10-15 (probably Jesse Dennis and an unknown sibling), 1 female under age 10, 1 female age 10-15 (probably Martha Dennis who later married William Blalock), 2 females ages 16-25, and 1 female age 26-44, presumably Andrew’s wife, Martha.
In 1810, Andrew Dennis was living in Hattom between James Mask and Hardy Morgan. In his household are 1 male, 10-15, 1 male 16-5, 1 female, 16-25, and himself and his wife, both over the age of 45 making them born before 1765.
In 1813, a Newspaper listed lands to be sold in Montgomery county for the taxes due for the years 1809, 10, 11, and 12. Zachariah Morgan lost 100 acres of land lying on the road leading from Fisher’s ferry to Fayetteville and joining Andrew Dennis.
The 1820 Census for Montgomery County is missing, lost, or destroyed but I know Andrew Dennis was still living there around that time because in 1819 a Newspaper advertised that he lost his yellow bay mare. The Newspaper states that he was “living in Montgomery County near Henderson.”
In 1830, Andrew and his wife are living east of the Pee Dee River. Their neighbors are Charles Morgan Sen. and Charles Haltom. Andrew is listed as 90-99 making him born in the 1730s. His wife is listed as 70-79, making her born before 1760.
While none of the children of Nathaniel Dennis are known, nor is his wife, Andrew Dennis’s wife lived past the 1850 Census, and her name is known. Martha Dennis, age 94, born in Virginia about 1756, is living with her son-in-law, David Blalock and daughter, Martha Dennis Blalock in Freemans, Stanly County in 1850.
November 1851 session (of court) for Stanly County orders that David Blalock be allowed $65 for supporting Patsy (a nickname for Martha) Dennis until November 1852. Patsy Dennis’s death date is recorded as Feb. 13, 1852.
The known children of Andrew and Martha ‘Patsy’ Dennis are:
Andrew Dennis Jr. most likely moved to Tennessee
Jesse Dennis married Frances Blalock
Children:
Nancy Dennis Bridges (possibly)
George Dennis
Andrew Dennis
Mary Ann Dennis (possibly)
Henry Dennis
William Dennis
Two unidentified daughters
One unidentified son
Rebecca Dennis married Stephen Hamilton
Children:
Nancy Hamilton
Green Hamilton
Martha Hamilton
James Hamilton
Eli Hamilton
Caroline Hamilton
Mary Hamilton
Allie Hamilton
Nory Hamilton
Martha Dennis married David Blalock
Children:
Willis Blalock
William Blalock
Jane Blalock
Sidney Blalock
Mary Blalock
Anna Blalock
Henry Blalock
Hannah Blalock
Nancy Blalock
Edmond Blalock
Martha Blalock
Rebecca Blalock
Frances Blalock
Riley Blalock
James Dennis married Mary Morgan
Children:
Littleton Dennis
William Dennis
Malinda Dennis
Mark Dennis
Alexander Dennis
Nancy Dennis
John Dennis
George Dennis
James Dennis
Willis Dennis
Note: There
are at least four unidentified daughters, all born before 1790.
