Samuel STRONG ²

  Research Notes:

At the time Jim Rolff wrote his book on the Southern Strongs, he acknowledged he was just beginning to identify the children of Samuel Strong and Mary Adams and that much of his effort was guesswork. Nonetheless, it still remains the best source of data and guesswork that we have, particularly as to those children who cannot be identified by census records. Fortunately, some additional information has been discovered in the intervening years, which in some cases eliminates the guesswork.

More work, however, is needed on this family, for there remain many unidentified children and many identified individuals who may or may not be children of Samuel and Mary. There is Elizabeth Strong, who is discussed in connection with the 1850 census and in connection with Samuel Strong, Jr. There is Susan B. Strong, who married Levi B. Steel in DeKalb County on 31 Dec 1854. There is Caladonia Ridge, with whom Mary lived in the 1860 census, whom one would think might be a daughter. What is needed is a descendant of this line who is willing to do more research into the records of DeKalb County. ⁵

  Death Notes:

The date of death was provided to Jim Rolff by Tommy Webb, DeKalb County Historian, whose wife descends from Mary "Polly" Strong Pistole, and is based on a letter from A. M. Martin, who lived near the Strong families, dated 4 Feb 1853. This letter, which was published in "Fiddles in the Cumberlands" by Lola McDowell Blankenship (Richard R. Smith, New York, 1943), and appears at pages 29 and 30 thereof, says in part : "The people in this vicinity have suffered greatly [from malaria] this fall. Esq. Strong departed this life this day two weeks ago I believe it was, and Martha Strong died yesterday and Polly Elrod (Polly LaFevers it was before she married) died not long ago. Polly Pistole has been very sick and was confined for a long time, but she at present is on the mend smartly."

  Burial Notes:

The J. Rex Hayes Cemetery was located at the mouth of the Falling Water River off the Caney Fork River. The interred had to be removed in the 1940's due to the construction of the Center Hill Dam on the Caney Fork River and resulting Center Hill Reservoir. Most of the remains from cemeteries that were so affected were relocated to Mt. Holly Cemetery near Smithville.

At the time of removal, all 94 or 95 graves of the J. Rex Hayes Cemetery were listed as unknown. However, based on an 1841 deed, Thomas G. Webb, a DeKalb County historian, whose wife is descended from Mary Strong Pistole, speculates that Samuel Strong and others of his family may have been buried there. The deed is dated Oct 1841 and can be found at Book B:71. In that deed, William Cureton conveys a quarter acre near the mouth of the Falling Water River, "being enclosed as a graveyard", to James Davis, Thomas Leak, Wm Strong, A. L. Davis, Nathan Bozarth, Levi Bozarth, John Warren and Sarah Bozarth. Mr. Webb concluded Wm Strong was the son of Samuel. Mr. Webb then goes on to speculate as to which Strongs who lived and died in the area may have been buried there: Samuel Strong, born about 1775, died 20 Jan 1853; Mary Strong, wife of Samuel, born about 1786, died after 1860; Martha, daughter of Samuel and Mary, born about 1825, died 3 Feb 1853; James M. Pistole, who married Mary P. Strong on 30 Oct 1850, born about 1830, died about 1857; and Elenor, wife of ?? Strong and James Bozarth, born about 1810, died about 1875. [See Death Note for Samuel Strong for apparent source of Mr. Webb's information about the dates of Samuel's and Martha's death.]

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Census: 1820, Smith County, Tennessee. ⁶

Family 1845
Strong, Samuel:
4 males under 10, 1 male 10-16, 1 male 16-18, 1 male 16-26, 1 male over 45;
1 female under 10, 2 females 10-16, 1 female 26-45

[Samuel is presumed to be the male over 45.]

[Note: Although the 1820 census is partially alphabetized, it may still be a good indicator of how close the various Strongs and Scrivners lived to one another.]

2. Census: 1830, White County, Tennessee. ⁷

Samuel Strong:
2 males under 5, 3 males 5-10, 1 male 15-20, 1 male 20-30, 1 male 60-70;
1 female 5-10, 2 females 10-15, 1 female 15-20, 1 female 30-40.

[One would expect to find Samuel listed as 50-60.]

[Samuel apparently moved from Smith County to that part of White County that was north and east of the mouth of Falling Water River on the Caney Fork River, for that is the part of White County that became DeKalb County after 1837.]

3. Court: 1838, DeKalb County, Tennessee. ^{8 9}

Samuel Strong was one of the magistrates who met on 5 Mar 1838 at Bernard Richardson's on Fall Creek and organized the County Court of the newly formed DeKalb County by electing Lemuel Moore as chairman.

4. Deed: 1838, DeKalb County, Tennessee. ¹⁰

Dated 14 Jul 1838, Registered 29 Aug 1838, Bk A:139
Smith McDale to Samuel Strong, $110 for 200 acres on a branch of Dry Creek on the north side of Falling Water, including the improvement known by the name of James (or Janus) Angeles. Signed by Smith McDale and witnessed by James Davis and David Roger (or Coger).

5. Deed: 1840, DeKalb County, Tennessee. ¹⁰

Dated 5 Aug 1840, Registered 19 Aug 1840, Bk A:498
Samuel Strong Sr. to Samuel Strong Jr., both of DeKalb County, $150 for 200 acres granted to Smith McDale, located on a branch of Dry Creek. Signed by Saml Strong. No witnesses. Acknowledged before Clerk of DeKalb County Court by Samuel Strong, grantor, on 5 Aug 1840.

6. Census: 1840, DeKalb County, Tennessee. ¹¹

Samuel Strong:
1 male 5-10, 2 males 10-15, 1 male 20-30, 1 male 40-50;
1 female under 5, 2 females 15-20, 3 females 20-30, 1 female 30-40, 1 female 50-60.

[One would have expected to find Samuel in the 60-70 age range.]

7. Census: 1850, DeKalb County, Tennessee. ¹²

Dwelling 713, Family 713
Samuel Strong, age 75, male, millwright, $400 net worth, born in North Carolina
Mary Strong, age 63, female, born in Virginia, cannot read or write
Nancy Strong, age 43, female, born in Virginia, cannot read or write
William Strong, age 37, male, navigating, born in Virginia
Mary Strong, age 27, female, born in Tennessee, attended school
Martha Strong, age 25, female, born in Tennessee
Henry Strong, age 15, male, farmer, born in Tennessee, attended school
James Strong, age 13, male, farmer, born in Tennessee, attended school
Felix Strong, age 12, male, born in Tennessee, attended school
Laura Strong, age 10, female, born in Tennessee, attended school
Amon Strong, age 7, male, born in Tennessee, attended school
Mary Strong, age 1, female, born in Tennessee, attended School.

[William's first wife, Lucinda Steel, died 10 Sep 1849. He and his five children, James, Felix, Laura, Ammon and May, apparently joined Samuel's household for a time after her death. See listing for William Strong.]

[Some other Strongs lived nearby Samuel. In Family 689 headed by Elender Bozart, age 40, there appears George H. Strong, age 18, and Mary P. Strong, age 17. Also at Family 702 headed by John E. Warren, there appears Elizabeth Strong, age 34. See the Research Note for Samuel Strong, Jr. for more discussion of the possible ways these Strongs may be related.]

Samuel married Mary ADAMS on 15 Nov 1802 in Henry County, Virginia.² (Mary ADAMS was born in 1786-1787 in Virginia,^{12 13} died after 1860 in DeKalb County, Tennessee ^{4 13} and was buried in possibly J. Rex Hayes Cemetery, DeKalb County, Tennessee ⁴.)