Revolutionary War Years Part 4 • James Short

Our 5th Great Grandfather

James Alexander Short

Born 1755 in the British colony of Virginia

Married 1780 in Rowan County, North Carolina, USA

Married 1796 in Grainger County, Tennessee, USA

Died 1798-1810 in Grainger County, Tennessee, USA

Some say Grandfather James was born in Virginia.. His parents appear to have been born and also died in Bedlington, Northumberland, England. This makes me think that James was also born there.

Northumberland County is on the southern border of Scotland.

Photos of Bedlington's tower (called a pele/peel) and its 17th century gatehouse addition. Grandfather James' family would have been familiar with this building.

Torn down in the 1950s. It was originally the bailiff's residence. The bailiff was first appointed in 1379 and it is possible that the pele, with its dungeons, was built for him.

Since I have already gone down a bit of a rabbit hole, let me also share that Bedlington is also the origin place of the fun loving Bedlington Terrier.

Revolutionary War service

According to the Revolutionary War Rolls of 1775-1783, James Short was a drummer in the Virginia Continental Troops at the age of 22.

The familiar tale of Revolutionary War drummers being young boys was the exception, not the rule.

Marriage and Children

July 11, 1780 James married Elizabeth Moore (single woman) in Rowan, North Carolina.

My guess (NOT documented) is that James and Elizabeth were married until Elizabeth died (also not documented) around 1790-1795. So all of his children would have been through her. They had at least nine children. Our line goes through their daughter Polly (who married Zadock Barnard). After Elizabeth died, James needed a help meet for himself and a caretaker for the children. So. . .

On September 28, 1796 James married Nancy Moses in the newly formed Grainger County, Tennessee.

Land

In 1787, James Short bought 150 acres of land in what was then Green county, south of Poor Valley Creek and north of Holston River. This is north west of Knoxville. In the course of my research I ran across something that led me to believe his land was near Bean's Station. During the frontier years, counties changed often as the settlers moved west. I believe what was part of Green county (NC/TN) then is now in Grainger county, Tennessee. By the time of his death, Grandfather James owned a total of 620 acres.

1845 map

Estate Sale

Colonel James Orr was the administrator for James Short's estate in 1810.

As a major, this same man headed the bloody Nickajack expedition in 1794 against the Chickamauga Cherokee in the "Southwest Territory" (now called Tennessee). I read that Ore was also the proprietor of an entertainment establishment. Could Grandfather James have been so indebted to him as to sign over his property? Just wondering. There is no mention of wife or children getting any of the estate.

The top wage for an agricultural worker in the late 1700s was under $30 a month.

The estate was sold off for $700.

James owned 620 acres of land in Grainger county as of 1799.

My goal in all of the Dead Family Tales is to present stories that would have been told around a kitchen table or campfire during family gatherings.

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