b. 11 November 1790, d. 3 May 1851
| Birth | 11 Nov 1790 | Beattie Ryburn was born in Virginia, probably on the 11th of November, 1790.3,4,5,6,7 |
| Marriage | Aug 1813 | He married Jane Ryburn, daughter of William Ryburn and Mary (?), in Aug 1813 in Washington County, Virginia, with Rev. James Harper presiding.8 |
| | According to a journal kept by his niece, Beattie and Jane were distantly related.9 |
| Land-Buy | 7 Oct 1813 | Two months after their marriage Beattie and Jane purchased a tract of land on the waters of the middle fork of the Holston River from Beattie's uncle, William Beattie. They paid William $1,296 for the 162 acre parcel which sat immediately to the west of a large tract owned by Beattie's parents. That tract extended to the north and south of the western boundaries of present day Glade Spring, Virginia.10 |
| Tax | 1815 | Two years later the 162 acres, which included a log dwelling house, a log barn and 2 log cabins, was assessed at $1,050.11 |
| Devisee | 22 Feb 1818 | Beattie's father, Mathew Ryburn, wrote his will in February 1818, leaving Beattie the north and western part of the tract of land where Mathew lived [abutting the land Beattie purchased five years earlier]. He also willed Beattie a Negro man named Blake and his bookcase. Beattie's brother, Mathew, received the other half of the property, and the two brothers were appointed executors of their father's will.2,12 |
| Residence | | Beattie and Jane established their home about half a mile northwest of the Glade Spring Depot.13 |
| Court Record | 21 Mar 1821 | On 21 Mar 1821 Beattie and [his brother] Mathew gave a joint deposition in the case of Beaty et al vs Clark et al. This was a chancery suit involving the heirs of David and Mary Beattie [their aunt and uncle]. The depostion was brief; they offered an opinion that the land David Beaty [Beattie] devised to his son David was more valuable than the land left to his son James. Beattie and Mathew stated they had been raised within a mile of the premises and were well acquainted with the land and its improvements. They also stated that on the Sunday before James Beaty started [to Missouri] they walked with him "from meeting" and discussed whether James had "brought suit" [see Beattie's signature below].14 |
| Cens-1830 | 1830 | The official date for the 1830 census was June first. When the census taker recorded the members of Beattie's household as of that date, he found Beattie with 1 male aged 15-19 (representing his son William) and 4 females under the age of 15, including two under the age of five. One adult male slave was also listed. There were no adult women listed in the home, an indication that Jane Ryburn died between the birth of her last child in early March and the official census date of June first.15 |
| Marriage | 11 Nov 1830 | He married second, following Jane's death, Mary Love on 11 Nov 1830 in Washington County.16 |
| Cens-1840 | 1840 | The 1840 Washington County census again enumerated Beattie, and although the members of the household were only listed in age categories, and not named, it is likely that Beattie's eldest son William, who had married in 1837, was living at home along with his wife and infant daughter. The presence of Beattie's other children, as well as his wife Mary, were all inferred by marks in the appropriate age columns on the census, with the exception of an unidentified female, age ten to fifteen. It should be noted that 3 male slaves were also part of the household.17 |
| Land-Sell | 28 Mar 1842 | On 28 Mar 1842 Beattie sold 34 acres off the northwest corner of his property to Robert Edmondson for $120. Robert, who was the son of Beattie's half sister, already owned land bordering the northwest corner of Beattie's tract.18 |
| Land-Buy | 28 Mar 1842 | On the same date Beattie bought nineteen acres from Robert for $136. This was an oddly shaped parcel that bordered the northern edge of the land Beattie inherited from his father.19 |
| | There must have been some mutual benefiit to the exchange of property. |
| Guardian | 28 Sep 1846 | Beattie was named guardian of Francis and Arthur Hutton, orphans of Edward Hutton on 28 Sep 1846. The relationship between Beatie and the boys, if any, has not been established.20 |
| Guardian | 19 Jan 1841 | Five years earlier he had filled the same role for Sarah Ann Davis, daughter of Beattie's widowed sister Jane.21 |
| Cens-1850 | 9 Aug 1850 | The 1850 census was the first one to list the names of everyone living in a household. Beattie and Mary were enumerated, along with Beattie's daughters Martha, Amanda and Sarah. Beattie's two Hutton wards, Arthur and Francis, were also living with them.22 |
| | Not long afterwards, Amanda married Francis Hutton and Sarah married Arthur Hutton. Beatie's son William, as well as his nephew James (oldest son of Beatie's deceased brother Mathew) also lived on adjacent property. |
| Death | 3 May 1851 | Beattie died "on the home place" on 3 May 1851 at age 60.23,24,25 |
| Burial | | He was buried at Old Glade Spring Cemetery in Washington County, Virginia.3 |
| Will | | Beattie left a will, dated 30 April 1851 in which he named his wife Mary, son William M., and daughters Jane Byars, Martha Ann, Amanda C. and Sarah E.B. Ryburn. He also designated "son William M. Ryburn and son-in-law John Byars" as executors. The will was witnessed by R.B. Edmondson, Robert Clark, and James O. Ryburn and was recorded in Washington Co. court on 26 May 1851. However, on Beatie's death William Ryburn and John Byars refused to execute and Robert B. Edmondson was granted a certificate to administer the estate.26 |
| Obituary | | Beattie's obituary, published on a handbill, stated that he died at his residence after a long and painful illness. It described him as a man of few words, but one of great decision of character and firmness of will. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church whose "proper habits and correct demeanor for many years gained for him the highest regard of the community". The obituary also states that he left an affectionate wife and five interesting children, all of whom he lived to see happily married.25 |
| Description | | Years later, J.B. Hutton, Beattie's grandson, added a physical description, stating that Beattie's family were decided blonds, having red hair.13 |
| Probate Recd | 9 May 1871 | Beatie's estate was appraised on June 26, 1851 and a sale conducted the same date. The list of items sold was extensive, covering five pages in the will book. It included a wide array of farm tools, such things as saddles and saddle bags, farm animals, books and a looking glass. Beatie also held notes on several people, including William Byars, William McRyburn, Eleanor Davis, James C. Porterfield, A.D. Hutton and R.B. Edmondson. A significantly larger note was held on his widowed sister, Jane Davis.27 |
| Probate Recd | 25 Oct 1871 | R. B. Edmondson entered a settlement of Beattie's estate which was filed in in Washington County court on 25 Oct 1871. The largest payments were made to George Worley, S.B. Porterfield, John Dunn & Son, Nancy Buchanan, Evadna Stoffle, Peter Clark and James Orr. The court noted that the papers upon which the settlement was based had been for many years in the hands of different court commissioners who had failed to make the settlement and the administrator was therefore allowed $200 for his personal trouble in settling the estate.28 |
