John Beattie

d. 1790
Father(?) Beattie
John Beattie|d. 1790|p1965.htm|(?) Beattie||p4319.htm||||||||||||||||
Marriage John Beattie married Ellen Gilmore.1 
  Tradition states that the couple married in Ireland, sailed to America, and lived briefly in Maryland before settling in Virginia.2,3 
Land-Buy28 Aug 1750 On 28 Aug 1750 John purchased 118 acres of land from Benjamin Borden in Rockbridge (then Augusta) County, Virginia. The tract is not identified on maps of Borden's Grant, but John's grandson Madison Beattie noted that his father William was born on Kerr's Creek [which ran through Borden's land]. Other men who lived in the vicinity of Kerr's Creek included John and James Gilmore.4,5 
  John moved the family south into Washington (then Fincastle) County in 1772. Madison Beattie later stated that the Indians were very troublesome at the time, causing the family to fort near what became known as Glade Spring Church. Other accounts (Virginia Historical Inventory) state John first settled in a house near where Ebbing Spring church was later built. A great granddaughter stated that John lived on a branch of 15 Mile Creek in 1781. By 1783 John had acquired a vast tract of land slightly north of these locations.5,3,6 
1772  Gordon Aronhime, in his 1991 article on the homes of the Cummings Petition signers, wrote about John Beattie:

"In the Fall of 1772 he moved with his family from Augusta Co. on Carr's Creek (now Rockbridge) to the great tract that stretched from west of Emory to east of Glade Spring. This was purchased from the family of Mary and James Wood and consisted of 2,900 acres, though only surveyed by Buchanan on 26 March 1750 as 2,193 acres. Buchanan used a "Scotch" pole instead of the standard one, thus cutting down on the acres to be taxed by the owner. John Beatie's homesite is said by descendants to have been at the spring immediately west and very slightly south of the Madison Beatie home on 667 near 609."7 
Land  Soon after acquiring the land John began to sell or gift parcels to other family members, including the following: 209 acres to Francis Beattie (April 1784); 350 acres to Mathew Ryburn [John's son-in-law] for 5 shillings (April 1784); 248 acres to James Dysart [John's son-in-law] (May 1784) for 5 shillings, 473 acres to David Beattie [John's son] (Nov. 1786) for 5 shillings.8,9,10 
Anecdote  Mary Jane Beaty Davis Moffett, writing in her journal about 1870, described the Beaty family..."The Beaty family are Irish descent, a good family of people well respected and good livers, generally, and industrious."11 
Will18 Aug 1790 John wrote his will 18 Aug 1790. In it he left his beloved wife Elinor 100 pounds cash, several farm animals, assorted household furniture and a Negro woman. She was also allowed the dwelling house during her widowhood and was entrusted with the family Bible. Her son William was to care for her and in turn he received the land the family resided on.

Another tract of land, adjoining the lands of Jonas Smith and Francis Beatie was to be sold to discharge other legacies. These included the following: 50 pounds to daughter Agnes, 10 shillings each to granddaughters Ellinor and Martha Gilmore, 20 pounds to son David and 20 pounds to son-in-law David Sawyers.

Any surplus was to be divided among "all his children" who were named as: sons David and William and sons-in-law, David Sawyers, James Logan, James Dysart and Mathew Ryburn.12 
Death1790 John died in the late summer or early fall of 1790.13 
Burial He was buried at Ebbing Spring Cemetery in Washington County, Virginia.14 
Will-RecdSep 1790 His will was recorded in Sep 1790 in Washington County, Virginia.13 
  John's executors were involved in several transactions following his death. In Oct. 1796 they completed the purchase of 132 acres of land John had paid for prior to his death. In Dec. 1796 they sold the same land to Rev. Edward Crawford for 80 pounds. They also sold Rev. Crawford 514 acres of John's original James Woods Survey lands for 280 pounds.15,16 
Court Record15 Nov 1802  However, something went amiss with one of these purchases which resulted in John Beattie's executors suing Rev. Crawford in Augusta Co. Circuit Ct. in late 1802. The bill referenced 200 acres sold by John to his brother Francis Beatty who devised the land to his son-in-law John Steward in 1791 [sic]. To date I have not been able to locate the original files for this case.17 

Research Comment:

The Beattie surname appears in early records as Beatie, Beattie, Batie, Baty, Beaty and Beatty. For consistency's sake I elected to use Beattie although some branches of the family retained the "y" spelling, in particular Beaty; others commonly used Beatie. For many years the spelling was subject to the whim of the clerk recording the name; often more than one variation occurs within the same document. However signatures of two of John's grandchildren (Beattie Ryburn, son of Jane; James Beattie, son of David) have survived. Since they both wrote the name Beattie I have elected to use that as my "standard" spelling.

Related Links and Images:

John's will
John's great granddaughter, Mary Jane B. (Davis) Moffett, left behind a journal in which she recorded a few recollections about the Beattie family. Visit Mary Jane's Journal and in particular read pages 1 and 2
Letter written in 1880 from Madison Beattie to William Lowry (clerk of the Washington Co. court) in answer to questions from the historian Lyman Draper. Madison referenced his grandfather John Beattie and John's sons David, John and William

Family

Ellen Gilmore
Children
Last Edited12 Dec 2011

Citations

  1. [S140] "Ryburn History," compiled by P. Shugart, p. 33. Peggie cites an interview conducted in 1948 with Margaret Breckenridge Ryburn, a great granddaughter of John Beattie and Ellen Gilmore.
  2. [S955] Gordon Aronhime, "The 1772 Cummings Petition - Location of the Homes of the Signers", Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia Bulletin Series II, #16 & 17: 29-31.
  3. [S1199] Victoria Gilliam, "McKinney Home", 1937, digital image, Works Progress Administration of Virginia Historical Inventory, Library of Virginia Online, <<http://www.lva.lib.va.us/>>: viewed 2010. Sources include: Miss Lena Beattie (Glade Spring) and Mrs. Robert Gray (Bristol) who in turn cites the research of Prof. John Kelly of Pennsylvania.
  4. [S330] Lyman Chalkley, Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia Extracted From the Original Court Records of Augusta County 1745-1800, 3:287. This record is abstracted from Augusta Co. Deed Bk 2, p. 801.
  5. [S2180] Letter from M[adison] Beattie, Glade Spring Virginia to Lyman C. Draper, dated Dec. 20, 1880; Draper Manuscript Collection, Series DD (King's Mountain Papers Vol 14-15), compiled by Lyman Draper (1815-1891), item 14DD72. Madison Beattie, son of William Beattie, provided information on David, John and William Beattie.
  6. [S140] "Ryburn History," compiled by P. Shugart, p. 33.
  7. [S955] Gordon Aronhime, "The 1772 Cummings Petition - Location of the Homes of the Signers", Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia Bulletin Series II, #16 & 17: 6.
  8. [S1046] Washington Co., Virginia Deed Book 1: 7.
  9. [S1046] Washington Co., Virginia Deed Book 1: 45.
  10. [S1046] Washington Co., Virginia Deed Book 1: 196.
  11. [S10] "Journal of Mary Jane Beaty (Davis) Moffett", p. 1.
  12. [S957] John Beatie will (recorded Sept 1790), Washington Co., Virginia Will Bk 1: 160. John's will, written 18 Aug. 1790 was recorded at the Sept. court session in 1790.
  13. [S957] John Beatie will (recorded Sept 1790), Washington Co., Virginia Will Bk 1: 160. John's will, written 18 Aug. 1790 was recorded at the Sept. court session in 1790.
  14. [S2666] Letter from Martha Lena Beattie (Glade Spring, Virginia) to Evelyn Beattie, Nov. 26, 1915. Martha's letter included the statement that she had viewed John's grave and tombstone at Ebbing Spring Cemetery.
  15. [S1046] Washington Co., Virginia Deed Book 1: 493. Deed dated 24 Oct. 1796 and recorded 20 Dec. 1796; between Mary Wood devisee of James to Mathew Ryburn and James Dysart, acting executors of John Beattie, dec'd.
  16. [S1046] Washington Co., Virginia Deed Book 1: 494.
  17. [S330] Lyman Chalkley, Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia Extracted From the Original Court Records of Augusta County 1745-1800, 2:90. This abstracted entry references Circuit Ct. Causes OS 53; NS 18.
  18. [S5] Elizabeth Kelly Allison, Early Southwest Virginia Families, p. 102-6.
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