This History was written by Patrick McKenzie, son of Louisa McKenzie, daughter of James Wesley Bailey. She lived to be over 100 years old and this is what she remembered of her grandfather, Zachariah Bailey.
Zachariah Bailey was born in Body Topp, Virginia. That his mother was Miss Mary Bailey. Mary was thought to have been a Hopkins.
Zachariah Bailey was a lost child. Born in 1788, as far as we can figure out he was ten years old in the year of 1798. His mother, Mary Bailey came to their home, (home unknown) in the upper part of the Caorlina's or the southern part of Virginia.
Miss Bailey was riding a horse carrying saddle bags and her smallest son Robert, the oldest son being Zachariah was riding a pack mule. He kept falling off the pack mule so she stopped at this and left him there with the understanding she would be back for him. There were rumors that she was carrying important papers for the army, and that she was on her way to Louisiana, but she never came back or was ever heard from again. Except rumors that she camped in a near by a school house, that the school house was burned down later that night.
Zachariah lived at this place believing that he was bound to the owner until he was 16 years old. Not knowing anything of his mother or his younger brother Robert, except he remembered the saddle bags that his mother was carrying on the horse she was riding. He saw them and recognized them at this place much later when he was older. This man was unkind to him and brought him up like a slave, but he stayed until he grew into manhood.
A neighbor by the name of Mr. Hawkins got sick and sent for Zachariah. This man had been a life long friend to him and was good and kind to Zachariah. So, Zachariah went to see Mr. Hawkins and the man told him he wasn't going to live long, and that he was not bound to the man who had worked him all these years. He told him of his mother leaving him there, and never being heard of again, and that he was a free man, and to leave this man as soon as he could, so Zachariah decided to leave and left the following day.
Zachariah left the man he had been slave to, and walked five or six days in a northerly direction. He could tell he was going north by the tree bark. He stopped at a house for something to eat, this was near Body Topp, Virginia. This was a Mr. Amburm home. The family was kind and good to him. Mr. Amburn offered him a job, which he accepted, and stayed with them. Later Zachariah married Mr. Ambrum's daughter Ester. He lived with her twelve years, and she died leaving no children. They may have had children but none were know of by the family-so any children could have died of whatever killed Ester.
Zachariah Bailey enlisted in the war of 1812 in Grayson County, Virginia, and served from Feb. 8, 1812 to March 3, 1815 as a private in Captain Timothy Dauton Co. Zachariah Bailey and Rachel Glandon were married in Grayson County, Virginia in the year of 1832, June 18th. Rachel Glandon Bailey was born September 20, 1813 and joined the Methodist Church June 10th 1820. Mary Vidito was Grandpa Glandon's mother. Grandmother Bailey's mothers maiden name was Martha Hyatt, Rachel Glandon's daddy's name was Jacob Glandon.
Zachariah and Rachel were residents of Tazewell Co. Virginia. It was stated in 1859 Zachariah was 65 years old. Later this area became McDowell Co. West Virginia, after 1863. At the time the area was Virginia. A list of land grants, by the state of WV in McDowell shows them residents in the year 1844. Zachariah Bailey and Rachel: 133 Acres East Fork of Tug, in the year of 1868.
Cloyd Bailey, oldest son of John Bailey, 290 Acres, Jonacake Branch, in the year 1868. Cloyd Bailey was the oldest son of John Bailey. Grandson of Zachariah and Rachel Bailey.
Zachariah and Rachel Glandon Bailey are buried at Leckie up the hollow where Aunt Luck Evans lived, behind Elsie Miller. It is now called the Franklin Cemetery.Zachariah settled and lived at this place, the headwaters of Tug, Little Creek, Leckie, WV until his death in April 7, 1884. Rachel Glandon Bailey died in the year 1902. They are both buried in theFranklin Cemetery at Leckie, WV, up the hollow from the old Miller home place. They had eleven children: John A. Bailey, Martha, Mary, Patrick, Payton, Zachariah Jr., Aaron, Lovenia, William, James Wesley, and Cosbyanna. A granddaughter was named Lousiana, for the destination where it was believed Zachariah's mother was going. As mentioned earlier this family was in Va, but it became WV after June 20, 1863.
James Wesley Bailey and Arabella Abigail Dillon
Arabella Abigail Dillon had dark eyes, black hair--short, small, rather plump, wore size 3 shoe
b. 2/9/1854 inVA d. 6/1/1954 in WV married April 16, 1875 married at the home of her parents Harvey and Elizabeth Dillon, in Southfork, WV
James Wesley Bailey had curly red hair--blue eyes
b. 10/3/1854 in VA d. 6/1/1954 WV
13 children: All were born at the Headwaters of Tug, Little Creek WV
1. Louisanna Bailey b 1876
2. Rachel Bailey b 1877
3. Elizabeth Bailey b 1878
4. Harvey Bailey b 1880
5. Hazeltine Bailey b 1881
6. Lucy Bailey b 1883
7. Grover Cleveland Bailey b 1887
8. Barbara Ellen Bailey b 1889
9. Meldora Bailey b 1892
10. James Clinton Bailey b 1894
11. Sarah Lovena Bailey b 1896
12. Nathan Asbury Bailey
b. 3/29/1891 d. 7/20/1974 born and died in area of his ancestors James Wesley and Zachariah Bailey, Little Creek, Headwaters of the Tug. He married Laura Marinda Harman b. 8/22/1896 d. 5/09/1959 daughter of a long line of Harman ancestors, who were the among the first settlers in New River, 1749. She was from Shygusty, WV Anderson Harman was her father and Mary Murphy was her mother.
six children:
1. Harry b. 1924 d. 1986 married Mattie Sue Thompson, one daughter Ola Sue
2. Lois b. 1930 married William Robinett four girls, Brenda, Carol, Patricia, and Wilma
3. Nadine b. 1932 married Robert Smith no children
4. Lonnie d. 1994 married Mary Ann Petis three sons, Alvin, Jeffery and James
twins b. June 15, 1934
5. Ronnie married Betty Schmidt who had a child David
6. Blanche Ellen Bailey b. 1927 married June 05. 1945 raised in Little Creek and attended the one room school house that has since been torn down to built the now defunk Leckie Forestry Center. She married James C. Lovelace b. 1905 from Smythe County Virginia. James came to the coal fields to find work in the 1940's. He died April 28, 1985, after living a long life in Leckie.
children: Jane Lovelace b.May 18, 1946 d.April 28, 1971 married Charles Atwell Short, no children
Laura Virginia Lovelace/John Carl Larkin, son of Joe Larkin and Maxine Self Larkin originally from Kimball, WV children:
Regina Marie Larkin
John Carl Larkin Jr.
Email:Laurafor more information or if you want to be included as a researcher.
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