THE LOVING FAMILY IN AMERICA by Carl and May Read-INTRODUCTION AND SECTION INFORMATION
INTRODUCTION
The year was 1635 when Thomas Loving (Loveing) came from England to Virginia in
a party of sixty emigrants sponsored by George Mynifee, Esquire. Mynifee was
wealthy and gifted with keen business acumen. He paid to bring these sixty
souls to America, not out of a sense of benevolence, but in order to collect the
headrights, 50 acres for each man or woman he brought to Virginia colony. This
one boatload guaranteed him a patent for 3,000 acres of prime Virginia real
estate.
Thomas Loving, an apt pupil, lost no time in emulating his benefactor. The
scant records about him tend to prove that he was not a wealthy man, for he had
someone else pay his passage to America. Within weeks of his arrival, however,
he married the widow of a former Burgess, Thomas Kingston, and it is likely that
he used her wealth to bring other British subjects to Virginia. Record of his
land patents and those of George Mynifee are seen in Nugent's fine series,
CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS. Thomas did not operate on the scale of George Mynifee,
but he garnered several choice grants of good farm and timberland. It is clear
that he commanded the respect and trust of the leading settlers in James City
County, for he was soon elected to the House of Burgesses for his county and he
was also appointed by the College of William and Mary to serve as Surveyor
General for Virginia. At a later date he was elected High Sheriff for his
county. To hold these positions, he had to have been educated and intelligent.
Some may have regarded him as an opportunist, but nothing has come to light to
disgrace his character. Every man of means who came to America in those early
years was open to opportunity.
Little else is known about Thomas Loving, except that he was an importer and
a merchant. One child was named in his will as sole heir -- Anne Loving.
Thomas died in 1655, just twenty years after his arrival, and his wife seems to
have died before him. The hiatus of 50 years between the death of Thomas and
the birth of John Loving in 1705 has been filled by all manner of conjecture and
legend. Genealogists dislike these ruptures in the family line and they have
tried to fill this gap with "probable" descendants of Thomas who could connect
him and John. No proof stands up, however, for these fanciful histories. It is
not beyond the realm of possibility that Thomas had sons who followed him to
America, but no one has found evidence of this. Our disclaimer is not likely to
put a stop to these legends, however, for legends have a charm that truth can
seldom touch.
A persistent legend about the Loving surname keeps cropping up in our mail time
after time: the Loving family came from the ancient university town of Louvaine,
near Brussels. Not so, according to our research. The truth that fans the
flames of legend is this -- some men named De Louvaine accompanied William the
Conqueror into England in 1066. They were cousins of his and he rewarded them
with generous gifts of land and wealth for their courage and loyalty. They
prospered for generations, but eventually the family of De Louvaine was enticed
into making a pact with the Percy family, which lacked male heirs and was about
to expire. The deal was concluded on these terms: the men would drop the
surname De Louvaine in wedding the eligible Percy females and they would become
rightful heirs to all the Percy lands and wealth, but they would retain their
original coat of arms. Some of these men went on to become Lords of
Northumberland. This may be verified in Burke's PEERAGE and in histories of the
Percy family.
The truth about the Loving surname, as near as can be determined, is that it
stems from an Anglo-Saxon name, Leof, once popular for men. It meant "beloved"
and when it was adopted as a surname in the tenth or eleventh century it was
spelled Leofing, meaning "son of Leof" in the same way that later patronymics
like Johnson is "son of John" or O'Donnell signifies a son of Donnell.
Onomatology, the study of surname origins, is not an exact science, therefore no
single answer is possible in describing the origin of any surname. All language
evolves and changes from one community to another over the generations. A name
is, after all, only a word. Names and words are shaped by the spoken language,
for speech came long before the written and printed word. The American variants
of the name Loving -- Lovern, Lovorn and Lovvorn, are attempts to represent in
writing the way the name was pronounced in Scotch-Irish communities two hundred
years ago. Anyone who has spent a few days in Ireland will recognize that if he
has a keen ear.
No coat of arms exists for the Loving surname, Americans are prone to assume
that every family has a coat of arms in its heritage, but this is not so. Arms
were granted to knights and were displayed on their shields as a means of
identification in the days when almost all the populace were illiterate,
including the nobility. The family that had always been farmers had no need of
a coat of arms any more than a family in the trade of boot-making or basket-
weaving. Arms later became a symbol of royal favor to persons of "quality" who
had performed some outstanding service to the kingdom, but there has never been
a time when every family had a right to a coat of arms. The research into the
Loving lineage in hope of finding a coat of arms was not our doing, however, but
the work of a professional heraldist and genealogist named R. P. Graham-Vivian,
of London. He had been hired by the Rev. Dewey Campbell Loving of Chatham,
Virginia, to look into the matter. Graham-Vivian's reply in August 1961 said
that he had examined the registers of the College of Arms and found no trace of
arms for the Loving surname. He added that the tracing of a family line for
more than a few generations was extremely difficult because -- "in early times
it was rare to find a man or woman who could read or write." The problem of
illiteracy is one few American genealogists understand clearly even today, for
it was a universal problem in the first two hundred years of American history
and it exists even in the twentieth century to some degree.
Lesser legends in the Loving family are these: (1) that the Lovings were
Huguenots; (2) the Lovings were Scotch-Irish; (3) the Lovings came from Wales.
In more than two years of searching records of England, France and colonial
America, no evidence has been found to substantiate any of these legends. Many
Huguenot records are published in book form and these have been searched with
care, but no Loving families were found except an occasional instance when a
Loving male may have married a Huguenot girl. Legends are built on slender
clues like this and the Scotch-Irish legend seems to have grown out of similar
circumstances. The Loving pioneers often settled in predominantly Scotch-Irish
communities. As for Welsh origins, the legend may have developed because a few
branches of the family added an "s" to the name, in Welsh fashion - Lovings,
Lovins, Lovens. Welsh records show no such names in Wales, so these are purely
American aberrations.
One clear fact emerges from all our study: the Loving family has its scalawags
like any other family, but it also has a vast number of decent, hard-working,
honest, loving and caring, patriotic men and women from every profession and
trade. No matter how you choose to spell your name, you can be proud to be a
part of THE LOVING FAMILY IN AMERICA.
Carl & May Read
11 August 1981
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Section A
John Loving or Lovingston of Virginia
The hard facts about John Loving of Lovingston are scant. His place of birth
may have been England, but it is more likely that he was born in Virginia,
possibly in King and Queen County. The year was 1705, a fact generally accepted
by most genealogists. Names of his parents are unknown. A persistent leqend
that he was married to Susanna Lomax, while unproved, continues to make the
rounds and surface in little family histories all over the nation. Proof has
never been found to confirm or deny this tale, A Lomax history (THE LOMAX
FAMILY, by Joseph Lomax of Michigan, pub. 1894) mentions a Susanna Lomax born 11
September 1710 at Port Tobago, daughter of John Lomax. It mentions not even one
Loving in all its entirety. Susanna is said by some to have died of a
congenital heart disease at age thirteen and this ailment appears to have been
hereditary, causing many of the Lomax family to die in youth or early adulthood.
John Loving had three children, Keziah, born about 1737, John, Junior, born
about 1739 and William, born about 1741. These dates will be contested by some
and they are given here only as a rough guide. Some say William was the elder
of the two boys, based on an entry in court records dealing with settlement of
the estate of their father. What is important here is to examine these vague
statistics. If John Loving was born in 1705, he was 32 years old when his first
child, Keziah, was born. It was unusual for a man to wait that long to get
married. The custom was for a man to marry at age 21 or as near that age as he
possibly could, in order to rear a family to help him run his farm. John either
wasted ten good years, or he was married first to a woman who bore him no
children. This unresolved question leaves room to speculate on the Susanna
Lomax story. It is in such a hiatus that all family legends are spawned.
Before proceeding further, it might be wise to pause at this point and discuss
the genealogy of Virginia counties. The researcher will need to know that
Nelson County was not formed until 1807 or 1808, from Amherst County. So it
becomes clear that while John Loving lived and farmed in the area around
Lovingston, Virginia, present seat of Nelson County, that area was really
Amherst County between 1758 and 1807. And prior to 1758, Amherst County was not
in existence, but was part of Albermarle County, which was formed in 1744.
Albemarle, in turn, had been formed from parts of Goochland and Louisa counties.
To scour the court houses for data about John Loving, then, one must search the
records of Louisa, Goochland, Albemarle, and Amherst counties, and it would be
wise to look into records of the adjacent counties as well.
Among the earliest records naming John Loving is a land purchase dated 7 August
1758 in Albemarle County, Virginia, Deed Book 2, page 55. This states that John
Reid sells to John Loving 100 acres for 21 ponds 10 shillings, the land being
located on Verdiman's Thoroghfare adjacent to that of William Wright, Harmer and
King Co. Witnesses to the deed were Matt. Jordan, Sam'l Jordan and John Cobbs.
In August 1761 John Loving is mentioned in Deed Book A, page 10, Amherst County,
as witness to a deed drawn by William Montgomery and wife Jane. In this same
Deed Book, page 49, is found an entry that has baffled researchers for a very
long time. It records a purchase: John Fidler alias Loving and wife, Sarah,
Amherst County, to Valentine Hall of Amherst County, 65 pounds for 2 tracts of
land, 590 acres on both sides of Tye River, 350 acres of which was patented to
Samuel Burks, Jr. on 25 June 1746. (This may have been two tracts, both of 590
acres each.) Small Ivy Island is mentioned and also 240 acres that had been
patented to John Fidler, alias Loving, on 2 June 1760. (See DEEDS OF AMHERST
COUNTY, VIRGINIA 1761-1807 and ALBEMARLE CO VA 1748-1763, now published in book
form.) John signed his papers but Sarah was able only to make her mark.
On 28 August 1764 John Loving leased lands (200 acres) from Lunsford Lomax,
Gentleman of Caroline Conty, Virginia. This plantation in Amherst County
surronded the court house and was commonly called the Nassau Tract, usually
spelled Nassaw Track in old records. The lease was to run from 25 December 1764
for three years. Annual rent was to be 30 ponds and John Loving was obliged to
erect a fence and plant at least 200 peach trees and 100 apple trees. He was
ordered not to employ more than four tithables and to remove only such timber as
was necessary for plantation uses. Lomax retained the right to build on the
property any storehouses necessary for receiving goods and merchandise. Date of
the document was 6 November 1764 and witnesses were Lunsford Lomax, Jr., Ralph
Lomax, Thomas Lomax and Hugh Rose. Obviously, the Loving family was allied to
the Lomax family in business dealings and it is not unreasonable to suspect that
some marital ties also existed.
To go back to that entry calling our subject John Fidler alias Loving, it is not
as sinister as it first sounds. The word "alias" has a criminal connotation
today, but in the language of that period it merely meant "also known as" and
we wonder, of course, why he was known by two names. Some say such entries
indicated a man born out of wedlock and this may very well be true. John could
have been known in his childhood as John Fidler and later he could have chosen
to be known as John Loving, choosing, perhaps, the name of his natural father.
Amherst County Deed Book F carries an entry dated in 1786 which says Thomas
Loving of Powhatan County, Virginia, "is an uncle of William Loving and John
Loving, Junior."
A search for the Fidlers would surely be fruitful in this problem, but time has
not permitted that. One entry in the records of Albemarle County tells us that
James Fidler and John Key were involved in litigation in the year 1746. Fidlers
were among the early settlers, but few records of their family have been found.
An entry in land records says that John Fidler patented land in "Albemarle, (now
Amherst) County" in 1760, Was this our John Loving, or a cousin, uncle or
brother? Or his father?
The little town of Lovingston, Virginia was named for John Loving, who was a
respected citizen and land holder, Legend says the land for the court house was
donated by John Loving and this may be true, but the history of Nelson County
says the court house was already in existence in 1764, when John Loving leased
the lands around the court house from Lunsford Lomax. That does not disprove
the legend, of course, John may have had some land holdings there in addition
to that he leased from Lomax. County records show that court was often held in
the home of Henry Key until the court house was built, but those records
examined by the editors do not mention the donor of the land the court house was
built upon.
A loan arranged between John Loving and Alexander McCaul of Henrico County is
found in Deed Book A, on page 302, Amherst County. McCaul, a factor for George
Kippen and Company of Glasgow, Scotland, merchants, loaned John 189 pounds 10
shillings. As collateral, John Loving put up some of his land holdings: 400
acres in Spotsylvania County, patented to him in 1756; 400 acres in Amherst
County; and 200 acres in Lunenberg (now Halifax) County, which he had acquired
in August 1759. He also gave as collateral four of his slaves. Mention is made
in this entry of an additional tract in Spotsylvania which was not a part of the
collateral offered.
In May 1764 John gave a slave girl to each of his sons. To John he gave Hannah
and to William he gave a girl named Fanny. (See Amherst County Deed Book A,
page 214.)
In 1769 John sold 101 acres of land to his son, William Loving, said land being
located on branches of Rucker's Run in the County of Amherst. (Deed Book B,
page 247, dated 1 May 1769.) The entry reads "John Loving and his wife Sarah"
and again, John signed the papers and Sarah did not. (Illiteracy was the norm
in those days and if anyone was to go to school, it was usually the male
children.) Witnesses to this land transaction were John Loving, Junior, William
Nevill and Wm. Hansbrough. In this one entry are mentioned all of John's
children except Keziah, whose husband, William Hansbrough, is represented. But
Sarah, the wife, remains a mystery. Her maiden name is not known, and we are
not certain she was the mother of Keziah, William and John.
The early court records tell us there was a man named John Loving and that he
had a wife named Sarah and three children. He lived in what is now Nelson
County and he owned considerable land in several counties of Virginia. His
father may have been James Loving of King and Queen County, or he may have been
a man named Fidler. Or was his mother's maiden name Fidler? He seems to have
had a brother, Thomas Loving of Powhatan County. There may have been a sister,
or sister-in-law, Mary Isham Loving of King and Queen County. Amherst County
records say that Mary Loving was sister to John Loving, Senior, but terms like
sister, brother, cousin were often used carelessly by court clerks. Beyond
establishing the time and place of his residence in Virginia, we actually know
very little about the real man, John Loving. What color was his hair? Did he
have blue eyes or brown? Was he tall or short, fat or thin? Was he amiable and
well-liked? It is not likely that anyone can tell us these things about him.
One clear fact has come out of the screenng of old papers and records, and that
is the year of his death. For a long time he was always said to have died in
1769. Ths error, probably written in a lttle family history somewhere, has been
copied without question and accepted as truth, but it now seems clear that John
died in 1785 or 1786. Mrs. Josephine Wasson of Birmingham, Alabama, who has
studied the Loving lineage carefully, says John is recorded in Deed Book D, page
43, Amherst County, 20 January 1773, swearing to pay 17 pounds and 10 shillings
to his son-in-law, William Hansbrough. Witnesses were John Loving, Jr. and
Willam Loving. Will Book #3, page 1, (Amherst County) shows the appointment of
William Loving as Admnistrator of the estate of John Loving, Senior. Custom was
to appoint the eldest son to this duty. The appointment was made in 1786, so it
is reasonable to assume that John Loving was about 80 years old when he died.
Burial was probably in the Lovingston area, but it is doubtful that his grave
can be found today.
Descendants of John's three children, Keziah, John and William, are enumerated
in this first chapter.
A1 Keziah Loving Hansbrough
Keziah Loving, born about 1737, married William Hansbrough in 1754 or 1755.
William had patented lands in Albemarle County in 1760 and in Amherst County in
June 1765. William died in 1779 and Keziah was named Executrix of his estate.
The will was probated in September 1779. Keziah survived her husband by some 31
years. She died in Nelson County on 27 November 1820. According to Miss Helen
H. Patton of Salt Lake City, Utah, and her cousin, Mrs. Ruby Stallings, Keziah
and William had ten children.
A11 William Hansbrough, Jr., m. 5 Nov 1786 Culpeper Co VA, Virginia Sarah
(Sally) Vaughan, b. 1766 Caroline Co VA, d. 23 Mar 1857, Culpeper Co VA, dau of
William and Ginetta (Riddle) Vaughan.
William was a private in the Virginia Militia (First Rifle Co. of Captain
William Fontaine) and fought in the Battle of Great Bridge. He served for two
years and was awarded a bounty land warrant (#2858) for 160 acres in Madison
County, Kentucky. It is likely that he never claimed and registered this land,
for he died in Culpeper Co VA in October 1815. William was also granted a small
pension- claim number was #W3808. William and Sally had 7 or 8 children.
A2 JOHN LOVING, JUNIOR, of Amherst County, Virginia
Young John was born in Goochland County on 4 October 1739, according to a
compilation by Myrtle Bolin McGinnis (1939) found in the Dallas Public Library.
Proof is not provided and this date would not seem to fit into the scheme of
things if we accept the birthdate of William Loving as correct, A page from an
old family Bible, sent to us by Mary Alma Fowler of Colorado Springs, Colorado,
notes that William Loving was born on 14 February 1740. William would have to
have been a very premature child, or else born of a different mother! Both of
these birthdates are suspect. The dates written in the old Bible seem to have
been recorded long after the fact and thus have little validity. Whose Bible it
was is not clear, but it may have been the Bible of Elizabeth (Betsey) Hargrove
Loving, Events covering very long periods of time seem to have been written by
the same hand, signalling that the entries have been put down from memory.
Memory often plays tricks on us.
The little McGinnis account of the Loving Family, in manuscript form and never
published, adds this about John Loving, Jr., - "marched to Williamsburg July
1781, took part in the Seige of York..." John was an officer in the Militia of
Amherst County, first as a Lieutenant, then as a Captain. Amateur historians
tend to scoff at the militia and glorify the Continental Army, looking on the
militia as a homeguard of rag-tag and bob-tail farm hands lacking military
skills and dedication. One has only to read Samuel Eliot Morison's OXFORD
HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE (1965) to get a much more accurate perception of
the military establishment of this new nation in that critical era. The militia
was called up frequently to strengthen the Continental Line and without the
sacrifices made by militia-men, called away from farm and family, our nation
might even now be under British rule.
John married Miss Naomi Seay, daughter of Abraham Seay II, and Naomi Loving of
Powhatan County, in 1761. John and Naomi, who was called Amy, may have been
cousins of some degree, but ancestry of Amy is lacking. Perhaps a reader will
someday come forward with facts about her history.
That John and his brother, William, both held the job of deputy sheriff at one
time or another serves to place them firmly in the middle class of Virginia
society. It was a menial post shunned by the cavaliers and blue-bloods of
Virginia, for the task of enforcing harsh British laws did nothing to enhance
one's popularity, The landed gentry, the Jeffersons, Madisons, Byrds and
Washingtons, served the new nation, of course, but they avoided county offices,
leaving them to yeoman farmers.
John and Amy had eleven children and eight of these reared families and further
information on descendants of these eight children is included in this chapter.
Before moving on to enumerate the families of each, let us look at the will of
John Loving, Junior, (who, naturally, has become John Loving, Sr. by this time):
"I John Loving senior of the County of Amherst and State of Virginia being of
sound mind do give and dispose of all my worldly affairs in manner following..
Item, I lend to my beloved wife Amy Loving during her natural life all my estate
both real & personal, and at her death to be equally divided between my
children, George Loving, John Loving, James Loving, William Loving, Lunsford
Loving, Nancy Loving wife of James Loving, Junior, Scynthy Fortune, Lucinda
Loving, Sally Teas, Molly Woody, and Elizabeth Vaughan..."
The actual division of property is of little interest here, but this will, dated
1804 and probated in September of that year, proves (a) that John Loving,
Jr., died in 1804, and (b) that when his will was written all eleven children
were alive.
Those wishing to copy the will may find it in Will Book #4, Amherst County, page
155. The photo-copy at hand is not complete, so names of witnesses are not
available. John was concerned at the writing of his will that each of his sons
should have a horse and each of his daughters should have a negro girl. He
offered to Lucinda her choice between Milly or Joy.
Amy Loving died about two years after her husband and both are said to be buried
in a little family cemetery near Lovingston, Virginia.
A3 William Loving, son of John Loving of Lovingston
William was born in Goochland County, Virginia in 1740 or 1741. An entry in the
old Bible of Samuel Loving, a son of William, notes that William was born on 14
September 1740, but this entry was made long years after the fact and is,
therefore, not to be trusted. William married on 21 September 1763 in Amherst
County,Virginia, Miss Elizabeth Beverley Hargrove, who was born in 1742 and died
31 May 1808 in Amherst County. It is thought that Elizabeth's mother was a
Beverley, and that her middle name was given her to honor her mother. This was
a common custom of that time and a custom that many still follow even in our own
age. (The Beverley family was among the first in Virginia and the surname is
prominent in Virginia history, as is the surname Hargrove.)
Our subject, William, was a land-owner, farmer, and at one time served as deputy
sheriff of Amherst County. He also attained the rank of Captain in the militia,
serving as commissary (supply) officer for that county. While he seems not to
have engaged in any major conflicts during the Revolution, he stands as a
patriot and hero of that war, serving the new nation to the best of his ability
by procuring much-needed new recruits and foodstuff, horses and feeds for the
fighting forces. It must be remembered that the infant government of these
United States during that war for freedom had no vast resources of cash and
material and only a very tiny military establishment. The militia and the
draftees carried the burden of that war, defeating a much better-trained,
better-clothed, better-fed army.
William and John established their homes in Lovingston, just a half-mile apart,
with John on the north side of town and William on the south. William died on
20 February 1792 in Amherst County, at the age of 52 years. He left thirteen
chlldren, most of whom married and had families. His will, drawn up in June
1791, mentions each of the thirteen, and names his wife as Executrix along with
sons William and John as Executors. (The will may be found in Record of Wills,
Amherst County, pages 215 and following, Book No. Three) His lands went to his
sons -- to William, the land purchased from Dabney Minor; to John, the land
bought from William Bibb; to Joseph, the land purchased of Marble Stone in
Fluvanna County; to Samuel, the land purchased of Charles Stewart and John
DePriest, a tract of 20 acres and one of 136 acres; to son James, "the land and
plantatlon whereon I now live, also all the land I possess adjoining thereto
except (that) given to my son Samuel..." William was not a wealthy man, but he
provided well for all his family.
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Section B
Descendants of Christopher Loving
No less than fifteen Christopher Lovings are found in this book, but they are
not all in this chapter, which is about the Christopher Loving born 30 December
1763. The exact place of birth is not clear, but legend says he was born in
James City County, Virginia. He enlisted to serve as a private in the Army when
he was only fifteen years old. A petition he filed on 8 October 1819 in Nelson
County, Virginia, attests to his service "on the Continental establishment"
after enlisting in the State of South Carolina in 1777. He vowed that he served
in the Company of Captain Linticomb (sic) for three years, in the 6th Regiment.
His petition names the battles in which he fought and the officers under whose
command he served and he swore that he was disabled in the war, having been
severely wounded in the left arm and says that he almost had his left hand cut
off by a sword. The petition tells us that he had eleven children and a living
wife, but he names none of these. He does, however, give the ages of his
children: a son of 19 years; a daughter, 17, three sons of 15, 13 and 11 years;
another daughter nine years old and a son aged seven years. This served to
establish him as father of the children below.
A sworn statement offered in court at a later date establishes that his wife's
name was Judith, This statement was given in Nelson County Court on 17 June
1846, for some obscure reason, possibly linked to settlement of her estate,
according to Mrs. Ruth Bowers of Union City, Indiana. Christopher had married
Judith Seay, a daughter of John and Rebecca (Moore) Seay of Fluvanna County,
Virginia. Judith was born 2 May 1775 in the year the Revolutionary War began
and was only seventeen years old, for her marriage took place on the 22nd day of
November 1792. Her husband was almost twice her age. Christopher may have been
married twice, but no proof of this is at hand.
The pension he applied for was granted and records show that it was paid to him
and even to his estate after his death and was not terminated until 7 June 1837.
Reuben E. McDaniel was administrator of the estate of Christopher Loving and the
youngest child, William, turned twenty one in August 1834, so the reason for the
continued payments is not explained. All of Christopher's children seem to have
married and his widow died less than a year after Christopher's death in
September 1830. Christopher was buried in the graveyard at Big River Meeting
House and his gravestone indicates that he died on the 27th of September 1830.
Judith died 1 February 1831 in Culpeper County, Virginia, probably in the home
of one of her children. She and Christopher lived in Floyd County, Virginia at
the time of Christopher's death.
The parents of Christopher Loving have not been firmly identified. This is a
task left for younger historians to examine and solve.
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Section C
Descendants of Gabriel Loving (1725-1790)
This chapter, enumerating some of the descendants of Gabriel Loving, is the
largest and most complicated one in the book, for in it are found many sub-clans
that adopted variant spellings of the surname. Theories about the origin of
these spellings are legion and, for the sake of brevity, will not be discussed
here. Suffice it to say that this phenomenon is not unique in the Loving
family. Examination of some sixty or more family histories published in recent
years confirms that the spelling of family surnames is seldom uniform. Each
family bears within it a number of clans using odd spellings of the original
name, and it is clear that the leading cause of this is illiteracy. During the
early years of this nation, and after the revolution for about 100 years, a
steady stream of humanity was on the move to new lands in the developing western
regions. Schools were non-existent in new communities and the parents of
schoolage children were seldom able to teach their offspring the most basic
skills of reading and writing. The man who could read and write even with
moderate skill was the exception, not the rule, and to him fell the choice
positions in county courts and federal offices. The recorder of deeds, wills,
marriages and deaths wrote down the names of his clients as best he could,
phonetically copying the way those names were pronounced. The applicant for a
marriage license, unable to spell his name, may have said "John Lovin' from
Morton's Gap." The clerk may have written it down as Lovin, Loven, Lovan, or
even as Lovern if the speaker had grown up in a Scotch-Irish community. All of
these aberrant spellings have become permanent fixtures in the family of Loving
along with some others which incude a terminal "s" to compound the problem.
Keep in mind that a name is a word, and as words become altered by local
pronunciations. The spoken word shapes the written language.
Gabriel Loving probably grew up in that fertile region called the Valley of
Virginia, where many members of the Loving family settled in first years of the
18th century, This area, watered by the south fork of the Shenandoah River, the
James River and the Staunton River, Included parts of Augusta, Frederick,
Botetourt, Berkley, Dunmore, Rockbridge and Rockingham counties. Legend says he
was a son of Thomas Loving of Powhatan County, Virginia, and some circumstantial
evidence will be offered in support of the legend. Legend also fixes his birth
in the year 1725 and his death in 1790. The name of his wife has been sought
for decades without success. The number of his sons and daughters was ten and
their names will be set forth in a later paragraph.
Documents pertaining to Gabriel himself are hard to find and the one most often
passed around among Loving researchers is the land grant record issued by the
State of North Carolina to Gabriel Loving in the vear 1779.
A photocopy of this land grant has been provided by Mr. Raymond Lovan of Fresno,
California, an avid genealogist who has pursued Gabriel and his kin for many
years. The original may be examined in fhe Land Office of North Carolina. It
bears file number 21 and the date "third day of March in third year of our
Independence and in the year of Our Lord One thousand Seven Hundred and seventy
nine." This style was copied from English and European documents which often
carried dates from the beginning of the reign of the ruling monarch.
The land grant was a standard printed form with certain information filled in by
the clerk in pen and ink. The land in question, two hundred and thirty four
acres, was granted to Gabriel Loving..." for and in consideration of the sum of
Fifty Shillings for every hundred acres...paid into our Treasury by Gabriel
Loving." It lay on the North side of the Yadkin River, adjoining land owned by
John Parkes. The paper makes no mention of Gabriel's wife, who may have been
dead by 1779. An order to the State Surveyor requesting a survey of Gabriel's
land "without delay" bears a date of 28 September 1779 and indicates that G.
Loving was at that time living on the land in question. These two documents fix
Gabriel Loving geographically and chronologically in North Carolina in September
1779. He was fifty four years old and all the ten children may have been born
by this time. (The youngest, Milly, was married in 1796. She could have been
born after 1779.)
Legend says that prior to settling in North Carolina, Gabriel had lived in South
Carolina for a time, and that his two daughters Mary and Abigail were born in
South Carolina. No proof can be provided here, but it may have been true. A
similar legend exists in the Bourland family -- that they migrated from Augusta
County, Virginia to South Carolina and then moved north again to North Carolina.
The Bourlands and the Lovings settled near each other in the Yadkin River area
of North Carolina and Mary and Abigail Loving married Bourland brothers, John
and Ebenezer.
Two documentary entries in the records of Amherst County should be examined for
the circumstantial evidence mentioned earlier which tends to link Gabriel to the
mysterious Thomas Loving of Powhatan County, Virginia. The first one, in Deed
Book F, page 84, is a statement appointing John Loving to assist in settling the
estate of Mary Loving "late of King William County" and sister to John Loving of
Amherst County (deceased). It is signed by William Loving, clerk of Court,
Amherst County.
The second entry, also in Deed Book F, page 119, bears the date 31 October 1786,
just 29 days later than the first entry mentioned above. Both have to do with
the settlement of the estate of Mary Loving, and this second entry deals with
Thomas Loving's selling all his rights to any interest he may have in the estate
of Mary Loving "my deceased sister" to William Loving and his heirs for the sum
of twelve shillings. This summarizes what otherwise is a tedious legal
statement of these basic facts.
The substance of these two entries is of little consequence to the historian.
What matters is that the first entry establishes a family connection between
"Old John" Loving of Amherst County and Mary Loving of King William County, and
the second one establishes a family link between Thomas Loving of Powhatan
County and Mary Loving of King William County. It appears, then, that Old John,
Thomas and Mary were children of the same father, whose name never appears
anywhere. That is the first conclusion drawn, but it may be erroneous, for the
first statement also mentions that Mary Loving had a son named Isham Loving, and
this leads one to think that by "sister" the court clerk may have meant "sister-
in-law" -- an error often made in court writings.
Entry number two, dated 31 October 1786, is most important to the story of
Gabriel Loving, for Gabriel is listed as a witness to the statement made by
Thomas Loving, who made his "X" after renouncing his claim to Mary's property.
The entry ends with this statement:
Signed Sealed and Delivered in Presence of:
John Loving
John Loving, Junior
Gabriel Loving
Witnesses for such matters were chosen, carefully and deliberately, from the
family. John Loving and John Loving, Junior, were son and grandson of "Old
John" Loving. Gabriel Loving was, it is logical to assume, a witness on behalf
of his father, Thomas Loving. These were the closest living kin of Mary Loving,
whose estate was being settled. It was a matter of some importance to the
families involved, for Gabriel, living in Wilkes County, North Carolina, would
not make the long journey to Amherst County, Virginia for a trivial matter.
Gabriel was then in his sixty first year and he may have come back to attend the
funeral of Mary, his aunt, and to visit with his father, Thomas. Yet another
clue seems to bear out the link between Gabriel and Thomas -- he named his first
son Thomas. While none of this is legal proof, it serves as a foundation for
the belief that Thomas Loving of Powhatan County was father of Gabriel Loving.
Copies of the two entries discussed here were submitted by Miss Helen Harriet
Patton of Salt Lake City, Utah, along with her reflection that Gabriel "could be
a son of Thomas Loving" and her comment that Mary Loving may have been a sister-
in-law rather than a sister to both John Loving and Thomas Loving. We are
inclined to agree with Miss Patton's logic for we respect her long experience in
Loving history.
The ten children listed below may not have been all the family of Gabriel. He
may have had children we have not discovered yet. These children and their
offspring have been assembled into a coherent "tribe" by May Read after almost
three years of analysis of all the thousands of letters and family sheets
submitted by Loving kinfolks all across the United States. The record is not
100% complete, but it will serve as the basis for future research.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section D
Descendants of Adam Loving (1772-1816)
From the study of early Virginia records four men named Adam Loving have
emerged. These may be called (1) Adam of Caroline County; (2) Adam of Halifax
County; (3) Adam, Jr. of Halifax County; (4) Adam of Georgia. This chapter
deals only with (4) Adam Loving of Georgia. A later chapter dealing with the
two Adam Loving families of Halifax County will offer details that tend to link
the two chapters.
Adam Loving, born about 1772, probably in Virginia, may have been married more
than once, but the only wife named is Lydia, born about 1785 in Georgia
according to census records and a family Bible of their oldest child, Manuel
William Loving. Lydia's maiden name is not known. She died In 1857 in Sabine
County, Texas. She and Adam had five children. Adam could have had children by
a previous marriage, for he seems to have married Lydia about 1802, when he was
30 years old. This is late for a man of that period to marry.
The bulk of this chapter has been compiled by Mrs. Mary Loving Bell of College
Station, Texas, over a period of many years. Her work is careful and as
complete as she could make it. It is a major contribution to Loving genealogy
that will aid researchers for many generations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section E
William Loving of Fluvanna County
To distinguish this William from other William Lovings, he shall be called
William of Fluvanna County, for that is where he died in 1807. His parents have
not yet been found. His year of birth must have been about 1748, judging from
the year of birth of his first child in 1769. His wife was Sally Strong, who
died sometime after 1793. Mr. R. I. Moore of N. Wilkesboro NC indicated in
notes he prepared in 1973 that Sally Strong Loving was still alive in 1812. Mr.
Moore, in a long letter to Mrs. Sara E. Smith of Lincoln, Illinois, offered
proof that William settled in Louisa County, Virginia, in 1776 after purchasing
200 acres of land there. His notes also say that William had four children
under the age of eight years when the Revolution broke out -- a fact which may
have deterred him from joining up to fight the British. William and Sally had
twelve children in all.
The research of Mr. Moore, a professional genealogist, has not been verified by
the editors. His facts and those of members of the family now living are given
to aid further investigations, Much serious research remains to be done in
Louisa, Fluvanna, Caroline and Spotsylvania counties.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section F
William Loving of Bedford County, Virginia
This short chapter outlines a few descendants of William Loving, who died in
Bedford County, VA. His will, filed on the 22nd of Sep 1767, named four
children and his wife, Mary, whose last name was not given.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section G
William Lovern of Floyd County, VA
Mrs. Luella Lowther of Visalia, California,has worked on this branch of the
family for several years and this chapter is largely her work. Readers who find
they are connected to this branch should write to Mrs. Lowther, for she is
preparing a book about William and wife Mary Jane Winfree Lovern. (Address of
Mrs. Lowther will be found in the list of subscribers.) She also publishes a
Loving newsletter which she distributes to all her many cousins.
William A. Lovern (or Loving) was born in Virginia in June 1823. He was, like
almost all Americans of that period, a farmer. He was issued a marriage license
in November in Floyd County, Virginia to marry Mary Jane Winfree, daughter of
Stephen and Elizabeth (Childress) Winfree. Mary Jane was born in June 1829.
Date of her death is not known. William and Mary Jane Lovern had thirteen
children and most of them were born in Floyd County, Virginia. After 1880,
William lived in Greenbriar Co WV.
This branch of the Loving family surely belongs to the "mainstream" of Loving
ancestry, but one or two generations are missing, making positive linking
impossible. The spelling of the name, Lovern, may not have been William's, for
it is likely that he, like almost all his neighbors, was not able to read and
write, Some of his children used the spelling Lovern, others spelled the name
Lovin, and still others used spellings Loving and Loven. Again, this may not
have been their choice, but merely the way county clerks wrote the names down
in official records.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section H
Christopher Loving of Chester County, SC
Christopher Loving, born 1750, died 1790, was a veteran of the Revolution. He
was probably born in Virginia, for he returned to Virginia after the war, but he
entered the service from South Carolina and there he applied for a disability
pension, claiming to have served under General Sumpter in the Sixth Regiment of
South Carolina. He swore that in 1781, while on "furlo", he met with a party
who wounded him, causing him to lose his right hand. The committee which
reviewed his petition decided his claim was valid and his statements were true;
but they denied his pension on the ground that he had returned to Virginia and
was no longer a resident of South Carolina. (The papers relevant to this event
are on file in the South Carolina Archives, Columbia, but they bear no register
number and no specific dates.)
Motivated by the statement of the committee, it seems, Christopher returned to
take up residence in South Carolina. He was paid for 133 days of duty in the
South Carolina Militia in 1780-81. His will was filed in Chester County, SC 25
June 1789 and he died later that year or early in 1790. The will names his
wife, Mary, and all the children except Thomas, who may have died in early
childhood. James Loving seems to have been his favorite son, for he was named
to inherit the farm of 100 acres and his choice of the horses and livestock.
James was only 15 when the will was written and Christopher may have passed on
to him the responsibility of looking after his mother and the younger children.
To "Christopher, my eldest son" he gave only one shilling, and the same to
daughter Frances (Bennett). Me rest of the children were to share equally in
the estate, with wife Mary retaining all his belongings until her death. Mary
Loving was the executor and son James and "my trusty friend Joseph Timms" were
appointed to serve with her in that capacity. (NOTE: the Timms family were
related in some manner, either to Mary Loving or to Christopher, for they named
a son John Timms Loving, and the witnesses to the will were Mary Timms, Susannah
Timms, and Mary Kitchens.)
On 27 August 1790 an inventory of the estate of Christopher Loving was filed in
court. Among the assets listed were 8 head of cattle, a bull, a bay horse, a
black horse, a stud horse, 2 sheep, 34 hogs, a sow and 9 pigs, and two saddles.
He was not a wealthy man, but his estate shows him to have been typical of the
farmers of his era. He was thrifty and kept careful accounts of money owed him
by his neighbors. Among the outstanding debts was noted that Adam Walker had
not repaid the 20 sheets of paper he loaned him!
Christopher's will is found in Will Book A, page 44, apartment 37, package 58,
in the Archives at Columbia SC.
No clear connection is seen between this Christopher and that of the earlier
chapter, even though this one had a son named Christopher. Proof of a link is
not known to exist, but it is possible that some eager historian will one day
find new evidence to clarify the situation.
Some confusion is encountered in the question of Christopher's wife, who was
named by him as Mary. Christopher Loving, Jr. applied to the court of Chester
County, SC, to establish himself as a legal heir to the estate of Christopher
Loving. (See Order Book B, page 33, Minutes of County Court for 1785-1799). A
statement reads: "Christopher Loving, Jr, was proven in open court to be the
only and legal heir of Christopher Loving Senior, who married Sally Beaver, late
of the State of Virginia and County of Lunenburg,.." The statement was
supported by oath of Usley Bond, "who knew the said Christopher Loving, Jr.,
from his childhood upwards.,," and it was recorded for evidence.
Obviously young Christopher was stung by the gift of one shilling and the action
of his father in leaving the farm to a minor child, James, who was only fifteen
years old. It may be that Christopher was the only one of the children who had
passed his 21st birthday, since the court notes that Christopher Jr. was the
"only & legal heir" to the estate. How this dilemma was solved by the courts is
not known. It appears there was a rift in the family relationships that may
have predated the writing of the will. This may have been a divorce and a
second marriage. Frances and Christopher may have been children of the first
marriage, which could explain the token gift of one shilling to each of them,
and the equal sharing of the estate among the other, younger children. But that
is speculation only.
Christopher, Senior's wife may have been named Mary Sarah Beaver. Sally was a
common nickname for Sarah and if she was the second wife, young Christopher may
have referred to her as Sally, while his father had called her Mary. No proof
has been found, of course, that there was a prior marriage. Perhaps Sally
Beaver was the first wife? Perhaps the second wife was Mary Timms? This is
just one more of the many riddles that fascinate Loving historians.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section J
Adam Loving of Halifax County, VA
Though he lived in several places in Virginia during his lifetime, he shall be
dubbed Adam Loving of Halifax County to set him apart from other Adam Lovings.
It seems clear that he had a son named Adam Loving Junior, born in Halifax
County, Virginia on 12 Nov 1751, His wife was Dorothy, whose last name is not
known, and in addition to Adam, Jr., he may have had another son, Thomas, and a
daughter named Edith. Facts about this Adam Loving have been prepared by Mrs.
Helen Mattox Crawford of Hamilton, Mississippi, and Mrs. Leah Foote of
Evansville, Indiana.
A chronology put together by Mrs. Crawford in March 1955 is well worth
inspection and is presented here in brief form:
1732 Spotsylvania County, VA - Adam Loving is witness to a deed, Spotsylvania
County Deed Book B, 1729-1734. (This was published in a book,
SPOTSYLVANIA RECORDS, by William Armstrong Crozier.)
1737 Amelia County, VA - Adam Loving buys 200 acres from Daniel Terry. Deed
Book L. page 75
1740 Amelia County, VA - Adam Loving borrows 20 pounds sterling from Thomas
Dawson, of Henrico County, mortgage to be held by Dawson on the 200 acres
above. This record in Amelia County Deed Book L, page 243 bears date 18
July 1740 and refers to him as "Adam Loving of Goochland County."
1741 Goochland County, VA - Adam Loving sells his 200 acres lying in Amelia
County to Joel Meadows on 19 March 1741
1753 Piedmont area of Virginia - Adam Loving is mentioned in writings of
Moravians who spent the night at his plantation before moving south to
North Carolina
1758 Halifax County, VA - Adam Loving served in military unit during Indian
War. Was paid by Halifax County Militia sum of 2 pounds 5 shillings 9
pence under Virginia's Act For the Defense of the Frontier. (See
Henning's Statutes, Vol VII, page 220)
1768 Pittsylvania County, VA - Adam Loving signs as security bondsman for
marriage of Bramlett-Woodson. (D.A.R. Magazine, Vol LXX, No. 7, Jul
1936.)
1775 to 1783 - Adam Loving served in the Revolutionary War. (See HISTORICAL
REGISTER OF VIRGINIANS IN THE REVOLUTION by John H. Gwathmey, The Dietz
Press, Richmond, VA (1938) page 485.)
1782 Amelia County, VA - an Adam Loving (Lovern) is listed in tax rolls of the
County
Obviously, not all these are one and the same man. The first Adam mentioned in
1732 quite likely would have been at least 21 years old to be a witness to a
deed...thus he was born about 1710 or earlier. He would not be the same man who
fought the British in 1775-1783, but he could be the father of that Adam.
A map of Virginia showing the county boundaries reveals that Caroline and
Spotsylvania counties are contiguous. Goochland and Amelia counties are
separated by Powhatan County, which is adjacent to Henrico County. Halifax,
Lunenburg and Pittsylvania counties lie to the south, near the North Carolina
line. Whether or not one individual named Adam Loving lived in all these places
is impossible to determine at this point without additional evidence. Adam is
another of the myriad puzzles in Loving history. To add to the confusion, a man
named Adam Lavigne of Lavean or Loving also lived in Powhatan County, where he
was granted lands in February 1724. (See Patent Book No. 12, pages 136-137,
State Land Office, Richmond, Virginia.) This Adam Lavigne, Lavean, or Loving is
said to have been a Huguenot, but very little is known of his life and family.
He may have been a Loving who married a Huguenot wife, and his name would
logically be spelled in French fashion by French court clerks.
Adam Loving, birthdate unknown, married Dorothy lnu. According to Leah G. Foote
of Evansville, Indiana, they had at least three children.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section K
John Loving of Mississippi
John Loving, middle initial A or C, was born about 1831 in Mississippi. He
married about 1849 a woman named Easter, last name unknown. The family was
enumerated in the 1850 census of Angelina County, Texas, which showed John as
head of household, age 19 years, born Mississippi; wife Ester (sic) age 17, also
born in Mississippi, and one child, Mary, born 1850, age 3 months. They
appeared again on the 1860 census of Angelina County, with John's age given as
29, Mary's as 27, and they had four children: Mary, William, James and Nancy J.
John's parents are not identified, but he may have been a son of Christopher
Loving of Chapter 8. Proof of this is lacking, however.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section L
William Loving of Burke County, NC
Mrs. Shirley Rogers of Arvada, Colorado, has spent some time on this branch of
the family and has provided the compilations in this chapter with help from a
few others who will be named later.
While proof has never been found of a link to Gabriel Loving of Chapter Three,
the analyses offered by Mrs. Rogers are very convincing. First of all, she
starts off by showing us the Loving presence in North Carolina as early as 1771,
when a William Loven (sic) appeared in a tax list for Surry County. In 1772
William and John Loving were on the tax list and by 1777 Gabriel Loving also
appears, with an inventory of his personal property that included "improvements"
worth 180 (dollars?), three horses worth 110.00, and 10 head of cattle valued at
32.00. (It is interesting to note that Gabriel could claim no cash assets
whatever in 1777, but said he was owed interest of ten dollars.)
Mrs. Rogers has done her research well, for she points to the land entry books
for North Carolina for 1778-1781 to show that William Loving, Gabriel and
Gabriel, Junior, were all landowners in Wilkes County in 1778-1780, with
farmlands along the Yadkin River. Next she shows us that in the state census of
1784-1787 three men of the Loving family were householders of that state:
Arthur Loveings (sic) in Caswell County, with a family of seven plus one black;
Thomas Lovins (sic) in Surry County, with a family of nine white souls; and
Gabrill Lovins (sic) in Wilkes County with a family of seven white females,
three males (under 16 and over 60) plus himself, listed as between 21 and 60.
In keeping with her meticulous search, Mrs. Rogers examines the first federal
census for North Carolina (1790) and lists no less than nine LOVING families:
Isum, Reddick and William Lovin (sic) in Wayne County; Thomas Lovin (sic) in
Stokes County; Wilm Lovin (sic) in Burke County, Morgan District; Frederick
Loving in Pitt County; Presley Loving in Moore County, and Gabriel (Jr) and
Gabriel (Sr) Loving in Wilkes County. The only one of these who had no males in
the household was Isum Lovin of Wayne County. The rest had anywhere from one
son to three.
Space does not allow a more complete version of the research and documentation
of Lovings in North Carolina offered by Mrs. Rogers, but it is clear that the
Lovings of Virginia had made a head start in that southerly migration which got
its biggest push with the close of the Revolution and was to continue for a
hundred years or more as the nation expanded south and west. It is also clear
that many of the Loving descendants chose to remain in North Carolina and the
subject of this chapter was among them.
William B. Loving, Junior is the patriarch of this "clan" and obviously his
father was William Loving, but which one is unclear. William Junior was born
about 1797 in Burke County and he married in that county on 7 May 1827 a young
lady of 20 years of age, Miss Nancy Crisp, born about 1807 in Burke County,
daughter of Joel and Rhonda Crisp. William and Nancy had seven or eight
children. Mr. Gerald Lovin of Overland Missouri says the first child was Annie,
born about 1828, and he may be correct, for Annie was not in the home on the
1850 census, so she could have married before that year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section M
Reddick Lovin of North Carolina
From Mable S. Lovin of Red Springs, North Carolina, comes this chapter about
Reddick Lovin and wife Lucretia (Sanderford?). Reddick may have been born in
Virginia. His father may have been Isum (or Isham) Loving of Virginia, who was
mentioned in Chapter One. The 1790 census of North Carolina shows in Wayne
County two men: Isum Loving (Lovin) and Reddick Lovin, both resident in Newbern
District. Isum had in addition to himself two females in his house. Reddick
had himself and two males under 16 years plus one female, probably his wife.
This identifies Reddick of this chapter as the same one listed in Wayne County,
for family records show he had two boys in 1790 -- Bryant, born 1788 and
Sandford born in February 1790.
Reddick married about 1785 or 1786 Lucretia (Creasy) Sanderford. Her maiden
name has been spelled several ways -- Sandeford, Sandefor, Sandefur-, etc. It
is probable that the name was actually Sandford, for she named her second child
that. Just when Reddick died is not known, but he was probably living in 1830
with his son, Sandford that year in Richmond County, NC. The census showed a
man over 60 in the home of Sandford. Bryant Lovin also lived in Richmond County
in 1830, and the 1810 census of Richmond County showed Reddick to be a resident
of that county. He was not a man to be caught up in the fever to move south and
west after the War of 1812, but was content to live out his days in North
Carolina. A number of his descendants are still to be found there today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section N
William Loving and Susannah Tison
William Loving and Susannah Tison were born in North Carolina and their children
seem to have migrated to Indiana, where Susannah died in 1851. This compilation
has been prepared by Mrs. Ruth Bowers of Union City, Indiana with help from
notes by her late grandmother, Ida Jane Loving Howe. Mrs. Bowers freely offers
these facts with a frank admission that documentation is lacking. This
contribution to the Loving ancestry is none the less valuable for a want of
verification, for here are clues to aid the researcher in further work on the
Loving puzzle.
Parents of this William are not firmly identified, but his father might have
been one of two men found in North Carolina in 1790. In Pitt County was
Frederick Loving with one son under age 16 and two females in his home. In
adjacent Wayne County, NC, was a William Lovin (sic) age over 16, and one male
under 16, and two females. The marriage to Susannah Tison was of short
duration, for Susannah married a man named Perkins before 1815 and had at least
two children by him - Jeremiah in 1815 and Rachel in 1820. The children of
William Loving and Susannah Tison were:
N1 Allen, b. 13 Sep 1801
N2 + Wright, b. 16 Feb 1805, d. 17 Apr 1852, La Porte IN
N3 Silas, b. 15 Jan 1809, d. 3 Jun 1845
It is likely that there were other children not named here. These three were
recalled by Mrs. Bowers' grandmother, Ida Jane Loving Howe, in conversations
that took place about fifty years ago.
William Loving was born 6 Feb 1778 and died 1 Oct 1872 and it appears that he
never married again after Susannah left him. Susannah was born 11 Jun 1778 and
died in La Porte, Indiana on 7 Nov 1851. William and his family appeared on the
1800 census for Pitt County, NC and it is clear that they were not long married,
for he had only himself and wife, plus a female listed as over "45" who could
have been his mother or hers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section P
Arthur Lovins
Arthur is not easily confused with other early LOVING pioneers, for the name
Arthur was seldom seen in early records of the family. Aside from the fact that
nothing is known of his parents, Arthur is fairly well documented. He owned
land in Orange County, North Carolina and the deed is still available, showing
his sale of the land (179 acres) to John M. Rory for the sum of one hundred
twenty pounds. This farmland was situated on the west side of the Haw River,
"on the waters of Neilson's Branch." The deed was witnessed by Heugh Molholan
and John Boison, signed by Arthur Lovins, who consistently appears in other
records as Arthu Lovins, a fact which indicates that he was able to read and
write. Date of this transaction was 6 August 1792. Abner B. Bruce was the
County Clerk and the examiner of the record was John Allison.
Arthur appears to have been born about 1754 in Virginia and he was married in
1774 in Danville, Virginia, to a Miss Marley. (This is a deduction, based on
the fact that Arthur was a witness to the will drawn in 1789 by Adam Marley.
Proof of the name of Arthur's wife has not been recovered.) The date of
Arthur's death has not been determined, but it is said to have been between 1806
and 1815, probably in Orange County, N. Carolina. If he left a will it has not
been found.
This chapter has been the work of Mr. Bill Lovins of Mattoon, Illinois, with
some help from his relatives. Mrs. Winifred Lovins Troutman was admitted to the
DAR on the war record of Arthur Lovins (National number 453281). Her
application, filed in 1957, shows her direct line to Arthur:
1. Winifred Lovins Troutman
2. Jacob Alfred Lovins
3. Benjamin Harrison Lovins
4. James Wesly Lovins
5. Hugh Lovins
6. Arthur Lovins (b. 1754, d. 1815)
Arthur Lovins was called up at least twice to serve in the military forces, for
his name appears on a roster of Captain Lawrence Thompson's Company, which was
mustered on the first day of May 1771 and discharged on the 29th of June 1771.
His Revolutionary War service took place In 1781, for he appears on a roster of
the Tenth Regiment of Col. Abraham Shepard, in a book of Rosters of the
Continental Line (1783) and his date of discharge appears to have been July
1781. (The photocopy at hand is very faint. The DAR application of Mrs.
Troutman indicates that Arthur may have deserted the Army (a not uncommon
occurence) but it also shows that he was paid 37 pounds, 16 shillings "for
undries furnished and cash paid the Militia of North Carolina, Virginia, and
South Carolina, allowed by Auditors of Hillsboro District." This suggests that
while his military service was not acceptable to the DAR, he was approved as a
"patriot of the Revolution" by virtue of his donations to the Militia.
The children of Arthur Lovins, as compiled by Bill Lovins, of Mattoon, IL.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section Q
James Lovin of Amelia Co VA
There is no end, it seems, to the LOVING men named James and William and John.
This James, while he spelled his name LOVIN and LOVEN in papers he signed, has
to be a part of the huge LOVING family that sprang from Virginia. He was born
about 1759, supposedly in Amelia County. Parents are not known. He was married
22 March 1787 in Charlotte Co VA to Frances Priscilla Clements and the marriage
is recorded in Charlotte County with notation that Frances was a daughter of
Benjamin Clements. In this marriage book the groom is listed as James Loving.
James served in the militia with Virginia troops of Colonels Booker and Craddock
for a period of 3 months and 3 days, from October 1780 until latter part of
January 1781. His rank: private. He applied for and was granted a pension for
his wartime service, which took place while he was resident in Amelia County,
Virginia. At time of his application he was living in Hawkins County, TN. His
file shows his last name as LOVEN.
Mrs. Ellen Livesay of Rogersville TN has provided much of the information for
this chapter. Children of James and Frances Priscilla (Clements) Lovin:
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Section R
Joshua Lovin of Kentucky
Joshua, born about 1805 and died about 1870, is yet another mystery in the grand
puzzle of Loving ancestry. His parents have not been identified. He was
married twice -- first to Cynthia Henson on 4 January 1829 in Laurel County, KY.
They had two children. On 13 July 1836 he married Nancy Burdine in Pulaski
County, KY. Nancy presented him with nine children between 1838 and 1860. This
short chapter is the work of Velma Lovins of Rockport, Indiana.
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Section S
Richard Lovern of Amelia County VA
Mrs. Georgia Bohle of Salt Lake City, UT, has prepared this short chapter about
Richard Lovern, who was born about 1715 in Virginia, married and died in Amelia
County, Virginia. His parents and his wife are not known, but he had at least
three children according to Mrs. Bohle. His will, probated in Amelia County 26
November 1767, was written 5 Oct 1763 and was witnessed by William Lovern, who
could have been a brother, uncle or a cousin. Loving families had been in
Amelia County for quite some time prior to the Revolution and the spelling
Lovern was recorded there in 1782, for four men were named in the tax lists:
Adam, Moses, William and Richard Lovern. Adam was living alone, as was Richard.
Moses had "three white souls in his dwelling" and William had a family of five
plus himself. Very little can be found to put flesh on the bones of these four
men today.
Richard Lovern (or Loving?) born about 1715, died about 1767, Had:
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Section T
Edmond Loving of North Carolina
Mrs. Tammy Comer and Mrs. Nina Mae (Loving) Comer of High Point, NC, have
submitted the facts about Edmond Loving, born 1818 in Virginia. Edmond's
parents are not known. He married Elizabeth Watkins, who was born 1820 in
Virginia and they had at least eight children:
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Section U
James Loving of Ohio
James is another of the multitude of Loving males whose parents are not known.
Born in January 1840 in Ohio, according to family legend, he seems to have come
to McLean County, Illinois with his mother and father about 1860. He was a
farmer and a patriot who fought for the Union in the Civil War. He enlisted in
the 16th Illinois Cavalry Volunteers, Company I, on the 15th of December 1862 as
a private. He fought in Virginia and was captured, along with many of his
comrades, and imprisoned at Richmond, but was later transferred to
Andersonville, Georgia, that infamous prison where so many died of maltreatment
and lack of medical attention and proper food. He contracted scurvy and the
well-intentioned ministrations of his fellow prisoners only aggravated the
condition of his legs. He was paroled in December 1864 and returned to
Lexington, Illinois, to his mother's home. He was mustered out of the Union
Army with his company on 19 August 1865. The rigors of war and prison rendered
him physically unable to perform any kind of manual labor. He suffered with
muscular problems the rest of his life and he worked at peddling merchandise
from a wagon and later he ran a boarding house in Higginsville MO. James died
in a National Home for Disabled Soldiers in Leavenworth, Kansas, on March 1912
at age 72 years. He was described in military records as being five feet seven
and a half inches tall, of fair complexion, with light hair and blue eyes.
Sally Loving Tietje of Rockford, Illinois, has provided the story of James and
his descendants, Anyone who may be linked to this family should write to her,
for she is eager to learn more about the parents of this James Loving (1840-
1912).
James m: (1) Isabelle Jones, 11 Apr 1883 in Butler MO, Why he waited so long to
marry is not known, but one assumes that he was depressed by his disabilities
and unsure of his future. Isabelle, born in January 1858, was 18 years his
junior and she may have left him for a younger man. At any rate, James married
(2) 26 Aug 1909 Leavenworth KS Laura F. Holcomb, a woman ten years older than
he. She lived only four months after being married, dying in December 1909.
James had two children by Isabelle Jones:
(
geocities.com/heartland/prairie) (
geocities.com/heartland)