THE FAMILY TREE
I- Thomas (PETTIT) PETTY emigrated from the British
isles to Virginia about 1650. He
married Katharine MORRIS daughter of Major George MORRIS and wife Eleanor of
New Kent Co., Va. They lived in Farnham
Parish, Old Rappahannock Co., Va. and Thomas (PETTIT) PETTY died there in 1663
leaving one daughter, Dorothy PETTY and a son born posthumously in May- 1664
and also named Thomas PETTY.
II- Thomas PETTY born May 1664 in Essex (OLD
RAPPAHANOCK) Co., Va. - died Essex Co., Va. in 1720. He was Capt. of the Colonial Militia, member of the Council of
James City, Va. and in 1714 was sheriff of King and Queen Co., Va. He was married to Rachael WILSON. His will pro. May 17, 1720 mentions wife
Rachael and children: George, Thomas, Benjamin, Mary, Elizabeth and Rachael.
III- His son Thomas PETTY born about 1683- married
Catherine GARTON daughter of John and Martha GARTON in Richmond Co., in
1702. Thomas Petty died 1750-his will
pro. Orange Co., Va. May 24, 1750 mentions children John PETTY, Thomas PETTY,
William PETTY, James PETTY,
Rebecca PETTY, Mary WRIGHT, Martha PETTY and George
PETTY.
IV- John PETTY son of Thomas PETTY and Catherine GARTON married Rebecca SIMS (Daughter of Thomas SIMS and Rebeca HARAALSON- daughter of Paul HARAALSON) Richmond Co., Va. in 1730. He died in 1770- his will pro. Sept. 27, 1770 mentions wife Rebecca and children: Thomas (eldest son), Francis, Abner, George, Luke, Zachariah and John PETTY- daughters: Alzira FORD, Ann RANSDAL, Tabitha EDWARDS, Sarah CORLEY, Rebecca BOSTON, Jemima BOSTON and Susannah HAWKINS. It also mentions grandaughter Ann FORD and son-in-law William RANSDALL to whom he left the family Bible. In a codicil to this will, he mentions death of his eldest son, Thomas PETTY and mentions grandson Reuben PETTY- his son Thomas PETTY's eldest son.
V- Thomas PETTY eldest son of John PETTY and Rebecca
SIMS was born in Va. about 1731- died in North Carolina- will dated Aug. 26,
1766- pro. 1769, Orange Co., North Carolina.
Will mentions wife but not by name, children: Reuben PETTY under age
1766, John PETTY also under age 1766 and Thomas and Martha still young
children.
VI- John PETTY, son of Thomas PETTY, and under age
(I) in 1766. was born about 1756- died in 1837- he was married twice and
perhaps three times- one of his wives was Martha SANDERS. He was a soldier in the American
Revolution. He served from Pittsboro
District, North Carolina. When he died
all but two of his twelve children lived outside the State of North
Carolina. Stephen who lived in North
Carolina administered his estate. The
archives of Chatham Co., North Carolina show that he made petition to be
allowed to sell some property of his father John PETTY, who died intestate. He said that he- the petitioner- and Martha
PETTY his father's widow, with the following named children and grandchildren
were tenants in common---- petitioning that the absent children be notified and
publication to be made in the Raleigh Register- These are the name of the children: James, Thomas, William, Joseph, Ambrose, Tapley PETTY, Jesse
PETTY, Elizabeth wife of Elijah SORRELL, Nancy wife of Henry PICKARD- these grandchildren:
Jesse, James, Elizabeth and William MAINOR the children of Polly PETTY MAINOR,
dec'd. "All of whom reside out of
the state except your petitioner Stephen PETTY, James PETTY and Elizabeth
SORRELL and her husband Elijah."
VII- Thomas PETTY son of John PETTY was born about
1786 in North Carolina- He was married
Feb. 11, 1811 in Wake County, North Carolina to Lydia MAYNARD born about 1795
in North Carolina. They had daughters
Martha Emmaline and Elizabeth born I do not know where or when. They had eight sons- 1-William 2- Atlas
3-Balaam Baldwin 4- Henderson B. (born 1819), 5- Thomas born 1822, 6- John
Tapley born 1827. These six were born in North Carolina- after this Thomas and
Lydia and their children migrated to Tennessee where two more sons were
born. Winship Blacksone PETTY born 1834
and Stephen PETTY born 1838.
VIII- Henderson B. PETTY born in North Carolina in
1819- died March 17, 1901 in Smith County, Tenn. Married Nancy Pryor GRESHAM
born 1821 in Tenn. They had nine children:
Thomas Haskel PETTY, Mary C. PETTY (Died at 14), Marthqa Emmaline
(Patsy) PETTY-wife of Carroll GIBBS, Sarah Elizabeth (Sally) PETTY- wife of
Alonzo Boulton, Andrew Jackson PETTY, William Henderson PETTY, James Pryor
PETTY, Silas Balaam PETTY (born Feb. 28, 1858) and John Tapley PETTY.
Note: Unintentionally omitted from the list of the
heirs of John Petty was the name of Sally PETTY, a daughter. (II)
IX- Silas Balaam PETTY, 5th son of Henderson B. PETTY
and Nancy Pryor GRESHAM,was born Feb. 28, 1858 at Stonewall, Smith Co.,
Tenn. He died Nov. 18, 1939 at
Carthage, Tenn. Where he is buried in
Ridgewood Cemetery. He was married
twice. His first wife was Mary Etta
(Sis) MASSEY, born Nov. 9, 1866 at Carthage, Tenn.- died Aug. 3, 1902. She was the daughter of George Washington
MASSEY and Sarah Katherine BURNETT.
Silas Balaam PETTY and Mary Etta MASSEY had three children: Maude Lee PETTY, Mary Etta (Maymie) PETTY
and Lester Balaam PETTY.
Balaam PETTY's second wife was Leona MATTHEWS born
April 14, 1870 in the Smith Branch Community of Smith Co., Tenn., a daughter of
John (Dock) MATTHEWS and Mary BROWN. Silas Balaam PETTY and Leona MATTHEWS had
two children: Irene PETTY and Lewis Cordell PETTY. Leona MATTHEWS was previously married to Allen GREGORY and they
had one child: Eppie Iola GREGORY.
Obvioulsy this "Family Tree" traces my own
direct line but using the information in these pages, many others can do the
same- simply branching out from the family of John Petty born 1756- died 1837
in Chatham Co., North Carolina- every family in Smith Co.(descended from the
PETTY family) can trace his line- and many more are scattered all over the
United States who can do the same.(III)
Back To PETTYS IN AMERICA Index