The John Sappington Family 1723

Link to our Lanhams

John Sappington 1723 → Patience Sappington 1760 → she married Thomas Lanham 1757. See The Thomas Lanham Family 1757)

John SAPPINGTON [1] was born on 14 Jul 1723 in , Cecil Co., MD. He died _, in Madison Co., Kentucky.

John was the son of Nathaniel Sapington born abt. 1692, England.  Nathaniel died in Cecil County, Maryland 5 Oct 1735, ,Cecil, Maryland.

John Sappington and wife, Margaret immigrated to Madison County, Kentucky probably about 1785.

The John Sappington went to Madison County at least as early as 1780. [2] John is at George Boones’ Station, near Foxtown ( now Whitehall) some six miles west of Boonesborough, established by Daniel Boone in 1775. This trading station was known as “Trading Hill” 1782, and this area experienced some the worst Indian Warfare in Madison County.

LifeAndTimesOfColDanielBoone
Figure 1. The Book about Daniel Boone

John married Margarett . [1] Margarett was born about 1725. Margarett died in __.

Note
Some people think Margarett’s maiden name was Baxter, but we have not seen source documentation to back that up yet.

They had the following children:

(i.) Daughter, Elizabeth SAPPINGTON b. July 14, 1743 in Maryland. She married John Baxter (Feb 7, 1746-bef Aug. 30, 1783 Virginia)

(ii.) Son, John SAPPINGTON JR. ( sometimes known as Sergeant John) was born on 03 Sep 1750 in , Anne Arundel, Maryland. John married Jemima FOWLER of Prince Georges County, Maryland on 29 Jan 1781. They had 18 children of which all but one lived to adult life. John Jr. died on 10 Sep 1815.

(iii.) Son, James SAPPINGTON was born about 1756 in , Anne Arundel, MD. He died in 1838 in Madison, Kentucky. James married (1) Sarah DURBIN and he married (2) Margaret BROWN.

(iv.) Son, Hartley SAPPINGTON was born on Apr. 27, 1758 in , Anne Arundel, Maryland. He died on 12 May 1850 in Washington, Franklin, Missouri. Hartley married Mary Ann PURCELL on 24 Feb 1789 in , Madison, Kentucky.

(v.) Son, Richard SAPPINGTON was born in Sept 9, 1757 in , Anne Arundel, Maryland. He died on 18 Oct 1811 in St. Louis, Missouri. [3] [4] Richard married Nancy JONES in 1795. Nancy was the daughter of Foster Jones and Mourning Harris Jones.

(vi.) Son, Sylvester SAPPINGTON was born in 1761/64 and died Feb. 25, 1846 in Winchester, Scott, Illinois. [1]

(vii.) Daughter, Patience SAPPINGTON was born about 1760 in Anne Arundel, Maryland. Some of the Sappington’s have the date recorded as 19 Sep 1760. This date has not been confirmed. Even Hartley’s Bible only has her name with not dates. She died about 1836 Madison Co., Kentucky. She married Thomas LANHAM, born 1757. See The Thomas Lanham (1757) Family for details.

Note
This is our line.

Thomas Lanham and John Sappington are both listed on the Historical Markers located at Fort Boonesborough, listing the early settlers and pioneers of Fort Boonesborough, who lived in the Fort or adjacent to it.

On 6 November 1786, John and Margaret Sappington whose daughter, Patience would marry Thomas Lanham, conveyed their land on Harm’s Run, near Wheeling Virginia to John Henderson. This area was referred to as the “Disputed Territory” of Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. John Sappington Jr.(John Sr. son) and wife Jemina had settled this area earlier.[5] Other Sappington boys, James and Hartley most likely were with family at this time.

The following were with John Sappington in the Wheeling area in 1780.

  • Jeptha SAPPINGTON was born in 1762.[1]

Note
We are not sure of the relationship of Jeptha to John. Some think that he is a son, but we have no actual records to prove that Jeptha Sappington is the son of John Sappington (b.1723)
  • Caleb SAPPINGTON was born in 1756.[1]

Note
We are not sure of the relationship of Caleb to John. Some think that he is a son, but we have no actual records to prove that Caleb Sappington is the son of John Sappington (b.1723)

We are not sure when John Sr with or with out his family ventured to the western regions of Pennsylvania and what is now Brooke County, West Virginia.  According to Joshua McQueen ( Draper MMC CC) between 1770 1774, the Wells, Baxters, Browns, Sappingtons and McQueen moved to what is now Brookes County, West Virginia.

We do know on 30 April 1774, a mass murder that attracted news through-out the colonies was conducted at Baker’s Tavern, across the Ohio from the mouth of Yellow Creek, now Hancock County, West Virginia.

The ambush of Chief Logan’s brother, the pregnant sister, nephew and Logan’s wife contributed to the follow on war referred to as the Lord Dunmore War.  The Documentary History of the Dunmore War, 1774 written by R.G. Thwaites and L.P. Kellogg in 1905 discusses the ramifications of the killing and the aftermath results.  This book is also a bit of a compilation of the Draper Manuscripts.

John Sappington was right in the middle of this historic event. Many years later (1801, affidavit) Sappington recorded the events of that day and admitted to having shot Logan’s brother. There is another book:   Ever Home a Fort Every man a Warrior, by Michael Edward Nogay, 2009, that describes the events of that day. Sappington, Daniel Greathouse and a Nathaniel Tomlinson were all involved in the killings.

John did considerable traveling about the frontier including Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. We are not sure when, but John constructs a fortified facility above the Harmon Creek at Weirton, West Virginia and near what is now referred to as Sappington Run. This data has been recorded in Nogay’s book.  The Indians in this area consisted of the Wyandot, Shawnee, Delaware, Mingo.

John was also an early settler of Boonesbourgh, KY and we know for sure he was at George Boone’s Station 1799-80.   

In the book The TENMILE COUNTRY and ITS PIONEER FAMILIES by Howard L. Leckey, 1950, Hartley and John Sappington signed the petition to form a new state.  There are also two other Sappingtons on the petition for establishment of a new state: Caleb and George. These same names show in the Anne Arundel County records in Maryland, but we are not sure which of the Sappington families these boys belong.

Most likely John had constructed his home at Harmon Creek prior to 1799, for we find three of John’s sons serving with Captain Edmund Baxter’s Western Militia Company from Weirton in 1980-81. The Pennsylvania Arches, Fifth Series, Vol. V, pp 681-2, contains the company roster.  This Revolutionary War register is erroneously Labeled” County of Chester” in the PA. Archives.

The roster has John sr. sons as:  Hartley, Sergeant John , and James Sappington.

Thomas Lanham is also among the members of this company in the 7th Class alone with John Jr.

According to records, John Sr. was at George Boones Station in 1780 and departed to return to the Wheeling area to gather his family and return to Boonesbourgh.

Joshua McQueen first married about1783, in Mingo Bottom, Brooke County, WVA, to Margaret Baxter moved to Hoy Station, Kentucky in 1785. When they arrived at Hoy Station, they found and settled alone side the Sappington’s Lanham, Hoy, Crews, Blackwell, Harris and Brown Families. It has been said that the McQueen’s and Sappingtons went into the horse trading business while at Hoy.

The Sappington’s had land at Harmon Creek as early as 1773.  See the map and survey of 400 acres near Sappington Run, Yohogania County (now Brooke County West Virginia), Pennsylvania. This same plot of land was sold on 6 Nov. 1786, page 96 of Ohio County Land Records to a John Henderson for sum of 180 pounds.

John’s son John jr. married to Jemima FOWLER, sold their land on Cross Creek, six mile below John sr.( now Brooke Co. WVA) to Nicholas Davis on 9 Oct 1786 for 250 pounds.  TheOhio County Records in Wheeling, WVA have this sale on page 90 of the Ohio County records.  John is spelled Jon and Jemima is spelled Gemima on the sale record.

Most of the Sappingtons end up alone the Otter Creek in Madison, Kentucky. Where they reside until about 1805.  John Jr takes many of the Sappington Clan to Missouri leaving James Sappington and his family at Otter Creek until his death about 1838.

The Madison County Tax Records of 1788, reflect: Sapinton, James; Sapinton, John; Sapinton, John Jr;  alone with Lanham, Thomas. 

Deposition was taken in the home of John Sappington in Madison County, 27 April 1798, Capt. John Sappington, a justice of the peace and lately a representative for Madison county, concerning desposition of Joshua MCQUEEN. [6]

John jr, his wife Jemima Fowler Sappington and their 18 children alone with other Sappington clan depart for Missouri about 1805.  Amazingly, of John’s 18 kids all but one lived to adult age.

By 1820, only James Sappington and his family remain in Madison County, KY. alone with the Lanhams.


1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File ®, Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998, Family History Library, 35 N West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 USA.
2. Madison’s Early Pioneers, by William Chenault, page 36.
3. Final papers from the St. Louis courthouse.
4. Gravestone
5. L.P.Goodknight, Lanham Pioneers and Patriots, 1962.
6. Page 72, Scotish-Irish Settlement of Virginia, 1745-1800, VOL II by Lynn Chalkey.
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