Lockhart Family

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The Lockhart Family of Hampshire County, (W)VA and Wirt County, WV 


European family names came into being around the 12th century as population increased. A family's surname could come from a man's occupation such as Miller, a physical characteristic such as Short, a combination of father's first name and relationship such as John�s son, or a location. The name Lockhart originated in Scotland and was originally spelled Lockard. "Loch" was Lake and "Ard" meant High, and there is a Loch Ard in the Stirling District of Scotland. Between 1607-1697. More than 100,000 Scottish Protestants migrated to Ulster in Northern Ireland, but by 1717, conditions had reached such a point that many Ulster Protestants began a new migration; this time to the American Colonies. It is estimated that more than a quarter million Scotch-Irish immigrated to America between the years 1717 and 1775. Most arrived in ports near Philadelphia.

There were several Lockhart marriages in Philadelphia in the early 1700's, with some of those families settling in nearby Pennsylvania counties.  By 1750, there are Lockharts in Augusta County, Virginia, who are believed to have connections back to Pennsylvania and Northern Ireland.  

Family Tree y-DNA test shows a 100% match on 67 markers between two living Lockhart men.  Family Tree DNA statistics show there is a 95% probability that their common ancestor could be within 6 generations.  Ancestry DNA testing has also shown my connection to both men.  We all have documented Lockhart ancestors who were in Hampshire County Virginia in the 1760's:  John Lockhart Jr (1766 - 1832) and Andrew Lockhart Jr (1735-1815).  Descendants of these men are documented, and based on statistics and research their common ancestor should be an Andrew Lockhart Sr who was born around 1710, probably in Northern Ireland, and who died in Hampshire County in 1762.  Two children of Andrew Lockhart Sr are documented - Andrew Lockhart Jr and his older brother William LockhartJohn Lockhart Sr and Bird Lockhart lived during the same time period in Hampshire and are probable sons of Andrew Lockhart Sr.  Andrew Sr died leaving a widow Ann who was remarried by 1764 to a Chapman (given name unknown).

Andrew Lockhart Sr probably married first in Ireland or Pennsylvania. There is a record of a marriage of an Andrew to Jane Baker in 1737 in Philadelphia. This is after the birth of his first two sons, so this may be a different Andrew or a second wife. We know that Andrew Jr, was born 1736 from his militia record, and we know that he had an older brother, William from estate records. Andrew Lockhart Sr may have lived in Bucks County in 1740 when the Pennsylvania Gazette reported that the house of Andrew Lockhart had burned down.  There is an Andrew Lockhart in the tax list  of 1751 in West Derry Township in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.  It is not known if either of these men is the same Andrew Lockhart who migrated to Hampshire County, Virginia.

Andrew Lockhart Sr purchased 360 acres from a James Bond of Frederick County on the North River Cacapehon about 1/2 mile below Waggon Road on Wolf Hill on 10 October 1753 just before Hampshire county was formed in 1754 from Frederick County, Virginia. The land was surveyed 9 Dec 1754. Later surveys in the area reference Andrew's land. 

At Andrew's death in 1762, William Lockhart, his oldest son, inherited the land.  Prior to the Revolution, the eldest son inherited land if the father died without a will.  William sold the land to Joseph Watson and migrated to southwest Virginia before 1798 when a second William Lockhart, born 1759 in Chester county, Pennsylvania, moved to Hampshire county where he lived for more than 30 years and received a pension for his Revolutionary War service.  These two William Lockharts are not the same person.

John Lockhart Sr. was in the right place at the right time to be the father of John Lockhart Jr born 1766 in Hampshire County and the son of Andrew Sr.  DNA results suggest the connections are real.  John Lockhart Sr was of the age to be the father of John Jr. in 1766, and he was living in Hampshire county at the time of John Jr's birth.  On 18 December 1760 he is showing as a pilot or guide for a survey for a property sale of Henry Enoch Sr to John Mauzy. Henry Enoch Sr and his family lived about 2 miles from the Lockharts, and there are records that Henry Enoch Jr and William Lockhart were friends.  John served again as a chain carrier in May of 1761 and again in 1768.  John probably married in Hampshire county, but marriage records don't exist for Hampshire in that time frame. John Lockhart Sr appears to be the same person who sold some personal property 11 November 1772 (Indian corn, fodder, acres of rye, turnip patch) in Hampshire county. He again served as a pilot and marker on a survey 6 April 1775 and as a chain carrier on surveys in April and August 1775.

John Lockhart Sr is listed in the company of Captain Henry Heth/Heath 28 Dec 1777. John Lockhart is also listed in Heth's  company 17 Mar 1778 "on duty". John House, in writing about the Pioneers of Wood County in 1936, said that the grandson of John Lockhart (Jr) reported that his grandfather had served in 1777 in Henry Heth's company as a private. Since John Lockhart Jr would have only been age 11, it is believed that he was referring to his great grandfather, John Sr.   A muster roll of Capt. Henry Heth�s company shows they were stationed at Fort Pitt on 5 April 1778 and John Lockhart is on the rolls. By 1779 Heth's company had merged with the troops of Captain O'Hara's company. and General Lachlan McIntosh said that their services were no longer needed for protection from the Indians because of the new forts that had been built. 

From 1781 to 1783 John Lockhart Sr served in Captain Uriah Springer's Company of the 7th Virginia Regiment commanded by Colonel John Gibson's Frontier Detachment. There are 38 muster rolls or payroll records for John during those years. He is showing at Fort Pitt on the last muster roll for June 1783. In 1784, the disputed boundary lines between Virginia and Pennsylvania were settled. Portions of Monongalia county Virginia became part of Fayette and Washington counties in Pennsylvania. Parts of Ohio County Virginia were absorbed into Pennsylvania, and Yohogania county Virginia ceased to exist. The 1782 and 1783 tax lists for Monongalia County Virginia are available but there are no Lockharts
showing.  

In 1784 Harrison County Virginia was formed from Monongalia county. It is possible that John Lockhart remained in Pennsylvania or other counties of the area after the war, but no records have been found. He was issued a land warrant for his war service in 1789, but he did not claim it nor did anyone else. 

It is possible that he died shortly after the war, but no records have been found of his death. John Lockhart does not appear on the Hampshire county Virginia tax lists in the 1780's.  We lose track of John Lockhart Sr after 1783, but John Lockhart Jr,  would have been a teenager. We don't know when John Jr's father died, if his mother remarried, if they stayed in Pennsylvania, went back to Hampshire or what may have happened.  

Bird Lockhart shows on the Hampshire tax lists beginning in 1787 and also in 1788 and 1789. It is surmised that Bird may have been a brother of John Lockhart Sr. and possibly an uncle to John Jr.  John and Bird Lockhart are found continuously on Harrison County Virginia tax lists from 1791 until 1798 when Wood county was formed from the western part of Harrison County.  Bird named his first son Andrew.  Bird lived in Wood county but then moved on to Mason County Virginia, then to Washington County Ohio and finally to Illinois where he died.

John Lockhart Jr was born August 6, 1766 in Hampshire County, Virginia and died August 4, 1832 in then Wood County, Virginia (now Wirt County, WV)

As stated, we don't know when John Jr's father died, who his mother was, if his mother remarried, if they stayed in Pennsylvania, went back to Hampshire or what may have happened. There is an Agnes Lockhart in the Harrison county Virginia tax lists for only one year, and it's unknown if there is any connection.  John Jr would have come of age in 1787 possibly around the time his father may have died. We know that John Jr married a Christeny or Christiana (maiden name unknown) possibly around 1788 in Pennsylvania or Monongalia county Virginia with the birth of their first child Margaret occurring on 30 July 1789. Family tradition has said that she was born in Monongalia County, but there is no documentation of this.   John Lockhart Jr appears on a tax list first in 1791 in Harrison County, Virginia with Bird Lockhart and continues to be listed with Bird Lockhart in Harrison county through 1798. A western portion of Harrison county became Wood County in 1798. John Jr shows on the 1802 tax list of Wood county, in the census reports for 1810 and 1820 and as a land owner in 1815 among other records. His will was written 17 March 1832 and he died 4 Aug 1832. Probate of his will was in Wood County, (W)VA. He is buried at the Bethesda Baptist Church Cemetery, located in now Palestine, Wirt County, West Virginia, where he was a charter member.

John's stone, which was hand carved, reads: To: The memory John lokhart.dec. was born Hamp. Co. VA. Aug 6, 1766 Died VA Aug 4, 1832 ~  

Christeny's stone reads: In Memory Christeny Lockhart who died April the 27 1836 68 yr 1 mo 10 days. Wife of John Lockhart

                                              

For more information about this Lockhart family line buried in Wirt County see Lockhart burials or the Lockhart Cemetery

More Information about John Lockhart born 1766:

From John House writings about the John Lockhart family:

John Lockhart settled at the mouth of Lynn Camp, where he built a mill. One of his sons, Isaac Lockhart, married Sarah Sheppard, and built at the mouth of Two Lick Run. They afterward moved to Right Sandy at Lockhart's Fork. 

From "John and Christina Lockhart and their Descendants" by James and Janet Lockhart, 1998.

"John Lockhart arrived in what is now Wood Co. soon after the establishment at Neale's Station and he established his home on the Creek near Mineral Wells that today that is still known as Lockhart's Run. While there he had land transactions with the Thornton family. Robert Thornton is said to have erected the first home on the site of Parkersburg. Considerable land was acquired by John Lockhart in both Wood and Wirt patent rights and purchased from Valentine Cooper, Reason Barnes and others. In March 1803 he received a deed from Valentine Cooper for thirty one and one fourth acres, a part of the Robert Thornton tract. This was the date of the deed and perhaps the purchase date. The land was in the Butcher Bend of the little Kanawha River at the site of the Nathan Hutchinson farm. Patent rights were secured for one hundred acres on Reedy Creek in 1811. In 1819 he purchased another one hundred acres from Valentine Cooper located on the first right hand fork of Tygart Creek. The marriage of his daughter Margaret to James Sheppard was the first to be solemnized in upper Wirt Co. . John Lockhart become a charter member of the Baptist Church in Palestine in 1816. He was baptized 1816 at Baptist Church, Palestine, Wood Co.,  VA. He died 4-Aug-I 1832 in Palestine, Wood Co., VA (WV). He was buried 1832 at Palestine Cem., Palestine, Wood Co. VA (WV) . He was born 6-Aug-1766 in Hampshire Co., VA. Christeny, his wife, was born 17-March, 1768. She died 27-Apr-1836. She was buried at Palestine Cemetery, Palestine, and Wood County Virginia later to become Wirt Co. West Virginia." 

From "History of Wirt County":
John Lockhart was born in Hampshire County Aug. 6, 1766 and died August 4, 1832. He was an early settler of Wood County near Mineral Wells, but had located on Right Reedy Creek, in Wirt County by 1811. His wife's name was Christeny. She was born Mar. 17, 1768 and died Apr. 27, 1836. Both are buried in the Palestine Cemetery, Wirt County.

From Brooks J Lockhart:
"Shortly after the Revolution he and his family were living on a creek, now called Lockhart's Run, near the present site of Mineral Wells, Wood County, WV. About the year 1800, John Lockhart moved to Right Reedy Creek, near Palestine, at the mouth of Lynn Camp run. Records show that he owned land in what are now Wood and Wirt Counties. In 1800 he purchased thirty one and one fourth acres from Elizabeth Thornton located on Little Kanawha. In 1803 he purchased another thirty one and one fourth acres from Valentine Cooper on Little Kanawha. Patent rights were secured for one hundred acres on Right Reedy Creek in 1811. In 1819 he purchased another one hundred acres from Valentine Cooper located on the first right hand fork of Tygart Creek."

In 1810 and 1820 we find John Lockhart in Wood County Census
1810 Census of Wood County: 
Lockhart, John
2 - Free white males under 10 years of age
1 - Free white males 16 years and under 26, including heads of families
1 - Free white males 45 years and upwards, including heads of families
3 - Free white females under 10 years of age
1 - Free white females 10 years and under 16
1 - Free white females 16 years and under 26, including heads of families
1 - Free white females 26 years and under 45, including heads of families

From Harold David Somerville writings:
The village of Lockhart occupies a site that was once a part of the 7000 acre tract of land once owned by John Allison, one of the early governors of Virginia. In 1838 when the community was really established, no wagon road as yet had been widened from Sandyville up Left Fork of Sandy. The region was sparsely settled. John Lockhart became a Charter Member of the Bethesda Baptist Church in Palestine in 1816. After their deaths on 4 Aug 1832 and 27 Apr 1836, John and Christeny were buried in the Palestine Cemetery.

Several land transfers between John & Christeny Lockhart & others from around 1800 in Wood County up to 1832.

From John House writings on Roane County, WV:
Jacob Conrad bought of John Lockhart, April 5, 1813, all that tract of land joining that of Ezekiel McFarland on Right Reedy, 61 acres for $129.00. On March 6, 1818, he (Jacob Conrad) sold the same - described as joining Nathaniel Morehead and John Lockhart - to Sampson King for $200.00.

A page in Christeny Lockhart's Bible has the following:
Names and ages of John Lockhart & his Family
John Lockhart was born August 6th, 1766
Christeny Lockhart March 17, 1768
Margaret Lockhart July 30th, 1789
Isaac Lockhart February 2nd, 1792
Mary Lockhart April 2nd 1794
Amy Lockhart Oct 29th 1796
John M Lockhart Aug 27th 1799
Sally Lockhart March 27th 1802
Elizabeth L Lockhart Sept 8th 1804
Nancy Lockhart May 8th 1807
William Enoch Lockhart March 19th 1820
Henry Lockhart Nov 14 1829


Written at the end of the Bible: To the memory of my Father:
John Lockhart was born in Hampshire County VA August 6th in the year of our Lord 1766 and 
deceased this life in Wood County, VA on the 4th day of August (Saturday 2:00 forenoon) 1832 
aged sixty six years wanting two days.
"Remember man when this you see
"As you are now so once was he
"As he is now so you'll become
"Prepare for death and follow him"
William E Lockhart


From Lockhart Bible: His funeral was attended on the 5th of August 1832 by the Rev Eli Fry pastor of the Baptist Church at Bethesda from the 9 chp. of Hebrews and 27 & 28 verses. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

The Bethesda Baptist Church was organized in 1816. Some charter members were Lawrence King, John Lockhart, Caleb Wiseman, Jane King, Catherine Steele, Jane Dye, and Emily Langfitt.

Will recorded Will Book No 3, page 187 Wood County:
I, John Lockhart, of Wood County, and State of Virginia, being of sound mind and memory do hereby make and constitute my last will and testament in manner and form following viz: 1st I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife, Christeny Lockhart, the use of all my estate, real and personal, during her natural life and at her death 2nd I give and bequeath unto my sons John Moore and William E Lockhart and their heirs forever the land on which I live to be equally divided among them 3rd I give and bequeath at the same time that is to the decease of my wife all my personal property to be equally divided among my son Isaac Lockhart, my daughter Margaret, alias Margaret Sheppard, Mary Lockhart, alias Mary Stephens, Sarah Hindman, Elizabeth Lockhart, the heirs of my deceased daughter Amy Steed, to them and their heirs forever.4th Lastly I appoint and constitute my beloved wife and my son Isaac Lockhart executors of this my last will and testament.
In testimony whereof I have here-unto set my hand and seal this 17th day of March, 1832.

John Lockhart (Seal)
Witness: Wm. Hoger, Chas. E. Briant, Nathaniel Morehead 
William E Lockhart was the administrator

John and Christeny Lockhart had 9 known children:  Margaret, Mary, Isaac, Amy, John Moore, Sarah W, Elizabeth L, Nancy C, and William Enoch

Some Notes and Opinions:

1) DNA - Male y-DNA testing is an excellent way to determine a continuous male lineage with a common surname i.e. Lockhart. Kenneth Lockhart and Roy Lockhart have a 100% match on 67 markers. This means that they are likely to have a "common ancestor" not more than 6 generations previously. The autosomal "cousin" DNA testing shows common ancestors for both parents and is less likely to show distant matches. I am a descendant of John Jr and have a match with both Kenneth and Roy and also a descendant of Mariam or Miriam Lockhart born in Hampshire who ends up in the same area (Russell County, Virginia) as Andrew Jr and William. I have documented my relationship to Roy, and Kenneth and has documented his relationship to Andrew Sr. Based on statistics, Andrew Sr appears to be the common ancestor for all of us. We also have the DNA results for Bill Lockhart which is a very close match but is one marker off. Statistically, this "could" mean that his common ancestor was 2 or 3 generations earlier than Andrew Sr.  Based on his lineage, the common ancestor could be a Lockhart in Pennsylvania or Northern Ireland.   Bill traced his line back to Chester County Pennsylvania to a James Lockhart (1680-1735). It is possible that James was Andrew Sr's uncle, for example, which would mean that James' father was the grandfather of Andrew Sr. which would make the DNA work but might require more research in Northern Ireland for documentation.

2) Hampshire County - Although records are scarce, there is a lot of information available that helps to back up our theories. We've known for years that John Lockhart Jr's tombstone says he was born in Hampshire county in 1766 which means his father needed to be there in that time period. We know that Andrew Sr was there and his 2 sons William and Andrew Jr were there. The boys were too young to be John Jr's father - and Andrew Sr. died 4 years before John Jr
was born
. The only other adult Lockhart who was there who could be his father was John Sr. The Enochs are my ancestors, and I have had records for years that they lived in close proximity to the Lockharts and were involved with each other, but I couldn't figure out who John could be - because I only had one record of a John in 1772 selling some personal property, which really wasn't enough to go on - but at least introduced another possible father. Finding those other records of surveys helped to show his age and that he was there much earlier.

3) Military Records - Because there was also a John Lockhart from Pennsylvania who served in the Revolutionary War, I never explored the military angle much further. Also, we had the family report that the grandson said his grandfather (John Lockhart Jr) served. At age 11, this didn't make sense, so I disregarded that information although it did name Henry Heth. We now have 5 generations in our family - from my mother who is 100 to my great granddaughter who is 0. We know in our family that there is much confusion when someone says "Grandma" - we now have 3 living. So, I'm not surprised if someone says Grandpa (not great grandpa). We never add the greats when we talk about people.  In looking very carefully at the John Lockhart who served we find that some of these men ended up in Harrison County or Wood county. In fact, the son of Henry Enoch Jr, Isaac Enoch, lived very near to our John Lockhart Jr in Wood county.  

4) Possible mother - We know from the estate settlement that when Andrew Sr died, his widow was Ann, and that she remarried to a Chapman. I think it is possible that William and Andrew were half-brothers to John Sr and/or Bird. With DNA, it's not important, since the male line would continue regardless of the mother. My only reason to believe this is that Andrew and William seem to have struck out on their own and stuck together, moving to SW Virginia. Bird and John Jr seemed to stay together. If I were creating a scenario, I would guess that John Sr died shortly after the war while John Jr was under age and that Bird took him under his wing.
That's only speculation, but they certainly followed the same paths through Harrison and into Wood county - while the other boys were already settled in SW Virginia.

Another direct ancestor of mine is John Moore Lockhart, son of John and Christeny.  

Note:  John Odell Lockhart, a son of Josiah E Lockhart and grandson of Robert Lockhart of Frederick county, Virginia, was in Wood/Wirt county while John Moore Lockhart was living there, so it's easy to confuse the two John Lockharts.  John Odell Lockhart moved on to Missouri while John Moore Lockhart continued to live in the new county of Wirt where he died.

On 13 October 1853 my ancestor General Harrison Lockhart, son of John Moore Lockhart and grandson of John and Christeny Lockhart, married Phoebe Cheuvront in Wirt County, VA. Wirt County was formed from Jackson county in 1848. Jackson County had been formed from a portion of Wood and other counties in 1831, and Wood was formed from Harrison County in 1798. In 1863 a portion of Virginia became part of the new state of West Virginia. Knowing about the changing county and state lines helps to understand that the Lockharts remained in the same area while living being under the jurisdiction of several different counties. Of course these changes make it difficult to know where to seek records of their life events.  

Phoebe was the daughter of Isaac and Catherine Childers Cheuvront.
Marriage Record of Harrison and Phoebe

I Samuel Shepard a minister of the Gospel and duly authorized to solemnize the rites of matrimony according to  the forms
& ceremonies of the M. E. Church do certify that on the 13th day of Oct 1853 I married Harrison G Lockhart and
Phebe Cheveront given under my hand this day of 1853.  Sam'l Shepard Virginia Jackson County Clerk's office Nov the 11th 1853 this day the foregoing certificate was
duly admitted to record in said Office.
Teste James Green Clk.

Photo of G. Harrison Lockhart

Photo of Phoebe Cheuvront Lockhart

See the Cheuvront and Hylbert lines for their ancestors and descendants.

 

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