Barsheba Gulledge

Barsheba Watts

• Born about 1755 in Bedford County, Virginia
• perhaps a daughter of George Watts and Frances (Woodward) Taylor (confirming evidence desired)
• Half or full Sister of Garrett Zachariah Watts (DNA)
• Full or half Sister of Malachi Watts (DNA)
• Wife of William Gulledge — married about 1770 in either Tyron County, NC or Bedford County, VA
• Mother of Joel Gulledge, Thomas Gulledge, William Gulledge, Stephen Malachi Gulledge, Alice Gulledge, Martha (Gulledge) Seago, Mary Frances (Gulledge) Falkner and Elijah Gulledge
• Died about 1795 in Anson County, North Carolina

Notes

DEEP CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH, CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, SC Contributed by Mr. Tony F. Smith, Pageland, SC

Rev. Gulledge was called on June 15, 1816, and in June of 1818 the church approved the hiring of a man to tend Joel's farm and tend to his business affairs while he attended school. In July of 1820 he asked permission of the church to go into western countries to preach the gospel. A letter of testimony was written for him with their blessing but by October of the same year he returned in poor health and resumed his pastoral duties.

Born near Drowning Creek which is today in Bladen County, North Carolina but then it was Anson County. Son of William Gulledge & Basheba (this is what she is called in the Deep Creek Church minutes)Watts Gulledge

Family

According to the writing of Marie Gulledge Wiggins, William and Barsheba had 8 children together, 5 males and 3 females.

• 1. Rev. Joel Gulledge b. abt 1770 (Zilpha Huntley / Jarusha Ann Smith)
• 2. Mary Frances Gulledge b. abt 1775 (Job Faulkner)
• 3. William Gulledge b. abt 1777 (Temple Jones)
• 4. Thomas Gulledge b. abt 1778 (Jane ? /Hannah Vaughn)
• 5. Alice Gulledge b. abt 1779 (Jason Rushing)
• 6. Stephen Malichi Gulledge Sr. b. 8 Aug 1786 (Rebecca Huntley)
• 7. Martha Gulledge b. abt 1788 (Joseph Seago)
• 8. Eli (Elijah) Gulledge b. abt 1790 (Nancy?)

Disputed Origins

See this study: https://www.historicpathways.com/download/WattsGeorgeBarbara-Resear... page 15. Possibly a daughter of Edward Watts of Bedford County VA

Seen as daughter of Gi-Yo-Sti-Ko-Yo-He “Gi yo sti”, of the Bird Clan without supporting evidence

Seen as daughter of Trader John Watts, Interpreter without supporting evidence. He is not known to have had wife called Gi Yo Sti.

“Barsheba was the daughter of Trader John Watts and Gi-Yo-Sti-Ko-Yo-He of the Bird Clan (a Native American Cherokee Indian). Her fifth Great Aunt was Pocahontas. Her 5th Great Grandfather was Wahunsonacock Powhatan, Chief of the Powhatan.”

However, as extracted on https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Watts-5161 from Mills, Elizabeth Shown. “Rev. John Watts, Esq. (ca.1749–ca.1822); Spouses 1: [Smith?]; 2: Judith “Judy” [Rawls?]: Research Notes.” Report to file. 15 June 2016. Archived on line. Elizabeth Shown Mills. Historic Pathways. http://www.HistoricPathways.com : August 16, 2016:

"Barsheba Watts of Bedford Co., Va., b. about 1755, alleged wife of William Gulledge; mother of Rev. Joel Gulledge, who is said to have married in Anson Co., NC, either Zilphia Huntley or Zilphia Meadors, daughter of Jason Meadors and Elizabeth Stone of Bedford Co., Va., and Anson Co., NC.28 The Anson marriage location suggests that Barsheba is possibly a daughter of Rev. John Watts’s uncle George Watts (son of Edward Sr. of Bedford Co., Va.) who married about 1755 and migrated with the Meadors to Anson (later Lincoln), where he died in 1772. Some of the Bedford-to-Anson Meadors and Stones also migrated on to Fairfield Co., SC.29 Note that Rev. John Watts named daughters Barsheba and Zilphy. If these hypothesized relationships are correct, then Barsheba (Watts) Gulledge would be first cousin of Rev. John."

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From https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/gulledge/443/

Bathsheba Watts married William Gulledge 8.Children see William Gulledge. Bathsheba was born between 1745 and 1750 (best info 1746) in Edgecombe County or near Anson County, North Carolina. She married William Gulledge between 1770 and 1772 in Anson County. I strongly believe that she was a daughter of Trader John Watts who married Gi-Yo-Sti-Ko-Yo-He of the Bird Clan. They were the parents of John Watts, Jr. other wise known as Young Tassel. Evidence of this is the will of Malachi Watts (son of Trader John Watts) who died in Anson County, N.C. in 1804 and had William Gulledge as a witness to the will. Could Malachi Watts have been a brother to Bathsheba Watts Gulledge? Also William Gulledge and Bathsheba Watts had a son named Stephen Malachi Gulledge which is a clue. Additional Source from Chris A. Clark.

John Watts the Trader: This John Watts was an Indian trader with the Cherokee - He also acted as an interpreter for them in dealing with the U.S. Army, etc. Old Frontiers, John P. Brown, pg. 353:

....a white trader who served Captain Demere as interpreter during the building of Fort Loudon. His wife was the sister of Chief Doublehead, aka Old Tassel and Pumpkin Boy.

John Watts was first hired by Christian Quest, grandfather of Sequoia, to work for the Virginia Land Company. He was known as a Virginia Trader; they worked out of Charleston , S.C. Researcher Robert D. Epps (see Watts Genforum Message Board, #2001, http://genforum.genealogy.com/watts), says In 1754 a John Watts married a Joppe Stuart in Charleston , S.C. John and Charles Stuart were British Indian agents into the Cherokee Nation. John Watts worked as an interpreter for them. Most likely there is a Town Family, as well as the Native American Family."

John Watts entered the original Cherokee county about the middle of the 18th century (prior to 1750). As an interpreter, he accompanied Ammonscossitte, Young Emperor of the Cherokees, on a trip from Tellico in Tennessee to Williamsburg , Virginia in 1752. (See, "The CHEROKEE FRONTIER: CONFLICT AND SURVIVAL", by David Corkran, page 437). He also served Captain Raymond Demere as interpreter during the building of British Fort Loudon in 1756-1757. During this time, he was accused of stirring up trouble between the Cherokees and the white settlers. In a letter from Littleton to Demere, Littleton says, "I'm well convinced that this talk proceeded from something that was told the Indians by John Elliot and John Watts. Watts speaks their language well. Elliott and Watts are a couple of dangerous people." (Old Frontiers by J. P. Brown).

As stated in "Diplomacy and the Indian Gifts" by Wilbur Jacobs, John Watts was in New York December 2 - 17, 1755 with Thomas Pownall, Olivery Delancy, Goldbrow Banyar, Daniel Claus and Peter Wraxall to plan the downfall of Sir William Shirle. One of John's sons, Garrett Watts, was born on January 8, 1756 in Caroline County, VA. It doesn't seem possible that John would have made it back for the birthing. (As noted by Betty Watts, whose husband Noel E. Watts is a 4t h great grandson of Garrett.)

From the book, "John Stuart and the Southern Colonial Frontier", by John Richard Alden, we find that in 1757, John Watts was a supervisor of parties of Cherokees and Catawabas coming into Virginia, along with Richard Smith and Thomas Rutherford, all of whom were given the titles of "Conductors and Guides". The book also mentions that in 1761, John Watts escorted Tistoe of Keowee, and Slave catcher of Tomotley back to Ouconnostotah. John at the time was Captain in the Provincial Rangers.

In 1763, John Watts acted as interpreter at the treaty of Augusta, as mentioned in "Tennessee during the Revolutionary War", by Samuel Cole Williams. In 1767, John Watts accompanied Attokullalulla and Ouconnastotoah and their children , as mentor and interpreter, to Charleston. Stuart permitted only eight persons to go.

See "Who Was Among the Southern Indians, a Genealogical Notebook", 1698-1907, by Don Martini: Page 691: Watts, John - Cherokee Trader, lived at Ninety-Six, South Carolina in 1751. He was a British interpreter for the Cherokees at Fort Loudoun (S.C.) in 1758 and at Augusta in 1763, and continued to fill that position at the 1770 treaty negotiations. He died early in 1771, and was replaced by John Vann. Married to a sister of Doublehead, he was the father of Chief John Watts.

There is a lot of speculation as to the actual wife of John Watts. Some say she is the daughter of Chief Atakullakulla and some say she is the daughter of Chief Great Eagle. J . P. Brown, in his book "Old Frontiers", says that John Watts married the sister of Chiefs Old Tas.

Barsheba was buried in Wadesboro at Rev. Joel Gulledge Cemetery (her son)
Deep Creek, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina, USA

Her wooden grave marker is long gone.

References

• http://www.avocadoridge.com/carney/getperson.php?personID=I12504&tr...
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82543266