George Washington Upton, Sr.

A Patriot of the American Revolution for GEORGIA (SOLDIER). DAR Ancestor # A118129 Upton Family Cemetery was destroyed in 1992 by then owner who razed the gravestones. The Upton family brought suit and was awarded a 40' by 40' plot to be maintained as a cemetery for perpetuity. On my visit there on 10/15/1998, there was an overgrown plot behind a music store on Highway 431 in Boaz, Alabama. There were 40-50 graves located there including many Upton/Uptain family members along with Motlow family members. Spoon Motlow who owned a distillery in Gadsden, AL. was partners with the Upton family who grew a lot of fruit trees for the distillery. A wine distillery was owned by the Uptons and operated by the Motlows who were founders of Jack Daniels. Reportedly, a member of the Uptain family sold the recipe for whiskey to the Motlows for $5.00. George changed his name to Uptain so that he could serve alongside his brother in the war. Prior to the Revolutionary War, there was no indication of his middle name being Washington reputedly.

CHILDREN OF GEORGE W. UPTAIN AND CHARITY BARROW (daughter of Reuben B. Barrow - DOB: c1745 Beaufort County, N.C. Died: 8/15/1812 Pulaski County, GA. and Milbre Bledsoe

1. 1: Nancy A. - DOB: 7/19/1797 Columbia City, GA. Married: _____ Newman
2. 2: Elizabeth - DOB: 6/10/1800 Overton County, TN. Married: ______ Luker
3. 3: John Augustus Travis - DOB: 12/12/1805 Overton County, TN.
4. 4: Rachel Upton - DOB: 12/24/1806 Jackson County, GA.
5. 5: Female Upton - DOB: 12/24/1806 Jackson County, GA. ( Rachel's twin)
6. 6: James Phillip - DOB: 4/30/1813 Jackson Co., GA. Died: 1822 (Nathaniel's twin)
7. 7: Nathaniel Newton - DOB: 4/30/1813 Jackson Co.., GA.
8. 8: Feriaba Melita - DOB: 9/14/1815 GA.
9. 9: Emily Elinder - DOB: 5/31/1818 Morgan Co., GA. Died: after 1850 Married: ____ Jackson or ____ Scott
10. 10: George Washington Uptain, Jr. - DOB: 4/14/1823 Henry Co.., GA. Died: 1903

Siblings of George are: #1: John Thomas "The Miller" - DOB: c1740 MD/DEL.

1. 2: David - DOB: 1742 MD/DEL Died: 1800/1810 in Chatham County, N.C.
2. 3: Richard - DOB; 1744 MD/DEL
3. 4: Benjamin - DOB: 1746 MD/DEL Died: 1822 Warren County, GA.
4. 5: Robert - DOB: 1748 MD/DEL
5. 6:Edward - DOB: 1750 MD/DEL
6. 7: Phillip - DOB: 1752 MD/DEL
7. 8: Elizabeth "Betsey" - born in MD/DEL
8. 9: Sarah - born in MD/DEL George was the 10th child
9. 11: William - DOB: 1760/1770 Holston River, N.C.
10. 12: James - DOB: 1773 St. Paul's Parish, GA.
11. 13: Tobias - DOB: 1775 St. Paul's Parish, GA. Parents were: John Thomas "The Gunsmith" Upton - DOB: 5/11/1710 Benchley, Kent, England Died: 6/5/1783 Richmond County, GA. and

Sarah Elizabeth Roberts - DOB: 1720 England Died: c1794 GA. His parents were: Thomas "The Elder" Upton - DOB: 7/15/1693 and Joanna Trelawny

Her parents: Thomas Roberts - Died: 1787 and Mary Sandes 1695-1769

Note:see Cemetery bio Revolutionary War veteran, private, particular service not shown; pension enrollment on July 31, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832; annual allowance, $30. Pensions Book, State Branch Bank, Mobile. He resided in DeKalb County, June 1, 1840, aged 80. Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148. Source: Alabama Department of Archives, List of Revolutionary Soldiers in Alabama. Was also a veteran of The War of 1812.

Husband of Charity Barrows/Burrows m. 1795 South Carolina. Charity stated in her Pension application Her marriage was preformed by The Rev. Mr. Hargis.

Nationality 1/2 Cherokee 1/2 British. His brother William is the Upton listed on the 1835 Henderson rolls (Cherokee census) in Overton county Tennessee. George stated on his war records he lived in Overton county Tennessee.

The life of George Washington Uptain

George Washington Uptain Was born Aug. 6 1759 on The Holston River in what is now Tennessee but at the time was North Carolina. This would be what is now the Kingsport area on or around Long Island north of Knoxville. It was illegal for white settlers to be in that area before 1768. However there are some accounts of a few Quaker Families living in the area among the Cherokee Indians. These Quakers and The longhunters Who hunted and explored the area were the only whites to live in the Holston River area untill the Holston and Watauga settlements in 1768. I think Phillip, Georges father may have been a Longhunter who hunted with Quaker relatives and friends. Georges grandparents, Phillips father and mother John and Elizabeth Roberts Upton were Quaker and migrated south from Maryland down threw Virginia and western North Carolina,now east Tennessee to Pendelton South Carolina and Wrightsborough Georgia, a Quaker settelment near Augusta Georga. As an Adult Phillip is never listed in any Quaker Meeting minutes. I Believe While in east Tennessee He married Rachel, Georges mother and she was Cherokee. Other facts support this theory other than a lack of white people in the area. My Grandfather Harvey Uptain, Georges great great grandson stated his grandfather Uptains people were black duch. He had no idea that was a term used by Cherokees trying to hide their race and escape removal. In 1817 George signed an affidavit in Jackson County Georgia to have a white squatter removed from indian hunting ground. It can be found in "Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries Telamon Guyler collection box 67 folder 1 Document 1." Also Georges brother William Upton is listed on the 1835 Cherokee census in overton county Tennessee. In the early 1770s George moved with his mother and father to Saint Paul Parish Georgia within a few miles of Wrightsborough, a Quaker settlement founded around 1768-1770. It was not uncommon for ex-Quakers to follow Quaker migration because of family still in good standing with the Quaker meetings.This is confirmed in many Quaker histories.In his Revolutionary War pension application George states he joined the Militia in August during the time the British occupied Augusta. This would be 1779 the British took Augusta in February of 1779. George and his family lived within 30 or 40 miles of Augusta. He also states they succeeded in taking Graysons Fort and Browns Fort. The proper names were Griersons Fort and Fort Cornwallis. Many people called Fort Cornwallis Browns Fort in war accounts because it was commanded by Thomas Brown. George states they marched to Augusta in May and succeeded in taking the Fort their after several skirmishes. Fort Cornwallis fell to General Henry Lee, Major Eaton, Col. Pickens and Clark on May 31 1781.This was known as the Siege of Augusta and was the last time the British held any land in the south. George States he remained there until peace was declaired.George says his reason for joining was tradition. On July 03 1787 George was granted 150 and 250 acres of land along Rocky Comfort Creek. The 250 acres was next to Richard Barrow. Barrows grandaughter would later become Georges wife. The other land was bordered by a grant, to Benjamin Georges uncle given in 1784. His father Phillip and brother William also received grants just west of George in Washington county Georgia. Before the War George was a U-P-T-O-N after the war he was a U-P-T-A-I-N. Family legend says the spelling was changed because brothers could not fight in the same company in the military. That could easly be true. He and William could have been watching out for each other. What ever the reason George is the first Uptain and anyone today who is a Uptain comes from George. As for his middle name, many men took Washington as part of their name after the American Revolution. It should be noted that our George did not appear anywhere as George Washington Uptain until after the war. This was very common among Native Americans who wished to honor the great father President George Washington. George appears on a 1790 Wilks county Georgia militia roster then some time in the early 1790s George, William and Phillip moved to Pendelton District South Carolina. His Grandfather, John Upton is reported to have had two sons in Pendelton District. John died in Richmond Georgia in 1783. The Barrows must have followed the Uptons. On August 20 1795 in Pendelton District George Uptain Married Charity Barrows believed to be the daughter of Ruben Barrow and Milbre Bledsoe Barrow and the grandaughter of Issac Bledsoe One of the first and more well known of the early Longhunters. He was among the first English men to explore the area that became Nashville. Phillip and Issac may well have hunted togather in East Tennessee and formed a bond between the two families. George and Charity had returned to Georgia by the time their first child, Nancy was born on July 19 1797. On January 22 1803 George and brother David are named on a Warren county Georgia tax default list in the Augusta Chronical. Phillip and William are also listed in Warren co 1803. I think they were in default because they had left for Overton county Tennessee. Some time between 1799 and 1810 they all moved to Overton county Tennessee. Phillip is on the 1800 census in Overton county George Appears on an 1810 Census of Tennessee. His name is barley readable. The first child born in Tennessee was John Augustis Travis Uptain born December 12 1805. Then Rachel and one other daughter "I believe this was possabley Rachels twin who died young. They were born December 24 1806. Charity stated in an article in the Gadsden Times 21 may 1874 she was the mother of 10 children. George and Charity left About the time all the Quakers made a mass exodus from Wrightsborough. If you read the History of Wrightsborough the Quakers left for Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Illinois. Wrightsborough Quakers were very much opposed to slavery. They left Georgia between1805 and 1809 because of their antislavery beliefs. His father Phillip and brother William remained in Overton county Tennessee until their death. George however was back in Georgia by April 30 1813 when Twins Nathaniel Newton Uptain and Phillip James Uptain were born. He is on a militia roster in Morgan county Georgia in 1813 with Maj. Thomas Hogg's Battalion. This Company was at Fort Defiance. So he was also in the war of 1812. By the time of the 1820 Census George was living in Walton county Georgia. He is mentioned in an early History of Henry county Georgia as operating a ferry there in the early 1820s. On the 1830 Census of Henry county Georgia his Sons Phillip James and younger brother Thomas are Heads of their own households. In 1840 George is listed in Dekalb county Alabama on A census of Revolutionary solders. He is 80 years old. "More like 75 according to his war record." Most of his children also moved to Alabama. George Died in Marshal county Alabama At Boaz February 22 1853. He was buried in a family cemetery that sadly, has been almost Destroyed. How conflicted a life, must this man have lead. He invented a race, to hide who he was. He fought his own people as a consequence. He moved constantly in surch of a better life. He changed his name to help his brother. He was a war hero who helped liberate and give birth to this country and in the end produced a family of witch we can all be proud. It is an irony many men and women of his time faced and it is one we should never forget. It made us the strong proud determined people we are. It is what made us uniquely Americans. European influence, with Native American blood and a love for our country that can not be denied. Much like our ancestor George Washington Uptain, an American original.

Barry Glenn Uptain January 2011 Georges 4th great grandson.

Known children of George and Charity Uptain exact birthdates are approximate and come from many conflicting sources.

1. Nancy A Uptain Newman b: 19 JUL 1797 in Columbia county, Georgia 2. Elizabeth Uptain Luker b: 10 JUL 1800 in Overton county, Tennessee 3. John Augustus Travis Uptain b: 12 DEC 1805 in Overton county, Tennessee 4. Rachel Uptain b: 24 DEC 1806 in Jackson county, Georgia 5. Female Uptain b: 24 DEC 1806 in Jackson county, Georgia Died young. 6. Nathaniel Newton Uptain b: 30 APR 1813 in Jackson county, Georgia 7. James Phillip Uptain b: 30 APR 1813 in Jackson county, Georgia 8. Feariba Melita Uptain Melson b: 12 SEP 1815 in Morgan / Jackson county, Ga. 9. Emily (Ellen) Elender Uptain Scott b: 31 MAY 1818 in Morgan county, Georgia 10. George Washington Jr Uptain b: 19 APR 1823 in Henry county Georgia

• Residence: De Kalb county, De Kalb, Alabama, United States - 1850
  • Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: Aug 6 2019, 8:09:22 UTC