James Booker Mullins

Booker Mullins

Son of Sherwood (Sherrod) Adkins and Mary Mullins (daughter of William Mullins). Booker grew up in the Mullins home and used the last name Mullins. All of male descendants of Booker Mullins (who have been Y-DNA tested) are not descended from William Mullins but are instead descended from the Adkins. Note: 'James' is a reprinted error. Booker had no first name according to the Mullins Y-DNA Project in Virginia.

There is now enough evidence (via Y-DNA matches) and from existing records to say with confidence that Booker Mullins, his sons (including David and Sherwood) and his male descendants (including Andrew Jackson Mullins—known as Brandy Jack) have a paternal genetic ancestry that has its origins with that of descendants of William Adkins (who married Elisabeth Parker).

This Mullins Surname Y-DNA Project began by focusing on a particular group of that surname that appears to descend from one family whose progenitor arrives in Virginia in the late 1600s. To date, 5 males have been identified as probable sons of the immigrant--positive proof has only been established for one of these males (William Mullins--1700-1735), who died young and left four sons and two daughters…The Adkins (and all name variations) surname also included in this project is the result from an offshoot branch of the Mullins due to an event outside of marriage.

The Y-DNA of ALL of the Booker Mullins males tested to date match with the Y-DNA of male descendants of this William Adkins.

Associated surnames with this sub-group include: Mullins, Adkins…

Sources:

Gary M. Mullins, Mullins Y-DNA Project Administrator, mtDNA of Middle Appalachians Administrator https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/mullins/about https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/mullins/about/background

About his name: "No credible evidence or record exists that would identify Booker Mullins as having been James Booker Mullins. Booker did not have a middle name and was ALWAYS referenced as Booker -- not James Booker. The misnomer comes from one record where the clerk should have put an apostrophe in place but didn't. The record should have read Booker's James (in reference to Old Booker's son James) but instead read Booker James...and then some 'would be' family historian switched it to James Booker (which made no sense!).

The same is true of William "Grancer" Mullins. William Mullins--who raised Booker did not have a middle name and later in life some of his neighbors and extended family referred to him as "GrandSire" which was just a term of respect for his age--later that got changed to Gransir (again, by some 'would be' family historian--darn him or her) and now you find both James Booker Mullins and William Gransir Mullins all over the Internet.

PLEASE don't perpetuate either of those terms--they are not accurate as far as their actual names!

Source: Gary M. Mullins, Mullins Y-DNA Project Administrator, mtDNA of Middle Appalachians Administrator https://www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/mullins

Booker Mullins settled on Bold Camp of Pound in Wise County, VA, and was said to have been over 100 years old when he died.  He lived at the "Scarbury Place" on Bold Camp and was called "Grandsire" by his many descendants.  He is today referred to as "Old Booker", as there are other members of the family named Booker Mullins. He is believed to be buried on Meade Fork (McFall's Branch area), near where the prison now stands.

From his Find A Grave page

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33946827/james-booker-mullins

James Booker Mullins

• Birth: 1762 - Franklin County, Virginia, USA
• Death: Apr. 4, 1864 - Wise County, Virginia, USA

Married:

• 1st: Mary NEWSOME, aka Polly.
• 2nd: Nancy Jane STANLEY
• 3rd: Mary BENCH aka Polly
• 4th: Sarah Unknown (questionable)
• He was also known as "Old Booker"
• He was an herb doctor.

Other possible places of birth:

• Halifax County, VA. (portions of Franklin County were part of Halifax County between 1752-1767... the area then part of Pittsylvania County 1767-1777, and then the northern part of Henry County 1777-1790, after which the area then finally became part of modern Franklin County).
• North Carolina

According to the Potter Family Website, he is buried in the Levi Cantrell Cemetery. See: http://yeahpot.com/mullins/jamesbooker.html

Burial: Levi Cantrell Cemetery, Wise County, Virginia, USA

• Created by: Carol Brown
• Record added: Feb 17, 2009
• Find A Grave Memorial# 33946827

Second assertion (with photograph of relatively new stone backing it, but dates are slightly different c1767 - c1864, m. Sarah): Burial: Thomps Boggs Cemetery, Wise County,Virginia, USA

• Maintained by: Carol Brown
• Originally Created by: Howard Burough
• Record added: Apr 13, 2010
• Find A Grave Memorial# 51031662

Third assertion, also made by Annette Potter, below:

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From Potter Family and Friends:

http://yeahpot.com/gedcom/mullins/pafg04.htm#654

50. James "Old Booker" (Wm. And Katherine Varner) Mullins [1]

• (William (Wm. And Katherine Smythe) , William "Grancer" (Matthew And Elizabeth) , Matthew I )
• was born in 1762 in Franklin County,Virginia.
• He died on 4 Apr 1864 in Bold Camp,Wise County,Virginia.
• He was buried in Sherrod Mullins Cemetery.
• James agreed on marriage contract on 12 May 1803 in Franklin County, Virginia. James married [2] (1) Nancy Jane (William And Nancy Mullins) Stanley [1] daughter of William (Wm. And Judith Hanna) Stanley and Nancy (Wm. And Katherine Varner) Mullins on 12 May 1803 in Franklin County,Virginia.
  • Nancy was born in 1770 in Orange County,Virginia.
  • She died in 1859 in Bold Camp,Wise County,Virginia.
  • Nancy agreed on marriage contract on 12 May 1803 in Franklin County, Virginia.

They had the following children:

• 1. 137 M i James Booker Jr. (James And Nancy Stanley) Mullins [1]
  • was born in 1786 in Franklin County,Virginia.
  • He died in 1870/1880 in Letcher County,Kentucky.
• 2. + 138 M ii William Harrison "Lame Hand" (James And Nancy Stanley) Mullins
  • was born in 1790.
  • He died in 1845.
• 3. + 139 F iii Olive (James And Nancy Stanley) Mullins
  • was born in 1791.
  • She died on 11 Dec 1871.
• 4. + 140 M iv Sherwood "Sherd" (James And Nancy Stanley) Mullins
  • was born in 1793.
  • He died on 3 Dec 1881.
• 5. + 141 M v David "Spotted Dave" (James And Nancy Stanley) Mullins
  • was born in 1798.
  • He died in Jul 1877.
• 6. + 142 M vi John (James Booker And Nancy Stanley) Mullins
  • was born in 1798.
• 7. + 143 M vii Thomas Pleasant "Lonesome Tom"(James And Nancy Stanley) Mullins
  • was born in 1799.
  • He died before 1870.
• 8. 144 M viii Joshua (James And Nancy Stanley) Mullins [1]
  • was born in 1790 in Virginia.
  • He died in 1895 in Floyd County,Kentucky.
  • Joshua agreed on marriage contract on 26 Oct 1819 in Floyd County, Kentucky. Joshua married [2] Mary Polly (Thomas T. And Mary Miller) Johnson [1] on 26 Oct 1819 in Floyd County,Kentucky.
    • Mary was born in 1803 in Kentucky.
    • She died in 1860.
    • Mary agreed on marriage contract on 26 Oct 1819 in Floyd County, Kentucky.
• 9. + 145 F ix Anna (James And Nancy Stanley) Mullins
  • was born in 1801.
  • She died in 1875.
• 10. + 146 M x Ambrose (James Booker And Nancy Stanley) Mullins
  • was born on 10 May 1803.
  • He died on 12 Jan 1886.
• 11. + 147 M xi Isham (James And Nancy Stanley) Mullins
  • was born on 4 Mar 1804.
  • He died on 24 Feb 1874.
• 12. + 148 M xii Solomon (James And Nancy Stanley) Mullins
  • was born in 1815.

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Marriage 1 Judith STANLEY

Children

• 1. Anne MULLINS b: ABT 1800 in , , North Carolina
• 2. David MULLINS b: 1798 in , , North Carolina
• 3. Sherwood (Sherrod) MULLINS b: 1794 in , , Virginia
• 4. Ollie MULLINS b: 1791 in , Franklin Co, VA
• 5. James MULLINS b: 1792 in , Franklin Co, VA
• 6. Booker MULLINS Jr. b: 1795

Marriage 2 Nancy

Children

• 1. Josua MULLINS b: 1810
• 2. John MULLINS
• 3. Mort MULLINS
• 4. Alice MULLINS
• 5. Judy MULLINS
• 6. Nancy MULLINS b: 1807 in , , Virginia

  ---

Wives of Dr. Jim: 1 ) Nancy Mullins daughter of Ambrose Mullins Sr. They divorced. He had a relationship with 2) Mary "Polly" Mullins (probable) daughter of Ambrose Mullins Jr. (His 1st wife's niece). Note: A marriage license for Dr. Jim and Polly has never been found. This would require more research in the state of Missouri to determine if such records exist.

Posted to http://groups.msn.com/mullins/_homepage.msnw?pgmarket=en-us
by Gary Mullins - Feb 26, 2006  

--I wish I had all the answers for you, but the fact is, we are still working on understanding it all. We believe (but, this is just intelligent speculation at present) that Booker Mullins SR--p.s. he is found in no records as James Booker--was likely a child of an (at present) unknown daughter of William and Elizabeth Mullins, and that his apparent genetic father was an Adkins. William and Elizabeth raised him--that much is certain, and the other thing that is certain is that genetically (on the male or Y-Chromosome) he was not a blood brother to either John Mullins SR (1754--Rev. War John) or to John's brother Ambrose Mullins SR. We believe also that the answer to who Booker's father was lies with more DNA testing---with other male descendants of the Adkins found in Pittsylvania Co., VA. I am desperately trying to find a suitable candidate for that additional testing--someone who has a proven line back to William Adkins who married Elizabeth Parker.

That is once again speculation on my part--but, based on the fact that most if not all of the Adkins (or Adkinsons, as they are also known) in Pitts. Co. apparently go back to this William--including a Sherwood Adkins (b.ca. 1728) that we are particularly interested in. Hopefully, we will find someone who fits the bill--and if the Booker Mullins men match that descendant, at least we will know for sure which set of Adkins we descend from....Gary

Posted by Gary Mullins  To Appalachian Roots & Branches MyFamily Site Feb 12, 2007 

The Mullins go back to Eoghan (pronounced "Owen"), a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Niall was one of the founders of the Ui Neill Dynasty (pronounced EE NEEL). Eoghan died in the year 465 AD. The DNA evidence has proven our line of descent, and geneticists at Trinity University--Dublin, Ireland have recognized our lineage, which is also been verified by FTDNA--a DNA research center.

The Booker Mullins family have been proven by DNA evidence to be either directly descended from William Adkins (b. ca. 1690), or possibly, one of his brothers--although William remains the best candidate as our direct ancestor (see my last posting on updates to the Mullins Y-DNA Project).