John C. Elston, Sr.

John C Elston b: 8/9 Oct 1775 Elizabeth(port), Union, NJ

Notable Southern Families, Vol. 1 p. 198

"Elizabeth Clark, daughter of Elizabeth Sevier and Major William H. Clark, married John Elston (born July 20, 1789, died November 11, 1845.)"

Notable Southern Families, Vol. 3 ELSTON (p. 47)

"The Elstons are an old Welsh family in Cardeganshire, Wales. Their history dates back to a remote period. The present representatives of the family there are wealthy mine owners. The first emigrants of the name coming to America were three brothers who came from Cardeganshire to New York in about 1760.

"...The third emigrant brother was named William Elston. He settled in New Jersey at or near Elizabeth and reared a family there.

"...David Elston...son of William Elston of Wales, was bom probably in Wales, about 1745. He raised a family in New Jersey. About 1786 he moved to Wilkes County, North Carolina, and lived there about six years. Then (about 1792) he moved his entire family to the new state of Kentucky, and lived there the remainder of his life.

"John Elston, son of David Elston, was born October 8, 1775, in or near Elizabeth, New Jersey. He lived with his father until about 23 years of age. We find him in 1794-95 driving beef cattle from Kentucky into Ohio for the use of General Wayne’s army. About 1798 he and his younger brother, Allen Elston, went to the new or western portion of South Carolina, afterwards called the Pendleton District. Here they accumulated considerable property. Here also in 1801 John Elston married Elizabeth Clark, a daughter of Major William H. Clark and granddaughter of Governor John Sevier of Tennessee.

"Elizabeth Clark was bom in South Carolina July 20, 1787. Her father, Major William H. Clark, was one of the first settlers of upper S. C. He married Elizabeth Sevier, daughter of Gov. John Sevier, and by her had

(1) Sarah Hawkins Clark;

(2) Elizabeth Clark, bom July 20, 1787, married John Elston), 1801;

(3) Ruth Clark, married to Allen Elston; and

(4) John Sevier Clarke.

"Major William H. Clark married a second wife, Ruth Goodwin, February 14, 1792, and by her had four children:

(1) John Clark, bom Nov. 5, 1792;

(2) Oliver Clark, bom October 9, 1794;

(3) Sevier Clark, bom Sept. 11, 1797; and

(4) Sabra Clark, born March 3, 1799.

"Major Clark died in Hall County, Georgia, June 4, 1843. His widow. Ruth Goodwin Clark, was granted a pension on her application executed April 2, 1844.

"John Elston and Elizabeth Clark Elston reared a family of eleven children, the first six born in Pendleton District, South Carolina, and the last five born in Habersham County, Georgia.

"They lived near the South Carolina and Georgia line on the Tugaloo River first on the South Carolina side in what was then the Pendleton District, later Oconee County, until 1815-16, then on the Georgia side in Habersham County until 1834, at which date they moved to the Creek nation and settled in the upper Choccolocco valley in Benton (afterwards Calhoun) County, Alabama.

"Five of their children, namely, Sevier, William, John Clark, Ruth and Martha, came with them to Alabama.

"The children of John and Elizabeth Clark Elston were eleven in number, as follows:

1. Allen Elston, born May 25, 1802.

2. Sally Elston, born August 8, 1805.

3. Neaty Elston, bom, June 29, 1807. [(m. Blake Denman in Georgia); Neaty was named after her paternal grandmother, Fernita Elston (Line) of Pendleton District, S.C.]

4. Nancy Elston, bom September 16, 1809.

5. Sabra Elston^ bom April 8, 1812.

6. Sevier Elston, born December 27, 1814.

7. William Elston, bora April 6, 1817.

8. Elizabeth Elston, bom October 23, 1819.

9. John Clark Elston, bom July 4, 1822.

10. Ruth Elston, bom July 18, 1825.

11. Martha Elston, born April 17, 1831.

"John Elston and his sons were among the pioneer settlers of old Benton County [later Calhoun County], Alabama. They bought and entered large plantations of valuable land around the old Com Grove post-office in the upper Choccolocco Valley.

"John Elston died July 11, 1853, just seven days after signing his last will and testament. His wife Elizabeth died November 11, 1845. They lie buried side by side in the family burying ground on the Allen Elston home place near the house. Several of their children and grandchildren are also buried there."

[NOTE: Based on my many years of research to-date, I find no significant discrepancies in the above narrative from Notable Southern Families.]

John Elston had two emigrant brothers: William Elston and Elias Elston. The line (from my perspective) looks like this:

I. William Elston (emigrated with two brothers from Cardeganshire, Wales, to New York in ca. 1760. Three of his sons also came to America from Wales. Wife unknown.)

II. David Elston (born in Wales, Revolutionary soldier, m. Fernita LIne and raised his children near Elizabeth, N.J. After the War, he lived in Wilkes Co. N.C. for about six years, then moved on to retire in Kentucky.)

[The Denmans also lived near Elizabeth, N.J., during the same time period and the families undoubtedly knew each other. The two families also later lived near one another in both Georgia and in Alabama. Mary Elizabeth Denman (Williams), g-grandmother of Blake Denman (John Elston's son-in-law), also lived near Elizabeth and was of Welsh ancestry.]

III. John Elston (m. Elizabeth Sevier Clark, daughter of Maj. Wm. H. Clark, in Pendleton District, S.C. They had several children born there, then several more born in Habersham Co. Georgia. After having all those children, they later moved to the Choccolocco Valley in Calhoun Co. Alabama.)

IV. Neaty Elston (3rd child of John Elston and Elizabeth Sevier Clark, born in 1807; m. Blake Denman and lived in northern Georgia with him for several years, later moving with him to Benton (Calhoun) Co., Alabama.

V. William C. Denman (b. in northern Georgia, CSA veteran with Alabama, later settled in northern Marion Co., Florida, m. Sallie J. Crankfield; my gg-grandfather)

References

• Section: Elston Notable Southern Families. Volume III [database on-line]. AncestryImage
• GEDCOM Source Ancestry.com 1810 United States Federal Census Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004.Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Third Census of the United States, 1810. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1810. M252, 71; @R4@ Year: 1810; Census Place: Pendleton, South Carolina; Roll: 61; Page: 208; Image: 00254; Family History Library Film: 0181420
• GEDCOM Source Ancestry.com U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;
• https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89066051269&view=1up&seq=148 'The Elston Family In America, p.122, by James Strode Elston (c.1942; Public Domain)
• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees via brother William Elston by SmartCopy: Jul 9 2015, 13:49:43 UTC