Pvt. John Underwood

JOHN UNDERWOOD'S REVOLUTIONARY WAR SERVICE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
John UNDERWOOD apparently served as a Private in LtCol. Samuel HAMMOND's Regt. of South Carolina State Troops, from 1 Apr 1782 to 1 Oct 1784, according to pg. 91 of the "Stub Entries to Indents for Revolutionary Claims", vol. L - N (published by the Historical Commission of South Carolina). The claim that the Pvt. John UNDERWOOD is the same man as the John UNDERWOOD of Fauquier Co., VA, and later of Union Co., SC, is made and accepted by the Sons of the American Revolution. The original claim was made by descendant Summers HARDY, and filed via the Oklahoma Society of the S. A. R., State application #188, made on 27 May 1927, and approved and registered 11 Jul 1927. The National S. A. R. application number was #43488.

This military service might explain why John UNDERWOOD so quickly moved to South Carolina after he was married (although other reasons could have easily been the primary one, including the basic mass migration south of many Middle Colony farmers of VA, MD, DE, PA, & NJ). In other words, John may have moved to South Carolina late in the War or just after Yorktown (Oct 1781), in which state there was still active skirmishing, and John may have been informed of the situation by UNDERWOOD relatives who had already moved to the Carolinas, and he liked what he heard. Then after serving 2-1/2 years throughout the Carolina countryside, he may have determined to return to Virginia, settle his affairs there, and uproot and move to South Carolina permanently. Indeed, he married Susannah TEAGLE in 1785 in Fauquier Co., VA, and after having two sons, moved to Union Co., SC, between 1787-1789, living here until his death in 1808.

More research is needed on this military service. An S. A. R. application does not make these John UNDERWOODs the same person, although the case is plausible on its face. More research is also needed on this Revolutionary War unit, namely LtCol. Samuel HAMMOND's Regt. of SC State Troops.

Keep in mind that the HAMMOND family is related by marriage to the UNDERWOODs of this era and in these locations, and Col. Sam HAMMOND himself was born (in 1757) in Farnham Parish in Richmond Co., VA, and was educated in Prince William Co., VA. (Son of Charles HAMMOND and Rebecca STEELE.) He was originally in service at the beginning of the War in Virginia units, having been close personal connections with the families of Washington and Lee. One of HAMMOND's Majors was a Benjamin TUTT (1738-1828), and one of his Captains was Richard TUTT (1749-1807), brothers, of King George Co., and Culpeper Co. VA, John UNDERWOOD's 2nd-cousins, both of whom permanently relocated to Edgefield Co., SC. (Maj. Benjamin TUTT and Capt. Richard TUTT were sons of James TUTT [1705-1781] and Ann HANSFORD [1705-1772], grandsons of Richard TUTT, Sr. [c.1680-1728] and Mary UNDERWOOD [c.1687-aft. 1749], and great-grandsons of William UNDERWOOD, III [1648-1717] and Joane _______ [c.1656-bef. 1717].)

All these men were all on good terms (some on a first name basis) with South Carolina notables Andrew PICKENS, Thomas SUMTER, Andrew WILLIAMSON (perhaps another cousin?), LeRoy HAMMOND (WILLIAMSON's bro-in-law and Sam HAMMOND's uncle), Charles HAMMOND (Sam's brother), Elijah CLARKE, Edward HAMPTON, James WILLIAMS, John RUTLEDGE, Francis MARION, Daniel MORGAN, and Nathaniel GREENE, to name but a few luminaries. [HAMMOND's biographical details were furnished by himself in his 1832 S.C. State Pension Application, #S21807.]

Perhaps a common relative secured a spot for John UNDERWOOD to serve in this unit---even as a lowly Private; OR John may have simply recognized the name HAMMOND and joined up in response to one of the many advertisements then in circulation for recruits to such units---it is known that HAMMOND's unit did engage in such broadside recruiting efforts, and that---like HAMMOND himself---attracted many Virginians to serve in the Carolinas. As the closeness of military service often creates stronger ties than blood, this plausible identification of John UNDERWOOD's SC military service---before he permanently moved to SC---would be but one more strong reason for John UNDERWOOD to have uprooted himself from his family lands and migrated to the South Carolina Upcountry in 1788.

JOHN UNDERWOOD'S BIRTH AND PARENTS
----------------------------------------------------------
John UNDERWOOD was probably born about 1760 or earlier. It seems he was born [near *Lamb's Creek Church] in Brunswick Parish, in western present-day King George County, VA, on the Rappahannock side of Virginia's Northern Neck. Very soon after that, he probably moved with his parents to permanently reside in Fauquier Co.; he may have been born in Fauquier or Culpeper County to begin with.

[* Am checking notes for the right land record---will update or confirm. (9 Jun 2016)]

William UNDERWOOD, (V), Esq., the man believed to be his father, had inheritance and land ownership at certain times in this part of Virginia, as well as lands inherited from his father in Richmond and/or Westmoreland Counties. His land holdings would be the best determining factor to establish the main family residence when the children were born. Even though he was acquiring land in what would, after 1759, be Fauquier County, it is proposed that during the French and Indian War period, in which John's father William apparently served, the family still resided further down the Rappahannock in King George or maybe even Richmond County. After 1763, they may have moved upriver, closer to the Blue Ridge, in Fauquier or Culpeper Counties. A fresh study of court records is in order to try to pinpoint and lay out an approximate timeline regarding their land holdings and residences.

The UNDERWOOD family, like so many others in Northern Virginia in this time period, is a tangle. Records in this area are somewhat of an historical mess---first there were natural losses to lightning or lamp fires and mildew and rot, and to that must be added the devastation of Northern Virginia during the Civil War, including battle destruction and pillaging of "souvenirs". The "Cockpit of the War" was between the two opposing capitols: Washington, DC, and Richmond, VA---right through the heart of the territory which an UNDERWOOD researcher needs to explore---sometimes in vain, or so it would seem. For example, until 1978, the first Will Book of King George County was still missing, having disappeared during the War, and finally found up North and returned. Lost parish records, other missing County records, and shifting County and parish boundaries, plus multiple marriages and possible inheritance transactions apparently conducted outside the purview of the courts and free from its bonds and fees---all contribute to missing puzzle pieces in the UNDERWOOD family picture. Every now and again however, a missing piece is found in documents mostly concerning some other family name---random data here or there which has been long overlooked, like a land boundary line belonging to one of our kin, in an area or time period which was previously unnoticed by most researchers. Sometimes the finding of a 5th or 6th such insignificant clue may prove to be the key that unlocks a small mystery and then joins a number of other disconnected items together.

The parentage of John UNDERWOOD and his likely younger brother Annet UNDERWOOD is still largely conjectural, although indirect connections continue to point to one or two primary conclusions.

It is still unproven, but as mentioned, John's parents were likely William UNDERWOOD and Ellen (HACKLEY). The connection of these generations was suggested by various researchers from the 1930's on---people doing work on this entire family clan in Fauquier and other Northern Neck and Rappahannock River counties such as Culpeper and Orange. They traced them back through to Virginia's early days, and down through Prince William, Stafford, King George, Westmoreland, Richmond, Northumberland, Lancaster, and Old Rappahannock Counties in the Northern Neck, and Isle of Wight and Surry Counties in S/E/ VA. Their initial interest was in the related THATCHER, JETT, TUTT, GILBERT, and maybe TRIPLETT families, but it had led them to the UNDERWOOD line and they did lots of work on them many decades ago. They left copies of some of their research notes and papers and charts in the Fauquier County Heritage Society in Marshall, and there was also data from them in some of these other counties.

William UNDERWOOD left a will in Culpeper Co., VA on 2 Aug 1773 (proved 18 Apr 1774), his wife Ellen to be Executor (I also have Andrew BUCHANAN as Executor)(?). William mentions his wife Ellen, and a daughter Jael UNDERWOOD (who would, on 10 Jul 1774, marry Robert POLLARD, Quartermaster of the original Culpeper Minutemen unit; both are buried in Shockoe Hill Cemetery, Richmond, Henrico Co., VA.) He also mentions as contingent heirs (if his wife and daughter die before him) the following people: George and James STUBBLEFIELD, for land he purchased of the estate of John SPOTSWOOD, apparently in Orange and Culpeper Counties. He mentions Ann BROWN, wife of Hezekiah BROWN, and their daughter Nelly BROWN; Sarah Underwood ZIGLER; also children of his brother Lott UNDERWOOD, children of his brother Zachariah UNDERWOOD (excepting William U. & Gail [prob. Jael] U.), and children of his sister Sarah (UNDERWOOD) SCHOOLER. Witnesses were William HAWKINS, Anne STUBBLEFIELD, and Mary STUBBLEFIELD. (Sarah had married Thomas SCHOOLER, Jr.; Ann BROWN was a STUBBLEFIELD, and with her brothers George and James, were step-children of testator Willam). Most of the rest of people are traceable relatives by blood or marriage to William.

(An aside, Sarah UNDERWOOD ZIGLER is somewhat of a mystery, but it could be she was a daughter (an only daughter?) of William's older brother Thomas UNDERWOOD, of whom one record suggests had died in 1749. There doesn't seem to be any other ZIGLER family in Virginia or Maryland until about 1775 in the Shenandoah Valley. She may be the Sarah who would have been born about 1739 and married Samuel STIGLER in about 1757, apparently in King George Co.. They eventually moved to Culpeper Co., VA; then Nelson Co., KY, sometime in the 1780's, and was the mother of several children, who also left descendants. This Samuel STIGLER was the eldest? son of James and Mary STIGLER---James died in 1765 in King George Co., VA; this STIGLER family was connected with the HACKLEY, SHIPPE, and REED families, and thus a real probability for this relationship. If the final copy of William UNDERWOOD's 1773 Will was written via verbal dictation, the copyist may have heard and written ZIGLER instead of STIGLER. Thus, deciphering an understandable spelling error might lead to an important clue---the STIGLER family documents may yield some data for the UNDERWOOD family.)

Regarding William UNDERWOOD's 1773 Will, most of William's major land holdings in Richmond / Westmoreland County, King George County, and Fauquier and Culpeper Counties, seem to be unaccounted for in this document, indicating the possibility that he either sold some of them or gave them already to children not named in his Will, including sons who were still minors.

It is believed, then, that this William, being a lawyer, may have already given gifts to other children in lieu of an inheritance listed in any will or probate, namely to a son John UNDERWOOD, who would have been between perhaps 13 and 15, and a son Annet, who would have been about 11 or 12. He would have felt obliged to owe dowry for his daughter Jael, and probably step-granddaughter Nelly BROWN, so they are mentioned. Also he may have released any legal rights to property of his wife's first husband, Capt. Thomas STUBBLEFIELD, or in some equivalent way honor his own step-sons George and James STUBBLEFIELD, thus mentioning them. He also, as 2nd oldest son of his own father, and fairly well-to-do, may have felt sympathy to remember his younger brothers' and sister's children.

As to his own children not being mentioned in his Will, it may be that testator William may have been married once before Ellen, namely to Eliza STROTHER, and they may be the parents of the Elizabeth UNDERWOOD who married George GREEN, 22 Jan 1762 in Fauquier Co. If this is so, Elizabeth is not named in her father's Will. William's 2nd wife Ellen (HACKLEY) was 1st married to Robert DONIPHAN, c.1733, and it seems she was the mother of their son Robert, mentioned in Robert Sr.'s 1742 King George Co. Will. William UNDERWOOD does not mention that step-son. Finally, William does not mention Frances BRUCE, who was Ellen's 4th child by Thomas STUBBLEFIELD, but mentions the other three. So it is not a stretch to believe there may have been other heirs not named in William's Will.

The practice of granting inheritance before death was well-known, and may have been a more common custom in that time and place, as Richard Teagle, in 1813 in Fauquier Co., does the same thing, and actually explains it in his own Will.

Additionally, William himself may have (knowingly or not) followed the example of his own father, who, in 1725, names only two of his children in his Will, the rest being generically mentioned, or perhaps provided for outside of any legal proceedings tied to or described in his actual Will.

Other men initially considered as the father for John and/or Annet seem to prove out to have other clearer sets of known children and their fates, including the 2 other distant branches of UNDERWOOD cousins who came up to the Culpeper/Fauquier region from Louisa and Hanover Counties of central Virginia and points South and S/E, down toward Isle of Wight County, where the UNDERWOODs first settled in Virginia around 1630 or earlier.

Another group of UNDERWOOD men ruled-out were the known 1st-cousins of William UNDERWOOD and his brothers Thomas, Lott, and Zachariah. William and his brothers were the 4 sons of William UNDERWOOD, IV (c.1677-21 Feb 1725/26), and Jael SHIPPE (c.1692-c.1761; they married 16 Dec 1714). William IV was the son of "Major" William UNDERWOOD, III (1649-1717/18), and his 2nd wife Joan/Jane [nee UNDERWOOD? from a different line---one researcher suggested her surname may have been HURLEY]. These aforementioned cousins are the sons of John UNDERWOOD and Elizabeth SLAUGHTER; John was the son of "Major" William UNDERWOOD, III, and his first wife Mary BUTLER (c.1652-1672) (youngest? dau. of Rev. Almeric BUTLER, b: c.1610). John married Elizabeth SLAUGHTER, his own 2nd-Cousin, and their sons were George, Daniel, William, and John, all born in King George Co., VA, between about 1705 and 1715, and all ended up in North Carolina, with their children.)

Some researchers of the MOTT, SHIPPE and HACKLEY families, among others (REED, DONIPHAN, STROTHER, STUBBLEFIELD, etc.), have traced downward from common ancestors in the early 1700's a number of UNDERWOOD descendants, and in spite of some other confusing mistakes, have included John and Annet Underwood as either sons of Lott UNDERWOOD, or his brother Zachariah, or most likely their brother William, in spite of his 1773 Will. (Lott UNDERWOOD had married Frances GRANT, daughter of Daniel GRANT and Mary PANNELL of King George Co., VA, and seem to have had Frances, William, Elizabeth, Jaely, and Mary. Zachariah UNDERWOOD had married Mary HACKLEY, sister of Ellen and daughter of James HACKLEY and Elizabeth SHIPPE.)

By process of elimination, along with other positive identifiers such as location and time, it is believed that this William and Ellen (HACKLEY) UNDERWOOD are the parents of John UNDERWOOD and Annet UNDERWOOD, who married TEAGLE sisters. [As another possibility, Zachariah and Mary (HACKLEY) UNDERWOOD might be the parents, which is also interesting as it would still provide the exact same pairs of grandparents as if the descent was through William and Ellen.]

(***NEW***) One other possibility that has recently occurred to this author, is the fact that the tax records in Fauquier Co., VA, show a John UNDERWOOD having taxable land in Fauquier in 1759, probably just north-northwest of the current site of Warrenton, where the headwaters of both Cedar Run (on the east) and Great Run (on the west) flow from the Rappahannock Mountains---specifically Watery Mountain. (This is just west of U.S. Hwy. 17, north of County Road 690 [Cannonball Gate Road]m, and probably where Summerfield Hills Drive branches off to the northwest from Rt. 690.)

JOHN UNDERWOOD'S WIFE AND THE TEAGLE FAMILY
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
John UNDERWOOD married Susannah TEAGLE on 25 October 1785 in Fauquier Co., VA. Four years later, Annet UNDERWOOD married Elizabeth TEAGLE on 3 April 1789 in the same county. (25 Oct 1785 is date of Bond, and also, apparently the date of marriage, Fauquier Marriage Book 1, pg. 154---and 1785 is correct, not 1783, which appears in another place in that book in reference to this union, but in error). In 1788, John and Susannah moved to the S/E quadrant of Union County, SC. In about 1790, Annet and Elizabeth followed.

Several of Susannah's and Elizabeth's brothers also moved from the Fauquier/Culpeper Co., VA area (the upper Rappahannock River valley) to Union Co., SC:

Nathaniel TEAGLE, probably the last of his siblings to be born in Abingdon Parish in Gloucester Co., VA, moved to Union Co., SC, and lived out his life there, marrying and raising a family of at least 8 children.

Richard TEAGLE, Jr. seems also to have come to Union Co., SC, to settle down.

Joseph TEAGLE and Thomas T. TEAGLE moved directly from Virginia to Wayne County, IN, just before 1817, arriving about the same time as their nephew Lewis UNDERWOOD (John and Susannah's 3rd son) who came from South Carolina. All of them seem to have migrated to Indiana at the same time as a large group of Quakers who left the South in protest of slavery. Lewis arrived with the particular group who left the Cane Creek Meeting in S/E Union County in about 1816. Interestingly, these two TEAGLE brothers and their UNDERWOOD nephew [Lewis] all three married BOND girls in Wayne Co., IN, c.1817-1819.

JOHN & SUSANNAH (TEAGLE) UNDERWOOD'S DEATH
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
John and Susannah UNDERWOOD died in Union County, SC, in 1808 and circa 1825, respectively. They had land S/E of present Carlisle, near Fish Dam Ford, apparently just south of there, with part of their property being right on Broad River. [More about their land holdings later.]

JOHN & SUSANNAH (TEAGLE) UNDERWOOD'S CHILDREN
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
They had 7 known children:

1) John UNDERWOOD (Jr.), b: 1786 - Goldvein, Fauquier Co., VA; This maybe the John Underwood who served as a Corporal in Col. Alston's 3rd South Carolina Militia Regt. in the War of 1812. Said to have traveled North with brother Lewis and others from Cane Creek Quaker Meeting, c.1816, but decided to stay in Tennessee for the time, and therefore nothing further is known of him at this time.

2) Robert P. [Price?] UNDERWOOD, b: 1787 - Goldvein, Fauquier Co., VA; d: 5 Mar 1858 - Old Hamilton, Monroe Co., MS; m:1) c.1819 - Union Co., SC, to Martha HOLLINGSWORTH (c.1795-c.1836; dau. of Isaac HOLLINGSWORTH and Ann COX); Robert & Martha had 7 known sons (and possibly an 8th), nearly all of whom served in Confederate units in the War:

 a) James N. UNDERWOOD.

 b) Isaac William UNDERWOOD.

 c) John H. UNDERWOOD.

 d) Daniel Alton UNDERWOOD.

 e) Enoch Berry UNDERWOOD.

?f) B.B. UNDERWOOD (may actually be same as Enoch)

 g) Henry Price UNDERWOOD.

 h) Robert Fulton T. UNDERWOOD. m:2) c.1840/41 - Gwinnett Co., GA, to Lucinda HARBIN (1808-7 Jul 1871; dau. of John HARBIN & Nancy [MAYO ?]); Robert & Lucinda had 6 children (4 sons, 2 daughters), his younger sons either serving in active or reserve Confederate units:

 i) Richard Harbin T. UNDERWOOD.

 j) Susannah H. UNDERWOOD.

 k) Nancy R. Henrietta UNDERWOOD.

 l) Andrew Harrison UNDERWOOD.

 m) Francis Marion UNDERWOOD.

 n) Lewis H. UNDERWOOD.

3) Elizabeth "Betty" UNDERWOOD, b: 1788 - Union Co., SC; d: c.1867 - Monroe Co., MS; m: c.1804 to Henry Joseph HARDY (1778-1860; son of John HARDY and Ann WILLIAMS); Henry HARDY served as a Private in Co. "C", Col. Means's 1st South Carolina Militia Regt. (a.k.a. 1st SC Light Horse Vols.) in the War of 1812, as did his brother-in-law Lewis UNDERWOOD. Henry & Betty had 9 known children:

 a) Andrew Underwood HARDY.

 b) Henry Kendall HARDY.

 c) John L. HARDY.

 d) Susan HARDY.

 e) Sallie Elizabeth HARDY.

 f) Mary Olive HARDY.

 g) Liza R. HARDY.

 h) Frances F. HARDY.

 i) Henrietta HARDY.

4) Lewis UNDERWOOD, b: 9 Dec 1789 - Union Co., SC; d: 26 Jul 1867 - nr. Casey, Adair Co., IA; Lewis UNDERWOOD served as a Private in Co. "C", Col. Means's 1st South Carolina Militia Regt. (a.k.a. 1st SC Lighthorse Vols.) in the War of 1812, as did his brother-in-law Henry HARDY. Lewis suffered a debilitating injury when his horse spooked at a thunderclap and bolted through a fork of two nearby trees, crushing Lewis's right ankle. His pension was rejected, but the paperwork provides many details of his life, as does Iowa's county histories. m: 9 Oct 1817 - Wayne Co., IN, to Keziah BOND (17 Jul 1799-17 May 1866; dau. of Edward BOND, Jr. & Anna HUFF); had 13 known children:

 a) Andrew UNDERWOOD.

 b) Jane UNDERWOOD.

 c) Susannah UNDERWOOD.

 d) Exum UNDERWOOD (male).

 e) Lucinda UNDERWOOD.

 f) Elvina UNDERWOOD.

 g) Enoch UNDERWOOD.

 h) Annet UNDERWOOD (male).

 i) Hulda Matilda UNDERWOOD.

 j) Anna Delana UNDERWOOD.

 k) Elizabeth Lurana UNDERWOOD.

 l) Anderson UNDERWOOD.

 m) Keziah L. UNDERWOOD.

5) Susannah UNDERWOOD, b: c.1790 - Union Co., SC; apparently had d: bef. 1808 - Union Co., SC.

6) Mary Elizabeth "Polly" UNDERWOOD, b: c.1791 - Union Co., SC; no death data; m: c.1808 - Union Co., SC?, to John BROWN. No data on relatives or descendants at present.

7) Jencie UNDERWOOD, b: c.1793 - Union Co., SC; apparently had d: bef. 1808 - Union Co., SC.

[This biography is a work in progress and will be updated or corrected as need arises.]* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Oct 15 2020, 16:11:43 UTC