Weston Wagons West - Ep. D1 - David Weston and the John and Ann Kinnick family arrived in North Carolina in 1792

During the long wagon ride from Charles County, Maryland, to Rowan County, North Carolina, along the Great Wagon Road, along the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, David Weston met a young lady named Milly Harbin, a member of one of the families also making the migration. They were married in a New Year's Eve ceremony attended by many others from the wagon train as well as community members they had met since their arrival.

In March of 1793, John, Ann, and their family were joined by another son, William. He joined John Adam, now 15, David, 13, Elizabeth, 11, George, 9, Susannah, 7, Mary, 6, and Milly 4. The Rowan County Register of Deeds showed that John Kinnick purchased 150 acres of land from John Mock in January of 1795. This land was located about five miles southeast of the cabin where Daniel and Rebecca Boone lived prior to moving to Kentucky about sixteen years earlier. [This land was located in Davie County after Rowan County was broken into multiple counties in 1836 as the population continued to rise...]

Four more children were born to John and Ann Kinnick in the following years: James, in March of 1795; Catherine in 1797; Nancy in August of 1798; and finally, Richard in 1800. All twelve children lived to adulthood and had families of their own. David and Milly Weston had a son born in March of 1805 who eventually followed his father into the farrier and blacksmith trades.

David R. Kinnick bought 100 acres from Israel Whitaker in September of 1802 on the west side of Dutchman Creek. In November of 1803, John Adam Kinnick purchased 150 acres of land from Allen C. Harbin on Big Branch, in the fork of the Yadkin River. David, February of 1804, purchased an additional 100 acres of land on the west bank of Dutchman Creek from Allen C. Harbin. [In the map link, above, you can see Dutchman Creek in the lower left corner of the map. In July of 2000, the author and his wife crossed Dutchman Creek several times near this property on a visit to the area.]

The first marriage in the Kinnick family was Elizabeth, who, at age 21, married James Harbin in August of 1803. This was followed shortly by John Adam Kinnick, age 25, who married Anney Call in November of 1803, just four days after he bought his own farm land. In the following spring, David, then 24, married Sarah Rector in May of 1804. In 1805, Mary married Peter Rector, followed by George Washington Kinnick becoming married to Hannah Grimes in 1806. This left, both at about age 52 by this time, John and Ann with the following children still in their home: Susannah, 20, Milly, 16, William, 13, James, 11, Catherine, 9, Nancy 8, and Richard 6.

Jeremiah Weston was born in March of 1805, the first son of David and Milly Weston, as noted earlier. David had established his blacksmith shop along the west bank of Yadkin River not far from the Kinnick farms and remained close to the family over the years. This part of the country was not affected directly by the War of 1812 or other national affairs. This area was part of the back country of North Carolina where times were relatively good, and the Indian problems were well to their south and west.

Susannah KInnick married John Harris in 1810. Milly married Basin Hagen in 1812. Catherine married John Eastburn in 1815. 1817 saw two more Kinnick marriages: James married Margaret Eckles in February and Nancy married Henry Riddle in May. During 1817, William and Richard were among several young men who decided to seek their futures in the west, and walked to what later became Lawrence County, Indiana. [Perhaps we will catch up with them, a little later, over there…]

In April of 1818, John Adam Kinnick purchased an additional 372 acres, adjoining his earlier purchases, from A.C. Harbin (for $100). In 1822, at age 44, John Adam Kinnick died in an accident on his farm leaving a young wife and six young children, ranging in age from 16 to a one-year-old.

In 1821, David and Sarah (Rector) Kinnick sold their land and packed up their eight children (aged 2 to 16) in their Weston wagon, and moved about 135 miles to the west, into Tennessee, near what became Johnson City, in Washington Country. Three more children were born to the family following their arrival in Tennessee.

Ann Kinnick, wife of John (Sr.), died in 1832. In August of 1833, John sold 203 acres of his land to his son, George (for $100). John was 77 years old, at the time. He lived until 1838 when he died at age 84.

Jeremiah Weston in 1817, at age 12, entered his apprenticeship as a farrier with his father, David, following family tradition. He received two Morgan horse mares in 1819 on his 14th birthday, and continued his apprenticeship adding broader blacksmith skills. At age 16, in 1821, he received to more Morgan horse mares as he completed his apprenticeship and continued to work with is father. On his 18th birthday, he became a full partner in his father's Weston Blacksmith and Farrier Shop. By this time, David had reached his 63st birthday, himself.

All members of the Weston family are fictional, of course. All the Kinnicks were historical figures, used here fictitiously. The relationship between the Kinnick and Weston families therefore were created fictionally for this story. The John and Ann Kinnick children are historical, but the details of their birth dates and early lives are filled in fictionally based on available collected information. Each of the children were related to the author as first cousins, five generations removed. See the link, below, for more information on the author's genealogy blog.

Each of the relationships within which these historical figures appear in these episodes is totally consistent with known historical facts for each such person in the official records of Maryland and North Carolina.

The author's historical perspective in this hub relied extensively on collaborative research in compiling the 2003 KINNICK Genealogy Book Online …
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kinnick/
This was an update and revision completed on the 50th anniversary of the 1953 publication of: "A Genealogical History of the Kinnick Family of America" by Mrs. Nettie Edna Kinnick Waggener (self-published).

This episode begins the Dx series following David Weston and the John and Ann Kinnick branch of the family. The Jx series contines following the John and Mary Kinnick family into Ohio.