CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

JOSEPH JOSIAH STRONG OF JACKSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE

     Was Samuel Strong (a2d5) the father of Joseph "Josiah" Strong (a2d5b)? The reasons we know that Samuel Strong (a2d5) was the father of our Joseph Strong (a2d5b) will be listed in this chapter. And although we don't have a Will showing that Joseph was the son of Samuel Strong (a2d5), there is more than enough other recorded evidence to establish that Joseph Strong (a2d5b) was the son of Samuel Strong (a2d5).

     The first and best piece of evidence that Samuel Strong (a2d5) was the father of our Joseph Strong (a2d5b) comes from a family bible believed to have belonged to Green Berry Pope of Miller County, Missouri.1 Green B. Pope was born March 18, 1758 near Brumley in Miller County, Missouri. Green Berry Pope was the son of William Meredith Pope and Julia Ann Strong. At this time it is not known if Julia Ann Strong was the daughter of Samuel Strong (a2d5) or John Strong (a2d5c).
     However the Pope Bible shows Samuel Strong (a2d5) was born on February 4, 1777 and lists his wife, Jane Strong, and his children, Elizabeth Strong, Joseph Strong, John Strong, Margaret Strong, Sally Strong, Thomas Strong, Mary Strong, Jane Strong, Annis Strong. The Pope Bible later lists the following Strong, but it is not clear how they relate to Samuel Strong (a2d5), Julia Ann Strong, William Strong, Scott Strong, Henderson Strong, Anderson Strong, Arrena Strong, Marinda Strong, Samuel Strong, Emily Strong and James F. Strong.
     What is important, is that it clearly shows a date of birth for Samuel Strong (a2d5), as well as Joseph strong. It lists the date of birth for Joseph Strong as April 2, 1800. This bible provides us with a lot of valuable information that could stand alone as proof that Joseph Strong was the son of Samuel Strong, but fortunately we have more proof than just the Pope-Strong Bible.
     The next reason for linking Samuel Strong (a2d5) and our Joseph Strong (a2d5b) together is that all of the descendants doing research on Joseph Strong have indicated that family lore alleges that the father of our Joseph Strong was a Samuel Strong from Virginia. And although family stories are not always concrete proof, they usually holds some truth in them.
     Third, Samuel Strong (a2d5) who is believed to have been born in either Pittsylvania County, Virginia or Rockingham County, North Carolina was living in Barren County (now Monroe County), Kentucky around 1812. In the 1820 Census of Monroe County, Kentucky, Samuel Strong (a2d5) had a male child living with him that was around the same age that our Joseph Strong was in the year 1820. According to census records our Joseph Strong was born in Virginia between 1798-1800.2 This is the same time that Samuel Strong (a2d5) was still living in Russell County, Virginia. Samuel Strong (a2d5) appears on the Russell County, Virginia Tax Records as follows:

Russell County, Virginia Tax Records
Russell County, Personal Property, Lower District:
1796 Samuel Strong
1798 Samuel Strong
1799 Samuel Strong
1800 Samuel Strong
1802 Samuel Strong
1810 Samuel Strong, 1 tithable, 4 horses.

Note: A Tithable is a person or thing that is tithable. A Tithe is a levy or a Tax of adult males in the household.

     I believe the Russell County, Virginia tax records for Samuel Strong (a2d5) and the Jackson County, Tennessee Census records of Joseph Strong show a possible connection of both Samuel Strong (a2d5) and our Joseph Strong being in Virginia around the same time as Joseph Strong's birth between 1798-1800. The ages in the census also appears to support the relationship between Samuel Strong (a2d5) and our Joseph Strong. Samuel Strong (a2d5) appears in Barren County (now Monroe County), Kentucky in 1812. In 1820 Monroe County, Kentucky borders Jackson County (Clay County), Tennessee which is where our Joseph Strong lived until his death around the late 1870's. Listed below are the census records of Monroe County, Kentucky:

1820 Census of Monroe County Kentucky, Page 197
Samuel Strong,    Males 1 0/10, 1 10/16, 2 16/26, 1 26/45
                             Females 2 0/10, 2 10/16, 3 16/26

1830 Census of Monroe County Kentucky, Page 391
Samuel Strong,    Males 1 0/5, 3 5/10, 1 10/15, 1 50/60
                             Females 1 0/5, 2 10/15, 1 15/20, 1 30/40, 1 80/90

1840 Census of Monroe County Kentucky, Page 235
Samuel Strong,    Males 1 0/5, 1 5/10, 1 10/15, 2 15/20, 1 20/30, 1 50/60
                             Females 2 5/10, 1 10/15, 2 20/30, 1 50/60

     The 1820 Census Record of Monroe County, Kentucky shows Samuel Strong (a2d5) as the head of the household with two white males 16/20 years of age. These two males could be Joseph Strong (a2d5b) and his brother, John Strong (a2d5a). The reason for believing that our Joseph Strong (a2d5b) is one of these two children is reveled if you look at the Monroe County Tax Records. Joseph Strong (a2d5b) first appears in the Monroe County Tax list in 1822. This is exactly where we would expect to find our Joseph Strong, listed in the same county as his father, Samuel Strong. Joseph Strong (a2d5b) would not be listed on the tax list until he was 21 years of age or his marriage to Morning Denton around 1822.

Monroe County, Kentucky Tax List Monroe County, Kentucky Tithable List

1820 Samuel Strong, 100 acres Line Creek, 10 acres line Creek.
1821 Samuel Strong
1822 Samuel Strong and Joseph Strong.
1823 Samuel Strong and Joseph Strong.
1824 Samuel Strong and Joseph Strong.
1825 Samuel Strong and Joseph Strong.
1826 Samuel Strong and Joseph Strong.
1827 Samuel Strong and Thomas Strong.
1828 Samuel Strong and Thomas Strong.
1829 Samuel Strong and Thomas Strong.
1830 Samuel Strong and Thomas Strong.

     The fourth reason for believing that Samuel Strong (a2d5) was the father of our Joseph Strong (a2d5b) is that with the birth of Joseph's first child, either Jasin Strong (a2d5b1) or Pheraby Strong (a2d5b2), Joseph would have became the head of a household around 1822. So if our Joseph Strong (a2d5b) of Jackson County (Clay County), Tennessee is the same person as the Joseph Strong listed in the Monroe County, Kentucky Tax list, Jasin Strong's or Pheraby Strong's birth should have been in Monroe County around 1822. Unfortunately no records of Jasin Strong (a2d5b1) have been found, but according to Pheraby (Strong) Miller's death certificate from Clay County, Tennessee it shows that Pheraby Strong (a2d5b2) was born in Monroe County, Kentucky and was 93 years old on April 6, 1918. The informant listed on Pheraby's death certificate was her nephew, J.A. Rich, but he did not list an exact birth date for Pheraby. So if her age is accurate on her death certificate, Pheraby was born in 1824. So Pheraby's death certificate does help provide more circumstantial evidence that our Joseph Strong (a2d5b) of Jackson County, Tennessee was in Monroe County, Kentucky in 1824. The death certificate of Pheraby (Strong) Miller also lists Pheraby's parents as Joseph Strong and Morning Denton.
     In 1827 Joseph Strong (a2d5b) disappeared from the Tax Records of Monroe County, Kentucky. However by 1829 Joseph Strong is buying land in Jackson County (Clay County), Tennessee. The area where Joseph Strong was purchasing land is now located in Clay County, Tennessee a few miles from where Samuel Strong (a2d5) was living on Line Creek in Monroe County, Kentucky. And a Michael Chism is listed as a land owner on land deeds of both Samuel and Joseph Strong. Clay County, Tennessee was not formed from part of Jackson County until 1870. So we now know that Joseph Strong (a2d5b) moved to the county south of Monroe County, Kentucky, where Samuel Strong (a2d5) lived until around 1843. Joseph "Josiah" Strong appears in the 1830 Tennessee Census of Jackson County, Tennessee at the same time he disappears from the 1830 Kentucky Census.

1830 Census of Jackson County, Tennessee.
Page 154
John Strong,    Males 1 30/40
                         Females 2 0/5, 1 5/10, 1 20/30

Josiah Strong,    Males 1 20/30
                            Females 3 0/5, 1 5/10, 1 20/30

Note: The Joseph and John Strong believed listed in the Monroe County Kentucky Census of 1820, as two white males 16/26 years of age, could easily be the John and Josiah Strong in the 1830 Census of Jackson County, Tennessee.

     Both John Strong and Josiah Strong appear on page 154 of the Jackson County, Tennessee Census. This usually indicates a close relationship between them helping to establish that they were probably brothers. Josiah Strong appears in the 20-30 age range indicating an 1800-1810 birth year. John Strong appears in the 30-40 age range indicating a 1790-1800 birth year.

     Another point of circumstantial evidence between Samuel Strong (a2d5) and our Joseph Strong (a2d5b) was found in the records of the Mill Creek Baptist Church near the town of Tompkinsville in Monroe County, Kentucky. In these records Samuel Strong's name was found listed in 1829. Samuel Strong (a2d5) was seeking permission from the Mill Creek Baptist Church to be accepted as a member of the church. From these records it appears that Samuel Strong (a2d5) was a member of the Mockinson Creek Church (Moccasin Creek Church) in Scott County, Virginia but was excluded from that church. In these church records other families are listed that are known to have married into or lived near Joseph Strong's family in Jackson County, Tennessee.

     One such family is that of the Denton Family. Joseph Strong (a2d5b) married Morning Denton, the daughter of Isaac Denton and Rebecca Etheridge. Isaac Denton and Rebecca Denton are mentioned numerous times in the records of the Mill Creek Baptist Church. Around 1840 both Samuel Strong (a2d5) and Isaac Denton were listed on the same page and lines as being excluded from the Mill Creek Baptist Church.
     Other families that are mentioned are the Rich, McLeran (McLerran), Odle, Plumlee, Pennington, Savage and Welch families. In fact Thomas Welch is also listed as a member of the Mill Creek Baptist Church and had sold Samuel Strong (a2d5) 100 acres of land on October 24, 1814 on Line Creek in Barren County (now Monroe County), Kentucky. Another member of the Mill Creek Baptist Church that is mentioned on land deeds of Samuel Strong (a2d5) is Daniel Pennington. Also in the Mill Creek Church records was the name of William Strong. This William Strong is believed to have been the son of Samuel Strong (a2d5) and brother to our Joseph Strong (a2d5b). In 1873 Joseph Strong's wife, Morning Strong, and his daughter, Polly Rich, are mentioned in the Mill Creek Baptist Church records as becoming additions to the church.
     And my final reason for Samuel Strong (a2d5) of Monroe County, Kentucky being the father of Joseph "Josiah" Strong of Jackson County, Tennessee is that our Joseph Strong (a2d5b) named a son Samuel after his father.
     Joseph Strong (a2d5b) and his father, Samuel Strong (a2d5), is as far back as I have been able to trace the Strong families of Jackson and Clay Counties of Tennessee with all certainty by using census records, tax records, family bibles, church records, land deeds and family stories. I will attempt to list as many of these records as possible in the following chapters. I am sure more records exist that I have not yet found in my research. I hope other readers and members of our family have records, wills, family bibles and stories that they will introduce in later years. I will attempt to list what is available at this time.

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