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Eve Zimmerly and Peter Mumpower

Another Perspective

By Gail L Johnson A Descendant of Jacob Zimmerly 02/22/2000

revised 03/17/2002

In the mid 1980's Joseph Coleman Mumpower published a Genealogy Book on Peter Mumpower of Washington County, Virginia. In this document he names Eve Zimmerly, the daughter of Jacob and Eve Zimmerly as the second wife of Peter Mumpower Sr. The only evidence supporting this conclusion is a Marriage Register entry located in Washington County, Virginia. Where on November 15, 1796, Jacob Zink a Lutheran Minister married Peter Mumpower and Eve Zimmerly.

The following is based on Joseph Coleman Mumpower's research.
"He was married on 15 November 1796 in Washington County by Lutheran minister Jacob Zink, to Eve Zimmerlie, daughter of Jacob Zimmerlie. Eve could possibly have been his second wife. She died and Peter married Magdalena ?, who was named as his wife in his Will dated 1821 and proven in 1824." ...
"Peter had seven known children: Peter (deceased before 1821)."....
"Peter Mumpower who in 1808 was a member of Capt. Fulkersons Company, 2nd Batt.,105th Regiment was probably son of Peter Mumpower who died in 1824.

During my own research on the Zimmerly Family it became increasingly clear that it was in fact Peter Jr. who married Jacob's daughter Eve, and not Peter Mumpower Sr. as has been widely accepted. I have made every effort here to try and document this conclusion. It is my hope that somewhere there is some evidence will remove any doubt as to whom Eve Zimmerly married. But currently all available evidence points toward Peter Mumpower Jr.

The Washington County Marriage Register entry was the only document aside from Jacob Zimmerly's Will of 1819, in which Eve Zimmerly was mentioned. The Marriage register entry makes no mention of the age of the participants or names of their parents. The entry made in 1796 could have been either Peter Jr. or Peter Sr.

In the Will of Jacob Zimmerly, he names his daughter as Eve Mumbower. His Will uses a spelling which is consistent with the spelling used by Peter Jr. in Scott County, Virginia.

It is in Scott County, Virginia that other documents have been found, which support the conclusion that the Peter who married Eve Zimmerly was in fact the younger Peter Mumpower.

To be honest, much to my dismay, I have found no smoking gun. No one document which would remove doubt as to which Peter Mumpower is actually the patriarch of this branch of Zimmerly descendants. Yet when examining the available evidence what is found all points in one direction.

Briefly,

We know by Jacob's Will that daughter Eve is alive in 1819, and married in 1796 she would certainly be the current wife of Peter Mumpower in 1810.

According to the Census of 1810 the wife of Peter Sr was older than 45, born before 1765, she is too old to be a daughter of Jacob Zimmerly. Peter Jr. on the other hand is married to a woman born between 1765-1784. This places her at an age similar to the children of Jacob Zimmerly. Jacob's children were born between 1770-1887.

We know Peter Mumpower Jr., purchased land in Washington County in 1807, land whose physical description matches the description of property sold by Peter Mumbower and his wife Eve in 1818.

According to Tax records in Scott County, Peter Mumbower died between 1819-1820, the named administrators to his estate were Henry Mumpower (Peter's brother) and Frederick Sanders (spouse of Mary Zimmerly).

Eve Mumbower is listed as Head of Household in Scott County in 1820 age 26-45, when evaluated in conjunction with the 1810 Census data, we know Eve was born between 1775-1784. Peter Sr. is still in Washington County and again both he and his wife are over age 45.

With this evidence in hand, I would like to present this revised history of the Mumpower and Zimmerly family connection.

Peter Mumpower Sr.

The patriarch of the Mumpower's of Washington County, Virginia is Peter Mumpower. Peter served under Captain Evan Shelby in 1773, it is likely that Peter was at least sixteen at the time. This places his year of birth prior to 1757. Peter married Susan sometime prior to 1772. Susan Mumpower is probably the mother of all of the Mumpower children born prior to 1792. Peter and Susan Mumpower are named as parents of Barbara Lindamood in her death record of 1876. Peter married for a second time prior to 1810. Peter's second wife Magdalena is named in his Will recorded in 1824. There appears to be a eight year gap between his two youngest children. Barbara was born in 1792 and Elizabeth born in 1800. It is possible that mother of Peter's youngest daughter Elizabeth is actually a child of Peter and Magdalena. The birth years of the Mumpower children can be estimated from available census and tax records.

  • John Mumpower (ca 1772){tax records 1788-1792, Washington Co., VA)

  • Henry Mumpower (ca 1774){census records, 1810 (26-45), 1820 (^45)}

  • Peter Mumpower (ca 1778){tax record 1800, Washington Co., VA, census record, 1810 (26-45)}

  • Catherine Hickman (ca 1782) {estimated based on age of 1st child born in 1797}

  • Mary Hartsock (ca 1785-1789) {census records 1810 "&" 1820} Mary's birth year has been estimated by other researchers as 1814, and records her as the wife of Samuel Hartsock born in 1804. A quick review of the time frame reveals that this is not possible. Mary was already married at the writing of her fathers Will in 1821. A birth year of 1814 would make Mary age 7 in 1821. It is more likely that Mary is the mother or an aunt of the Samuel Hartsock born in 1804.

  • Barbara Lindamood (ca 1792) {Death Register, Washington County, age 84 in June 1876}

  • Elizabeth Stoffle (ca 1800) {Death Register, Washington County, age 84 in 1884}

Peter Mumpower/Mumbower Jr.

Peter Mumpower Jr. was probably born around 1778, a child of Peter and Susan Mumpower. On November 15, 1796, Peter Mumpower Jr. married Eve Zimmerly. It was uncommon although not unheard of for a young man to marry before age 18. Assuming that Peter was at 18 at the time of his marriage to Eve in 1796 his birth year would be 1778. Other evidence supports this estimate. Peter Jr. was 26-45 at the time of the 1810 Census, indicating a birth year between 1765-1784. Peter Mumpower Jr. also appears in several tax records in Washington County, as early as 1800, he would have to be at least 21 years of age in 1800.

Peter Jr. married Eve Zimmerly the daughter of Jacob and Eve Zimmerly. Eve was born about 1779 in North Carolina according to 1850 Census records. This was probably that portion of North Carolina which would later become Tennessee. Peter and Eve had two daughters, Mary born in 1809 and Elizabeth born in 1811.

The couple made their first home in Washington County, Virginia. Peter purchased property here between 1800-1810. One of these properties was purchased from Henry Moore. This property, originally located in Washington County became part of a newly formed Scott County in 1814. It was about this time that Peter drops the "Jr." from his name on legal documents. The Bonds Branch property was later sold by Peter and his wife Eve in 1818, when they purchased land on Moccasin Creek. There are tax records in Scott County for Peter Mumbower from the time of the formation of Scott County in 1814 until 1820. In June of 1820 Peter's Estate took over the tax payments. This places the death of Peter Mumbower of Scott County between 1819 and 1820. His estate was administered by his brother Henry Mumpower and Frederick Sanders. Eve Mumbower and her daughter Elizabeth relocated to Morgan County, KY, with her daughter Mary and her new husband George Fannin. Elizabeth married William Barker in 1830, in Morgan, KY. In an Deed dated in 1838, and notarized by justices in Morgan, KY Eve Mumbower and her daughters Mary Fannin and Elizabeth Barker sell the last of the estate of Peter Mumbower in Scott County, Virginia to a William Cody. Eve Mumbower died sometime between 1850 and 1860 in Kentucky. The descendants of Peter Jr. "&" Eve Mumpower are the descendants of their surviving children Mary and Elizabeth.

Origins of the Zimmerly Family

In his Will dated 1819 Jacob Zimmerly names his wife Eve and eight children. Catherine Lower(y), George, who predeceased his father leaving four children. Eve Mumbower(sic), Elizabeth Zimmerly, Jacob, Susannah Shelby, Mary Sanders, and Margaret Booher. Catherine Lowery, the eldest Zimmerly daughter lists her place of birth as South Carolina in the 1850 Indiana census, where she was 80 years of age and living with her sister Margaret Booher. Daughter's Eve and Elizabeth list their birth place as North Carolina. This would seem to suggest that Jacob's family arrived in this country by way of South Carolina, not Pennsylvania as previously assumed. There were two brothers, Adam and John Simerly who migrated from South Carolina to North Carolina in the mid-1770's. Adam Simerly/Zimerly appears in the Washington County Tax list in 1782 in the same tax district as Jacob Simerly/Zimerly, increasing the probability of a sibling link between these three gentlemen. They migrated from SC inland to the Northeastern corner of Tennessee, then known as North Carolina. The brothers Adam and John remained in Tennessee but Jacob about 1780 moved his family up the Holston River and settled in Washington County, Virginia.

Dates and Sources

  • ~1757, Peter Mumpower born (Research of Joe Mumpower)

  • ~1771, Peter Mumpower marries Susan (this is the mother named in Barbara Lindamood's Washington Co. Va. death record dated June 11, 1876)

  • ~1775, Henry Mumpower is born. (1810 and 1820 Census Records, Washington County Virginia)

  • ~1778 Peter Mumpower Jr. born. (1810 Census, Tax records Washington County Virginia)

  • ~ 1792 Barbara Mumpower born (death record, age 84, June 11, 1876)

  • 11/15/1796 Peter Mumpower marries Eve Zimmerly (Washington Co. Marriage Records)

  • 1807, Peter Mumpower "Jr." purchases property from Henry Moore.(DB # 4 Washington County)

  • 1809 Mary Mumpower born (Mike McCartney family records),(1850 KY Census, Morgan Co.,KY pg 121)

  • 1811, Elizabeth Mumpower born (Barbara Johnson family),(1850 KY Census, Morgan KY pg 121)

  • Peter Mumpower appears on the 1812 Muster Rolls, (Ancestry.com)

  • 1814 Scott County formed from Washington, Russell and Lee Counties

  • 1816 & 1817 Peter Mumbower pays taxes on land on Bonds Branch Scott County(Land Tax Records, Scott County VA)

  • 11/04/1817 Peter Mumbower purchases land on Moccasin Creek from John Dickenson in Scott County (Deed Book 2 page 85, Scott County VA)

  • 12/17/1817 Peter Mumbower purchases land by treasury warrant adjacent to the property he was then residing on. (Land Title Book, Scott County, pg 127)

  • 01/14/1818 " PETER MUMBOWER AND HIS WIFE EVE" sell Bonds Branch land to John Peters. (Deed book 2 pg 100, Scott County, VA)

  • 1818 Peter Mumbower pays taxes on land on Moccasin Creek (Land Tax Records, Scott County VA)

  • Peter Mumbower appears on List of Taxable Property in South Battalion Scott County. 1 mare, horse or mule

  • 1819 Peter Mumpower pays taxes on land on Moccasin Creek (Land Tax Records, Scott County VA)

  • Eve Mumbower appears on her fathers Will (Washington Co. VA Will Book 4)

  • Henry Mumbower signs Jacob's Zimmerly's Will as a witness (Washington Co. VA, Will Book 4)

  • Peter Mumbower Jr. Dies between 1819-1820 (Scott County Land Tax Records), (Peter Mumpower Sr's Will, 1821)

  • 1820 The Estate of Peter Mumbower pays taxes on land on Moccasin Creek(Land Tax Records, Scott County VA)

  • Eve Mumbower appears on the 1820 Scott County Census Records age 26-45, and 2 females 1 <10, 1 10-16.

  • Peter Mumpower Sr. appears on the 1820 Washington County Census Records at ^45 yrs and a wife ^ 45 years

  • 1821-1822 The Estate of Peter Mumbower pays taxes on land on Moccasin Creek (Land Tax Records, Scott County VA)

  • 1822 The estate of Peter Mumbower was adm by Henry Mumpower & Frederick Sanders (Will Book 1 pg 229, Scott County)

  • 1824 In Peter Mumpowers Will, Peter Sr. mentions his son Peter and his heirs. (Will book 5 pg 173)

  • 1823-1830 The Estate of Peter Mumbower pays taxes on land on Moccasin Creek(Land Tax Records, Scott County VA) I did not look beyond 1830.

  • 01/17/1825 Mary Mumpower marries George Fannin in Scott County VA (Marriage register Scott County, VA)

  • 10/31/1838 Eve Mumbower, George Fannin and his wife Polly, and William Barker and his wife Elizabeth, all of Morgan County, KY sell the Moccasin Creek property to William Cody. (Deed book 6 pg 42, Scott Co. VA)

  • 1850 Eve Mumbower appears in the household of George Fannin and wife Mary in Morgan Co., KY. age 71. William Barker and his wife Elizabeth appear on the same page. (1850 Census Morgan Co. KY pg 121)