There are many references to Essex, Issac, and Essick Capshaw throughout the Capshaw History. It has been accepted by many researchers that this is only one man. I find it impossible for one man to have been in so many places at or about the same time, especially during the 1700s and 1800s.
Travel, at that time, was not that of a jet airliner, or even a modern automobile. It was, therefore, virtually impossible for a man to be in Kentucky one month and Louisiana the next. The following dates and occurrences are submitted for perusal.
1735 (ca) Essex Capshaw was born to Francis Essex and Elizabeth Capshaw in (unreadable).
Abstract Nr 76, Lieut Colonel Zachariah Gibbs' Regiment, Spartan Militia, Ninety Six Brigade, Soldier's Certification, those who served under Major Patrick Ferguson, (Abs Nr 21 in the books of Captain John Cunningham, late Pay Master of Mil- itia and in part paid by him), six-months pay, 13 Jun-14 Dec 1780, 22 Sep 1781.Nr Rank Name Remarks 1 Private Capshaw, Essex 2 " Cox, Joel 3 " Evans, Isham 4 " Fanes, Absolom 5 " Nash, John (see abs nr 68) 6 " Wallace, James Amount: b25.4.0 attest: Robert Gray, Deputy Pay Master Charleston, SC, 22 Sep 1781
Pay Abstract Nr__, Lieut Colonel Zachariah Gibbs' Regiment, Spartan Militia, Ninety Six Brigade, Captain James Gibbs' Com- pany, six-months pay, 14 Jun-13 Dec 1780 Nr Rank Name Remarks 1 Lieut Colonel Gibbs, Zachariah 1 Captain Gibbs, James 2 " Wofford, Benjamin 3 " Duncan, William 4 " Anderson, John 1 Ensign Hall, James 2 Ensign Holcomb, Richard 1 Private Biter, Peter 2 " Johnson, Joseph 3 " Spears, James 4 " Biter, William 5 " Nash, Edward 6 " McKirkey, Moses 7 " Raborn, William 8 " Raborn, Robert 9 " Gibbs, Phillip, 66 days pay 10 " Syms, James 11 " Cook, David, 66 days pay 12 " Boin, William 13 " Reed, William, 66 days pay 14 " Raborn, John 15 " Raborn, Joseph Amount: b171.3.11 attest: John Cunningham, Deputy Pay Master (PRO T50, Vol 1) Militia, 7 Aug 1781
Pay Abstract Nr__, Lieut Colonel Zachariah Gibbs' Regiment, Spartan Militia, Ninety Six Brigade, six-months pay, 14 Jun- 13 Dec 1780, 8 Sep 1781 Nr Rank Name Remarks 1 Private Neighbors, John 2 " Neighbors, Abraham 3 " Roberts, Thomas 4 " Young, Luel 5 " Egertore, Jessop 6 " Humphries, Griffin 278 ??
1769 through 1775 Essex Capshaw was in Tyron County, N. C.
1784 Isac Capshaw (probably Essex) was in Tyron County, N. C.
1786 Essex Capshaw in Rutherford County (formed from part of Tyron Co.) N. C.
1790 Essex Capshaw in Greenville, S. C.
1794 Essex Capshaw in Greenville, S. C. Given power of attorney by Francis Lattimore to recover sums due him (Lattimore).
Proved in York Co., S. C., 11 Oct. 1794 by McGowan before James Wilson, Justice of the Peace.
Proved in Franklin Co, Ga., 25 Dec 1794 before Larkin Cleveland, Justice of the Peace. Recorded 14 May 1779.[SOURCE: Georgia Magazine of Genealogy -- 1966 page 1303.]
1800 Essex Capshaw in Livingston County, KY.
1805 Essex Capshaw in Concordia Parish, LA.
1805 Essex Capshaw, Jr., was married in Livingston County, KY.
1810 Essex Capshaw in Livingston County, KY.
1811 Essex Capshaw, Sr., was in Concordia Parish, LA.
1811 Essex Capshaw was on Livingston County, KY., tax list.
1815 Essex Capshaw, went to Batesville (White Run, Missouri Territory then), Independence County, Arkansas. Memoirs and History of The Peyton Tucker Family, by Ruell Peyton Tucker, page 154, para 3. (This page reproduced below.)
1817 Essex Capshaw on the tax list in Natchez, Mississippi.
1827 Essex Capshaw on the tax list in Concordia Parish, Lousiana.
Essick or Essex Capshaw came from Wales(1)to America about 1740, and soon after he settled in Baltimore, Maryland, and went to work for Widow Johnston as Superintendent of her plantation. He soon married her(2)and had two sons, Essex and William.
After their parents died in Maryland, Essex and William moved to North Carolina and bought a farm on the Roanoke River(3) and engaged in raising grain and tobacco. They were very prosperous and highly respected by their neighbors.
Compiler will let the record speak for itself as to how Essex Capshaw fell out with his brother. He first married a Miss Hicks and had a son whom he named Essex, Jr., and his wife died soon after the birth of the son. Then Essex Sr., went to an Indian Village on the Saluda(4) River and married an Indian Chief's daughter named Elizabeth, and the issue of this marriage was several children among whom was Sarah Capshaw(5), the great-grandmother of the complier of this volume.
The compiler has set out the record of Essex Sr., in South Carolina and in Kentucky as far as the record shows.
The following footnotes are supplied by Jerry Capshaw, and are NOT
a part of the book.1. It is my opinion that this is incorrect. While not totally foolproof, the record seems to indicate a young man of the age of 16 as being the first Capshaw, i.e. Francis Copshire or Capshaw. I think there are two generations before the Essex mentioned here.
2. There is no proof that Essex or his forebearers married the Plantation owner named Johnson or Johnston. Contrarily, it seems that the wives of the early Capshaws are well documented.
3. This seems to be a direct quote from Dr. Preston Capshaw's CAPSHAW HISTORY, as amended by Benjamin Preston Capshaw. There is also a letter which was, at one time, in the possession of Betty L. Taylor, of Athens, Alabama, a cousin of Dr. Preston Capshaw, which follows the same line as his CAPSHAW HISTORY, but with less detail. It too, reads almost identically to this paragraph in Ruel Peyton Tucker's book.
4. There
is Saluda Creek, which is southeast of Batesville, Arkansas, near the town of
Salado, Arkansas. It's location comes very near to where Essex Capshaw lived. I first believed that this
was the "Saluda River" that was being referred to. It is now my understanding that there is a
Saluda River in South Carolina. It is possible that the Salado Creek was merely named after the Saluda River in
South Carolina.
As an aside, from early childhood, I had
been told that I was of Scotch, Irish and Cherokee Indian heritage. All of my
immediate family believed this, and as proof, "Papa", (my grandfather, Oscar
Wylie Capshaw), had dark hair, a high forehead, and when angry, his eyes were dark and pierciing . All of the men in my family, that I knew, had
dark brown or black hair, which was coarse and wavy. But alas, as I began to
delve into the family history, I found that this was not the case. My side of
the family is NOT descended from Essex, rather from his brother
William.
5. On the previous page copied from Ruel Peyton Tucker's book, he makes reference to Essex Capshaw going to the Saluada River and marrying the daughter of an Indian Chief, the result of which was Sarah and several others. One of these statements must be wrong!
An unfortunate incident occurred in Smithland,Kentucky in 1805. Essex Capshaw, who was a strong tempered man, and was given to quick anger, shot and killed Owen Shelby. The cause of the shooting is not shown but the record, so one will have to surmise and let the record speak for itself.
On 13 January 1805 and Inquest was held to Enquire of the Death of Owen Shelby, and Nathan Rumford, John Craft White, Balsam Mauldin, David Green, William Baxter, John Dvorak, James Adams, Robert Adams, Andy Little, JosephTrimble, Joseph Owen, John Trimble and George Robison Carmack were impaneled to make the inquiry. The witnesses were called---Eldad Taylor, Betsey Still and John Dodd---and they said that Essex Capshaw, a farmer, did Shute and kill OWEN SHELBY at his home on the WATERS OF THE CUMBERLAND RIVER on the Eleventh day of January 1805 by shooting with a Musquet loaded with eight Swan shot, the wound being on his right side about one inch below the short ribs, the wound being about nine inches in circumference and fully into the bowels.
On 3 March 1805, a Grand Jury of Inquest composed of MOSES SHELBY, foreman; Jonathan Ramsey; William C. Rogers; George Hardin; Robert Lacoy; Samuel Burton; Samuel Lofton; Peter Sullinger; John Alexander; John Cole; James Decon; Griffin Long; Stephen Fowler; John Washington and Alexander Armstrong, returned and "INDICTMENT" against ESSEX CAPSHAW for "Shuting and Killing Owen Shelby". The Grand Jury was at the House of John C. Lofton, and was before Ninian Edwards; David Caldwell and William Prince, Judges.
On the 4th day of the September Term of Court, Essex Capshaw was tried upon the indictment for MURDER. The Jurors were elected, charged and sworn, returned into Court, and after hearing the argument of Counsel, upon their oaths say that the defendant is not guilty of the murder in the Indictment aforesaid, but the jurors said that the defendant is guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter and fixed his punishment at five years in Jail and Penitentiary house of this Commonwealth.
There is nothing further shown as to how much time Essex Capshaw served of the five year sentence; but the record shows that he was on the Census Records U. S. 1810 with Peyton Tucker, John Dodd and Isaac Bullard, and the marriage records show that Peyton Tucker married Sarah Capshaw on 22 August 1809(5). Sarah Capshaw was Essex Capshaw's daughter.
Suffice it to say that there must have been some justification for the TRAGEDY. Perhaps some of the old records will turn up and give the explanation.