The First Family
I. Children of James and Margaret Ramsey:
+ 1 i. William Ramsey, Sr., b. PA, c1740-42;[1] d. Rutherford Co., TN, after 3 Oct
1831;[2] m. Augusta Co., VA, before 12 Nov 1767,[3] Agnes / Nancy Maria
Boyd, b. Ireland, 1744;[4] d. Rutherford Co.,TN, c1830;[5] daughter of Robert
Boyd.
2 ii. Unknown child; probably a daughter, who was living with her siblings and
their widowed mother on 20 Nov 1761, Augusta Co., VA.[6]
+ 3 iii. Margaret/Peggy Ramsey, b. North River Settlement, Augusta Co.,VA, c1748;
d. Rutherford Co., TN after Apr, 1813; m. David Rogers of Mecklenburg Co.,
NC; d. Rutherford Co., TN, 1813.[7]
+ 4 iv. James Ramsey, b. North River Settlement, Augusta Co.,VA, 15 Apr 1753;[8]
d. Rutherford Co.,TN, c1848; m. probably Rockingham Co.,VA or Mecklen-
burg, Co., NC, after 1783; his wife’s name is unknown; served as a Revolu-
tionary soldier in the Augusta Co., VA militia and the Virginia Continental
Army until the close of the war.[9]
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[1] Family records of John Wesley Ramsey (1840-1901), and his daughter, Lula Virginia (Ramsey) McGee, found in possession of Richard E. Davis of Trenton, TN, 1976.
[2] Rutherford Co., TN Deed Record Book U: 522-533, Register of Deeds, Murfreesboro, TN.
“This Indenture made this third day of October in the year of our Lord one Thousand eight hundred
and thirty one Between William B. Ramsey of the County of Rutherford and State of Tennessee of the
of the one part and Robert Overall, Nace Overall, Abraham Overall, Richard Floyd &William Ramsey
Senior, Trustees in Trust for the use & purpose herein after mentioned…being part of a Hundred Acres conveyed by William Ramsey Senior to John McKee & by him to John Davis and by him to William B. Ramsey…that they shall erect and build or cause to be built or erected thereon a house or place of wor-
ship for the use of the members of The Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States of America…” Among those witnesses listed as present was Wm. Ramsey, Sr., who was referred to as “Old Ramsey”
[3] Augusta Co., VA Deed Record Book 14:42, Augusta Co., VA Court House, Clerk of the Court,
Staunton, VA – 12 Nov 1767, “William Ramsey and Agnis his wife…and heir…to his Father James Ramsey…To Margaret Ramsey…” Note: Nancy is the Scottish nickname for Agnes, and thereafter
she used the popular name Nancy as her legal name.
[4] Family Records of John Wesley Ramsey (1840-1901).
[5] Ibid.
[6] Lyman Chalkley, Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia: Extracted From The
Original Court Records Of Augusta County 1745 to 1800, 3 vols. (Baltimore, MD, reprint: Genea-
logical Publishing Co., Inc., 1989), 2:448.
[7] Rutherford Co., TN Record Book 2:239, County Clerk, Murfreesboro, TN. David Rogers left
his will 6 Jan 1813, in which he “ordains my wife Peggy and my brother-in-law, William Ramsey
as my sole executors…”
[8] James Ramsey pension file, no. S46506, Revolutionary Claims, 7 Feb 1829,(National Archives)
[9] Ibid
II The Known Children of William Ramsey and Agnes / Nancy Maria
Boyd[1]
+ 5 i. James Ramsey, b. probably Augusta Co., VA, c1768; d. Franklin Co., AL,
1848; m. 1st Mecklenburg Co., NC, 8 Feb 1792, Isabella Hall;[2] 2nd Martha
Hall, sister of Isabella; 3rd Wilson Co., TN, c1821, Jane Ray, b. NC, c1795.
6 ii. Ann Ramsey, b. Mecklenburg Co., NC, 1776-83; m. 1st [----?----] Young;
2nd [----?----] Davidson.
+ 7 iii. William Ramsey, Jr., b. Mecklenburg Co., NC,1781; d. Rutherford Co.,TN,
May, 1833;[3] m. Rutherford Co., TN, 3 July 1804,[4] Mary / Polly Overall,
b. Fredrick Co., VA, 1783;[5] d. Oct.,1849, Gibson Co., TN;[6] daughter and
first child of Nathaniel Overall and Ann Thomas.
8 iv. Mary / Polly Ramsey, b. Mecklenburg Co., NC, c1785-1786.
+ 9 v. Robert Ramsey, b. Mecklenburg Co., NC, 1788; d. Chapel Hill, Marshall
Co., TN, 1864; m. Williamson Co., TN, 7 Feb 1811,[7] Elizabeth / Betsey
Wilson, b. 12 Oct 1795; d. Marshall Co., TN, 3 Oct 1844; daughter of Zac-
cheus Wilson by his 1st wife, Alsie Nancy Graham.[8]
10 vi. David Ramsey, b. Mecklenburg Co., NC, c1790; d. unmarried, Rutherford
Co., TN, 4 Apr 1815;[9] served as a Pvt. in the War of 1812, 2nd Reg. West
Tennessee Militia; participated in the Battle of New Orleans.
11 vii. Maria Ramsey, b. Mecklenburg Co., NC, c1792 -1797; d. unmarried at
Russellville, Franklin Co., AL, 29 Nov 1864.[10]
+12 viii. John B(oyd) Ramsey, b. Mecklenburg Co., NC, c1794; d. Franklin Co.,
AL,1856; m. Mecklenburg Co., NC, c1811, Margaret Johnston, b. Meck-
lenburg Co., NC, c1794; dau. of John Johnston [11]
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[1] Family records of John W. Ramsey, research and US Census data; see reconstruction page 8.
[2] Jordan R. Dodd, editor, N.Carolina Marriages Early to1800, (Bountiful, UT: Precision Index-
ing, Liahona Research, Inc., 1990), 366. Original marriage bonds show bondsman as David Rogers.
[3] Rutherford Co., TN Will Record Book 9:84 - 85, Clerk’s Office, Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
[4] Rutherford Co.,TN Marriage Record Book 1804 -1832,Vol. 1:131, Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
[5] Eudine M. Britton, editor, Overalls All Over, Vol. 1, Issue 1: 27; & various other records.
[6] Gibson Co., TN Bond and Will Record Book 1846-1852, p. 205, Clerk’s Office,Trenton, TN.
[7] Rev.Silas Emmett Lucas, Jr. and Mrs. Ella Lee Sheffield,editors, 35,000 Tennessee Marriage
Records and Bonds 1783 – 1870, 3 vols. (Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press, 1981), 3:91.
[8] Helen C. &Timothy R. Marsh and Ralph D. Whitesell, Compliers, Cemetery Records of Mar-
shall County Tennessee, (Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, 1996), 62. Also see Wilsons in
Williamson County, TN, Descendants of Zaccheus Wilson, online at http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/.
[9] Rutherford Co., TN Will Record Book 3:54, Murfreesboro, TN. An inventory of the property
of David Ramsey, dec. as returned to July term 1815 by William Ramsey, Jr. See also Byron and
Samuel Sistler, Tennesseans in The War of 1812,(Nashville,TN: Byron Sistler & Assoc., 1992),417.
[10] Family records of Hazel Ramsey Dillard of Frankfort, AL, received from Kathryn E. Pellinen
of Anoka, MN, by letter dated 24 Nov 1990. Hazel was a granddaughter of James Dallas Ramsey.
[11] “John Ramsey in right of his wife…heirs of John Johnston, Decd.” Mecklenburg Co., NC Deed
Record Book 19:42, Register of Deeds, Charlotte, North Carolina.
III Children of William Ramsey, Jr. and Mary / Polly Overall[1]
+ 29 i. Elizabeth/Eliza A. Ramsey, b. Rutherford Co., TN, 25 May 1805; d. Obion Co.,
TN, 1895; m. c1826, William T. Mathes, son of James Mathes, Jr. and Miriam
Thomas.
+ 30 ii. Ann /Annie Thomas Ramsey, b. Rutherford Co., TN 24 Oct 1806; d. 1862; m.
Rutherford Co., TN, 2 May 1827, John B. McKee.
+ 31 iii. Nathaniel Jefferson Ramsey, b. Rutherford Co.,TN, 3 Mar 1809; d. Gibson Co.,
TN, 28 June 1871; m. Daviess Co., KY, 15 Aug 1828, Frances Young Davis, b.
16 June 1812, Daviess Co., KY; d. Gibson Co., TN, 25 Feb 1862; daughter of
Baxter Davis, Jr. and Mary Edmondson Webb.
+ 32 iv. William Franklin Ramsey, b. Rutherford Co., TN, 25 Mar 1810; d. Gibson Co.,
TN, 9 Mar 1883; m. Rutherford Co., TN, 17 Jan 1832, Nancy Dulaney Knox,
b. Rutherford Co., TN, 22 Sept 1810; d. Gibson Co., TN, 20 Jan 1882; daugh-
ter of Squire Knox and Susannah Palmer Ready; burials at Old Hopewell Cem.
+ 33 v. Nace Preston Ramsey, b. Rutherford Co.,TN, 11 Feb 1812; d. Gibson Co., TN,
Apr., 1861; m. Daviess Co., KY, 13 Sept 1833, Mary / Polly Ann Webb Davis,
b. 22 Jan 1816, Daviess Co., KY; d.Gibson Co., TN; daughter of Baxter Davis,
Jr. and Mary Edmondson Webb.
+ 34 vi. Sarah Lucretia Ramsey, b. Rutherford Co., TN, 14 Mar 1815; d. Gibson Co.,
TN, 21 Jun 1870; m. Gibson Co., TN, 23 July 1834, William Elder.
+ 35 vii. Nancy B(oyd) Ramsey, b. Rutherford Co.,TN,16 May 1816; d.Gibson Co.,TN,
30 Dec 1891, burial at Dyer, Gibson Co., TN; m. Rutherford Co., TN, 20 Dec
1833, John C. Berry; broken headstone next to Nancy, 4-19-1810; 6-10-1885.
+ 36 viii. Blackmon Asbury Ramsey, b. Rutherford Co., TN, 20 Sept 1818; d. Gibson
Co., TN, 25 Mar 1891; m. White Co., TN, 19 Feb 1840, Eliza Jett, b. White
Co., TN, 2 Dec 1818; daughter of John Jett and Mary White of Virginia, and
grandau. of Hon. Hugh White, from whom White Co., TN derived its’ name.
+ 37 ix. Martha E. Ramsey, b. Rutherford Co., TN, 1821; d. TN, after 5 Nov 1849; m.
Rutherford Co., TN, 2 Feb 1842, Daniel Wadley.
+ 38 x. Polina Jane Ramsey, b. Rutherford Co., TN, 15 Apr 1825; d. 22 Apr 1884; m.
1st Rutherford Co., TN, 28 Aug 1846, Albert G. Kelly; m. 2nd (---?---) Smith.
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[1] Family records of John Wesley Ramsey (1840-1901) and his daughter, Lula Virginia (Ramsey) Mc-
Gee; family and Bible records of Richard E. Davis of Trenton, TN, 1976; family records of Cathy Ramsey
(Mrs.Vic) Quinn of Conway, AR, 1993; family and cemetery records of Mrs. Ruth Jones Carne of Dyers- burg, TN, 1981. See also p. 8 for supplemental sources as supporting evidence for family records.