There are several areas dealing with the family that leave unanswered questions. Helping solve these family puzzles will be an interesting and challenging goal for some future family researcher.
Was our family name originally Teaster or Tester? The Pacolet (Ransom’s) branch and the Pigeon Forge (Bill’s) branch of the family spell our name "Teaster" - with an "a". There are relatives in North Carolina and Tennessee that spell their name "Tester". All of us are descendants of Samuel Teaster/Tester. Samuel’s last name is spelled both ways in various reference books. Several of the reference books state that Samuel’s last name was originally spelled "Teaster". In the rural South in the early 1800’s, particularly in the mountains, many if not most, people could not read or write. It was common for names to be written as they sound. The official Civil War records of Harmon’s father Ransom (1) spell his name both ways.
I was told in a letter by Harding Hughes, the author of the book "Valle Crucis," about the name change of a friend of his. When the boy was growing up his name was "Teaster". He went off to the Civilian Conservation Corps and then military service and when he returned it had become "Tester." I was also told by a resident of Valle Crucis that at one time everybody in that area spelled the name "Teaster’. There had been some sort of falling out and that younger family members in that area now spelled the name "Tester."
The earliest use of the family name "Teaster", that I have found, is that of a John Teaster in the town of Newtimber in Sussex, England. Sussex is a district not far from London. John Teaster was christened in the church in Newtimber on July 26, 1567. No connection has yet been made to this John and our family line. It is interesting that even though John’s name is spelled "Teaster" in the church records, his children and grandchildren names are spelled "Tester" in the same records. The Teaster/Tester question has been around at least 400 years.
Do we really have Indian Ancestry ? There have been family stories forever that we have Indian ancestry somewhere in our Teaster background. Usually the story involves a Cherokee and usually through the female side of the line. There is no doubt that many of our family do have Indian features and coloration. It is also a fact that the area and time of our Virginia and North Carolina ancestors would make the Indian connection a feasible possibility.
One unusual thing about the story is that it also exists among other branches of the Teaster family who have been out of contact with the Pacolet branch for many years. Polly Teaster Hicks was the sister of my great grandpa Harmon. She was born in 1850 and died in 1936. She told an interviewer that she was one sixteenth Cherokee. Polly became famous in her lifetime as an herbalist and midwife. She delivered over 3000 babies.
The story is also told in several books. Two of these are "Appalachian Medley" and "The Hicks Family of Western North Carolina". The Hicks book discusses the story in several places and is the source of the story on Polly. Both books say that the Indian connection is a family story and that no concrete proof has ever been found. (See Family Related Book Section.)
I have heard the story, maybe wrong, that Grandpa Ransom did not like to talk about the possibility of Indian ancestry. In his lifetime, particularly his youth, it was frowned upon to have Indian family connections.
Recently, information has been found that might be a clue for further research into the Cherokee connection. There is a book titled "Cherokee Immigrant Records". This is a listing of Cherokees that voluntarily left their homes in Georgia and North Carolina before the forced removal of "The Trail of Tears". They were paid for their property and this book is a listing of the people and appraisals. On Page 141 of this book it says:
"Cherokee Nation, east of the Mississippi, October 31, 1832
We do hereby certify that the above roll contains a true statement and valuation of the improvements abandoned by Tester, Warm Water, John Langley, James Langley, and William A. Coleman , Cherokee emigrants from the Cherokee Nation east to the Cherokee nation west of the Mississippi"
According to the book Tester's property was in the area of Elijay ,Georgia. I am not sure exactly what this "Tester" means as no first name is given. If it was the last name "Tester" , this person could not be one of our direct ancestors because of the "recent" date of 1832. However, it is possible that the person is a descendent of the elusive Teaster Cherokee.
(The book "Cherokee Immigrant Records" is available for research on the internet for members of "Family Tree Maker Online : Genealogy Library".)
Is Harmons Den named after great grandpa Harmon? There is a mountain close to the Max Patch area with the real name of Harmons Den. The Harmons Den Wildlife Area is named after this mountain.
There is a family tradition that this mountain is named after our Grandpa Ransom’s father Harmon. There are several variations of the story. Basically, it is that Harmon killed a man in a dispute and hid out in the Harmons Den area until it was safe for him to come back home. One version of the story says the dispute was that the man had slapped one of Harmons children after being told to leave him alone. Other versions give different accounts of the dispute. All versions agree that Harmon then killed the man. However, like the dispute, there are several versions of how the man was killed. One story is that he beat the man to death with his bare hands. Another is that Harmon used a stick or bat to beat the man. Still another is that Harmon used a large knife . All stories do agree that Harmon hid out on the mountain in a cave.
All of these stories are at variance with the official reason for the name. Supposedly, members of the Harmon family deserted from the army during the Civil War and hid out on the mountain. If our family story is correct then the actual account of what happened would be fascinating.
Where are we from?There is also an apparent conflict about where Samuel was from. The Hicks book states that Samuel and his wife came to the Watauga area from South Carolina in 1791. The book "A History of Watauga County" states that Samuel came to the Watauga vicinity from Scotland before 1840. It is not likely that this Samuel was the first of our Teaster family to come to this country at this late date as there were Teasters in Virginia in 1695.
Some family tradition says that the Teasters came from Germany. I have not found much to support this. There is a record concerning Hanz Tester from Switzerland. Hanz was a Mennonite elder. In 1644 Hanz Tester and two others were tried and imprisoned for their beliefs. (From page 95 of book "Swiss and German Pioneers of Southeastern, Pennsylvania" by Eshleman.)
I can not find anything to support the Scotland story. In addition to the John Teaster discussed above, there are other records that show Teasters (Testers) as coming from England. This will be explained in more detail later on.
Who was the first of the Teasters to come to America? The known family trail becomes very faint after Samuel (regardless if there was one or two). The following facts have been found through research but await further study to see how they relate to our family for certain.
Samuel ‘s father is identified as Nathaniel Teaster in the book "Appalachian Medley". A Nathaniel Teaster was in the Edgecombe County, North Carolina Militia in the 1750’s. There was a Nathaniel Tester in the 1790 Census of Robeson County , North Carolina. There was also a Samuel Tester listed in the same census. Also Nathan Tester was given a 100 acre land grant in Robeson County, NC in 1790. William Tester and Samuel Tester were also granted 100 acres in the same time and place. (See Family Related Book Section.)
Who are these other Teasters (Testers) and are they related to us? In addition to the John Teaster of 1567, there are a number of references to Teaster (Tester) individuals and families in various books and records that we can not yet connect to our direct line - that of Grandpa Ransom’s. These people need to be researched to see if they are in our line. The people listed probably give valuable clues as to where we are from and who was the first of line to settle in this country . Some of these are :
The many descendants of Robert Tester (Teaster) and Mary (Molly) Stone. Robert was in the Revolutionary War. He and Mary lived in North Carolina and had five children. The family moved to Tennessee. This family lived in the same neighborhoods as our known ancestors. They have many of the same first names as our family. No direct connection with this family has been yet made to ours. Members of this family are featured in the county history books of Johnson, Carter and Washington County, Tennessee. (See Family Related Book Section.)
Robert Teaster and Katherine Teaster (spelled like us) are listed as being imported as indentured servants into Virginia on September 5, 1723. The couple was indentured to John Hatley. He was granted 125 acres of land for bringing them over. The land given was in Surry County on the South side of the Nottoway River and on the South side of Thweat’s Branch. (This is from page 225 of the book "Cavaliers and Pioneers; Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants")
There was a will filed for Robert Tester (Teaster) in Albemarle County, North Carolina on January 8, 1695. (From page 374 of book Abstract of Wills of North Carolina, 1690 - 1760 by Grimes).
There was a Rob (Robert) Tester (Teaster) listed as paying land rent in Prince George County, Virginia in 1704. A Rob Hix and a Jn (John) Hix are also listed on the same roll. (From page 337 of Volume 28, Virginia Historical Magazine, Virginia Quit Rent Rolls, 1704).
Elizabeth Tester (Teaster) is recorded as being buried in the Parish of St. Michaels in Barbados on March 3, 1678. (From page 432 - Parish Registers , taken from book "The Original Lists of Persons of Quality, Emigrants; Religious Exiles; Political Rebels; Serving Men Sold for a Term of Years; Apprentices; Children Stolen; Maidens Pressed; and Others Who Went From Great Britain to the American Plantations 1600 - 1700" published in 1874).
Stephen Tester and his wife Jane Tester (Teaster) are recorded as sailing from the port of London to the state of Maryland in the week of January 24 - 30 in 1775. They were listed as being from the Essex area of Great Britain. His occupation is given as a sawyer. They sailed on a ship named the "Jane". All of the people on this ship had an agreement with the captain that if they could not pay for their passage upon arrival in Maryland , then he was allowed to sale them as indentured servants to get his money. (From page 130 of book " Emigrants from England , 1773 - 1776" - Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, Maryland)
Abraham (Abram) Tester (Teaster) was a crew member of the famous Northern warship "The Monitor" during the Civil War. Abraham’s shipboard job was 1st Class Fireman . This meant he stoked and cared for the ship’s boilers. He enlisted in the federal navy New York. His civilian occupation was machinist. (From page 150 of the Publication "The Genealogical Helper " July - August , 1983).
Andrew Tester (Teaster) served 325 days in the South Carolina militia during 1781 and 1782. Also Benjamin Tester (Teaster) served in the First South Carolina regiment under Captain Joseph Elliot during 1780. (From page 923 of "Roster of Patriots in American Revolution" by Bobby Moss.)
How did the name Teaster get associated with these strange things? Almost all of us have seen "Teaster" sometimes "Tester" beds advertised. The word is almost always capitalized like it was a proper name. These are beds with a cloth canopy over them. It is not a new term, it is used in wills to describe furniture back in the 1600 and 1700.’s. How and when did our name become to be used with these beds?
There is a song from England in 1640 called "Beggars all a row". It has these words :
"I have another Teaster yet, and cannot be content, I cannot rest nor quiet sit, till all my money be spent…."
What does "Teaster" refer to - a unit of money? a drink? a glass or cup?
We invite any descendants of Samuel Teaster and his wife Mary Elizabeth Daniels anyone with questions or other information to contact us at mckteaster@earthlink.net .