This record of the Wilkerson Family was compiled in most part from memory and scanty Family Bible records that were available, and the Grave-Stones in the Family Burying Ground, facing the setting sun on the westward slope of Spring Hill, in Warren County, Ohio. With only such records as these available, it is difficult to go back along the trail for a century and three-quarters to early Pioneer Days and produce a record that is free from mistakes -- so please do not expect such a miracle in this one. This lack of reliable records is also responsible for the incompleteness of this effort.

Pride of birth and a desire to preserve as such as possible of our Family History for any of the “kin” who have the time, inclination and money to complete the record, is about the only excuse we have for compiling this much of our ancestral story. However, the knowledge gained of our forbears and their neighbors, together with their struggles and successes, has many times repaid the effort.

Portions of Clinton and Warren Counties, Ohio, were a part of the Virginia Military Reservation and as a result many of the early pioneers were Virginia families, whose head, in most instances, had been a Revolutionary soldier. Their motive for leaving the “Old Dominion” was their opposition to Slavery. During the period immediately preceding the Civil War, Clarksville and Spring Hill were active in “Underground Railroad” operations. A well known barn, still a familiar landmark on Spring Hill, was the hiding place of many a fleeing slave.

The aspirations, lives and struggles of the Pioneer Settlers of Clarksville and Spring Hill were so closely allied we feel that this brochure will be incomplete without a brief descriptive reference to each community. For some of this historic matter, we are indebted to The Harris-Cherry Ancestry by F. B. Harris, as well as the information concerning the inter-marriages between the Harris and Wilkerson families. We also wish to acknowledge the assistance given by Miss Allie Van Dervoort and also that of Miss Rosalie L. Van Doren, concerning their respective families. To all the Wilkerson descendants, who have assisted in the compilation of these records, we are equally grateful.

David Sewell was the first permanent resident of Clarksville. The first house was built by Samuel Louden, which was operated as a tavern for more than a century. In the later years of its existence, it ways known as the Wysong House. Clarksville in the early days developed many industries. It was quite a pork packing center - there were numerous other activities, such as furniture factories and tanneries. The automobile and mail order houses have relegated it to the limbo of “The town which used to be.”

Some of the other early pioneers of Clarksville were Thomas Austin, the Cowan family, William Hadley, James Harris, Ephraim Kibbey, the Van Doren family, Paul Van Dervoort, and Joseph Wysong. These are mentioned because of their friendship and inter-marriages in later years with the descendants of the subject of this sketch.

Ephraim Kibbey was an outstanding figure of the -early days of Ohio. he had been a Sergeant in Washington’s Army in his early campaigns and was Captain of Scouts with General "Mad Anthony Wayne" when the Indian's power in Ohio was broken forever. The blood of this pioneer still flows in the veins of quite a number of the descendants of James H. Wilkerson. He was the first “candidate” to be initiated into the Masonic Order in the State of Ohio.

Spring Hill, the home of our Pioneer Ancestor, is a low table-land, roughly circular in outline and is about one mile across and a few more than 1000 feet above sea level. The Hill is 50 to 70 feet above the surrounding country and has an un-usually fertile soil - reddish brown in color. The land as Spring Hill was known was owned by James Harris, Sr., and James H. Wilkerson, both having been Revolutionary soldiers. The friendship between these two families has continued unbroken throughout the entire century and three-quarters since they settled there. There have been many marriages between the descendents of those two families, which this sketch will disclose. Such was Spring Hill -- today, the only Wilkerson remaining in "the old neighborhood is Mrs. Mary Huffman, who, strangely enough, is a great-grand-daughter of both these pioneers.

In view of the friendship which has existed between these two pioneer families and the numerous inter-marriages between their descendents, it seems fitting and proper to record that James Harris, Sr., was a direct descendent of Sir William Harris, who was one of the financial backers and a Director of The London Company which founded Jamestown, Virginia. Sir William participated in the first three expeditions to Jamestown and two of his sons fought in Bacon's Indian War. Literally, James Harris, Sr., was of “Virginia's First Families”.

The James H. Wilkerson family Bible, with its records, could not be located. Consequently, many dates which should be included in this brochure are so completely contingent upon memory or guess-work, we have omitted all but proven dates, and will record the descendants of our Ancestor in the order of their birth and whom they married as far as possible.

Dr. Marion Wilkerson, late of Bloomington, Ohio was pretty generally considered an authority on Wilkerson lore. A great deal of our knowledge of the family came thru Dr. Wilkerson, Father, and Uncles Thomas and Edward Wilkerson. Dr. Wilkerson always maintained that the main difference between the Wilkerson’s and the Wilkinson’s was a matter of spelling. Both families are of English origin; however, the Wilkerson’s as a rule are fair and have blue eyes, while the Wilkinson’s as a rule are not of the blonde type and are dark-eyed.

The original Wilkerson of which we have any record was Moses Wilkerson -- a native of either London or Orange County, Virginia, Moses Wilkerson was known to have been the father of six sons, but we have no further knowledge as to the remainder, if any, of his family. James H. Wilkerson was one of the six sons; therefore, Moses Wilkerson must be the corner-stone on which our structure will rest, for the very simple reason that is where our information ceases. There seems to be but little knows about the early Wilkerson’s due most likely to long distances, difficult communications, and the well-known Wilkerson reluctance for letter writing.

Some time in 1787 James H. Wilkerson with his five brothers and their collective families, emigrated westward. James H. and one of the brothers located near Lexington, Kentucky, where they had relatives. Two of the brothers continued on to western Tennessee and northern Louisiana. The remaining two brothers went on to Missouri and the northwest. St: Louis was only a frontier trading post and the Louisiana Purchase just a nebulous dream.

As the party was floating down the Ohio River on a flat-boat, John Wilkerson, second son to James H. was born. Daniel Boone’s wife was the attending mid-wife. A few years since, the writer met a great-great-,grandson of Daniel Boones here in New York. Without divulging our identity, we said, “Mr. Boone, you and I have something in common. “What is it?” he inquired. Whereupon we explained to him that his great-great-grandmother, in her capacity as mid-wife, had brought our great-uncle into the world aboard an Ohio River flatboat. He instantly said, "Your name is Wilkerson. It is a legend in the Boone family about the time my great-great-grandmother brought that little Wilkerson kid into the world on the Ohio River. He completely verified what we had always thought was one of Dr. Marion Wilkerson’s “tall stories.”

About this time there were three prominent, and for the period wealthy families living in the heart of Kentucky’s famous Blue Grass section -- the Neal’s, the Wheelers and the Wilkerson’s. Daring the “Gay Nineties” when the writer was a resident of Kentucky was privileged to meet and visit the homes of the descendants of these pioneer families. At that time they were prominent leaders in their respective communities such as Postmaster at Mt. Sterling, Sheriff of Fayette County (Lexington) and Colonel “Jack” Wilkerson, who was a real colonel, and it was said of his by his admirers that he was the greatest fighter in the Confederate Army. In 1895 one of the largest wholesale drug houses in the south was the Wilkerson Wholesale Drug Company of Memphis, Tennessee. It was significant that all these branches of the Wilkerson family whose the writer contacted, and they were many, traced their lineage to one common head – MOSES WILKERSON.

JAMES H' S RECORD OF SERVICE IN THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION, TAKEN

FROM THE RECORDS OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C. James H. Wilkerson enlisted in Louden County, Virginia, late in July or early in August, 1780, and served as a private with the Virginia troops under Captain James Hudage Lane and Samuel Selden. On July 20, 1781, he was transferred to Corps of Artificers under Captain N. Pendelton, and was discharged January 2, 1782. He was allowed a pension on his application executed October 3, 1832, at which time he was a resident of Washington Township, Warren County, Ohio. James Wilkerson certificate 7996, issued May 5, 1833, rate $74.67 per annum. Commenced March 4, 1831, Act of June 7, 1832. The data shown herein were obtained from papers in claim James H. Wilkerson S-4727. The papers in this claim contain no data relative to the soldier’s family.

James H. Wilkerson (1758--1854) and his wife Sarah Moore Wilkerson (1763--1841) were born in Louden County, Virginia. In 1787 they emigrated to Central Kentucky, as noted above. In 1805 they located about two miles east of Ft. Ancient, Washington Township, Warren County, Ohio, where James had obtained about 1000 acres of land. In 1812 he purchased 2000 acres more land, comprising the southern and western slopes of Spring Hill and the abutting low-lands.

The James H. and Sarah Moore Wilkerson descendants are recorded in the order of birth. All dates used are authentic as nearly as possible, considering the available records. This dating (6-1-1981 --?--) indicate a date of birth and the person is living; while this dating (11-1--- ?) records the birth date but that the death date is unknown to the writer. When dates are not recorded indicates we did not have them. The descendants of four daughters, Frances, Nancy, Mary and Sarah are not included herein for the reason there was no accurate knowledge concerning then available.

MOSES……………Great-Great –Grandfather

JAMES H…………Great Grandfather (1758-1834

JAMES……………Grandfather 1787-1876—7^th child of James H.

(Of Edna Harris Harvey 1866-1932)

This at best is only an incomplete record of this large and interesting family. We take genuine satisfaction in being ably to record as much of our Family History as has been done here. It has been a rare privilege to re-live the difficulties overcome and the successes achieved, the romances and tragedies, and the smiles and the tears of six generations of this outstanding American family.

We are proud to be a small part of it. We know the imperfections and omissions in this record only too well, but we did our best with the material at hand and passing it hoping it will make you all proud to belong!

The Author

Compiled by Thaddeus Wilkerson – 8/24/42

Transcribed by Lucy DeYoung - 6/20/2003