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John Floweree Singleton was born in 1787 in Fauquier County, Virginia. He was the only child of William and Susannah (Floweree) Singleton. Susannah died at John's birth and he was reared by her Parents, Daniel and Susannah (French) Floweree. Daniel was a wealthy planter with extensive land and slave holdings. John Singleton was reared and educated in the life style of the wealthy southern planters His grandfather's home, in which he was reared, was a large, well furnished home with thirty-two slaves and at Daniel's death in 1815 he had furnishings and bed clothing for seven bedrooms. Daniel had nine children besides John's mother Susannah, who was the eldest, so John grew up in a large family. Fauquier County, Virginia is a beautiful area with gently rolling farmland in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. They lived on Cromwell's Run near Rector-town, Virginia.
In this beautiful setting, John F. Singleton was married on 16 March 1812 to Lucinda Byrne, daughter of Uriah and Lydia (Brown) Byrne. They were married at the bride's home by William Coontz. Lucinda, known as “Lucy”, was born about 1793 in Fauquier County, Virginia. She, too, had been reared in a wealthy family. The story has been passed down through the family that when John and Lucy were married they were the most handsome couple in all of Fauquier County!
The year of 1812 was a time of trouble for our fledgling nation of America and only three months after John and Lucy's marriage the United States again declared war with England. On the 2nd day of April in 1813, at the Crossroads in Loudoun County, Virginia, John volunteered for a term of six months in the 4th Regiment of the Virginia Militia commanded by Colonel Beatty. He served as an Ensign in Captain Thomas Griggs' Company until 12 October 1813 when he was discharged at Norfolk, VA. Ensign was the rank just under a Captain.
John and Lucy's first child was born in 1813 and was named Samuel James Singleton. In 1815 John's grandfather, Daniel Floweree, died. Apparently John's grandfather had died previously for there was no mention of her in his estate settlement. John received his mother's portion of the estate which was land and four slaves, named Garrison, Hannah, Jack and London, with a total value of almost five thousand dollars. For further information regarding Daniel Floweree.
Lucy’s father, Uriah Byrne, owned over five hundred acres of land in the area of Salt Lick Bridge and Heaters, now in Braxton County, West Virginia. That area was Harrison County, Virginia until 1816 when it became Lewis County. in 1836 it became Braxton County.
John and Lucy Singleton and their young family moved to Salt Lick Bridge about 1815 or 1816, bringing their slaves with them. The1820 U.S. Census lists them in Lewis County with five males under the age of ten years in their household.
We find a record in Fauquier County, VA that on 14 December 1816 John Singleton gave a Power of Attorney to his brother-in-law, William Byrne. (Deed Book 21, pg. 44). On 1 January 1817 John and Lucy sold the 157 1/2 acres that he had received from the Daniel Floweree estate to Benjamin, Lewis and John Rector for 1200 pounds English money. The land was located on Cromwell’s Run near Rectortown, VA. The deed states that John and Lucy were residents of }Harrison County, Virginia at the time. (Book 22, pg. 20).
The early land records of Lewis County, WV show that Uriah Byrne sold part of his tract of land at Salt Lick Bridge to Asa Squires. Col. Squires and his family had also lived in Fauquier County and had probably known the Singleton, Floweree and Byrne families for several years. One source states that John Singleton helped Col. Asa Squires build the large brick home known as “Plantation House” which still stands on his property at Salt Lick Bridge.
Soon after moving to Salt Lick, John began buying and selling real estate. In August of 1818 he sold land on O’brien's Fork near Heaters to Jacob Riffle. On 30 October 1818 he purchased 400 acres near salt Lick from Thomas H. Reeder. (Book A, pg. 218-219.) In 1824 John deeded two acres to the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church for the Stone Run Church and campground at Flatwoods, WV (Book C, Pg. 27).
Lucy’s father, Uriah Byrne, died in 1836 in Fauquier County, Va. In his will he gave to her one half of his tract of land in Lewis County (now Braxton), three hundred dollars and four slaves. Lucy still owned one slave in 1860. The other half of the tract of land, Uriah gave to his son Charles. Charles sold and moved to Illinois with a large group of Braxton County residents when that state was being settled.
On 20 September 1850 The U.S. Government passed an act giving bounty land to officers and soldiers who had served in the military during the wars to gain our independence. John applied for a pension and bounty land on 8 November 1850 and received a warrant for eighty acres of land which he later stated that he had "disposed of legally”. On 3 March 1855 a new act was approved and John again made application to see if he might receive further land. His pension file in the National Archives contains no record of him receiving any other lands for his service. John signed his name legibly on his application.
Several sources say that John was one of the early school teachers of Braxton County. He was also one of the largest land owners in the County. His sons all had vast land holdings as well. John Floweree Singleton died an 15 June 1859 from snakebite. His death record, reported by his son Charles Ellis Singleton, states that he was 72 years of age. His wife, Lucy, lived almost twenty one years after his death. They were the parents of eleven children.
During the civil war their son John Stanley Singleton and three of their grandsons, French F. Singleton, John Wesley Singleton and Newton Conrad, served in the Confederate Army in Co. G., 62nd Regiment of the Mounted Infantry. Newton Conrad was killed in 1864 near Cold Harbor, Virginia.
On 4 August 1871, Lucy applied for a pension for John's service in the War of 1812. In her application she stated that she was 78 years old at the time. She could not read or write and signed the application with her mark. on 23 August 1872 her pension was approved commencing on 14 February 1871 and in the amount of eight dollars a Month.
Grandma Lucy, as her family called her, wrote her will on 10 Feb 1866 and it was proved in Braxton County Court and recorded on 4 May 1880. she willed everything she owned to her youngest child, John Stanley Singleton. Her death date was 13 April 1880. she was buried beside her husband on their farm.
Sources:
Fauquier County, VA Marriage Bonds & land Records War of 1812 Pension
Records Daniel Floweree Estate Settlement, Fauquier Co., VA 1820 U.S. Census
for Lewis Co., WV Uriah Byrne Will, Fauquier Co., VA Will Book 14, pg.
320 1850 & 1860 Slave Schedule, Braxton Co., WV WV Heritage Encyclopedia,
Vol.3 History of Braxton Co. & Central WV, by John D. Sutton Braxton
Co., WV Vital Records Harrison & Lewis Co., WV Land Records THE BRAXTON
DEMOCAT Newspaper
CHILDREN OF JOHN F. AND LUCINDA (BYRNE) SINGLETON
1. SAMUEL JAMES SINGLETON,
b. 1813 in Fauquier Co., WV;
m. 20 Dec 1836 Fauquier Co., VA to ELIZABEIH McINTIRE
2. URIAH WASHINGTON SINGLETON.
b. 9 May 1815; 6. 19 Sept 1885;
m. 4 Oct 1838 to ELIZABETH HEATER, b. 28 Aug 1821; d. 2 Oct 1910.
3. WILLIAM KEMP SINGLETON
b. 6 June 1817; d. 18 Aug 1884;
m. (1) MARGARET LAKE, b. 8 Jan 1817; d. Dec 1856;
m. (2) ELIZA JANE SQUIRES, b. 16 Sep 1836; d. 24 Apr 1923.
4. ASA BROWN SINGLETON,
b. 1819;
m. 23 Jan 1850 ELIZABETH SHIELDS, b. 1827
5. FRENCH FLOWEREEE SINGLETON,
b. 1822; d. 15 Feb 1895
m. 1877 to MARY "POLLY" SHIELDS, b. 1837
6. CHARLES ELLIS SINGLETON,
b. 15 Feb 1825; d. 5 Oct 1892;
m. 5 Sep 1848 to MARGARET GIBSON, b. 5 June 1828; d. 8 Sep 1908.
7. LYDIA ELIZABETH SINGLETON,
b. c 1826; d. 1860;
m. 13 Nov 1843 to ASA RUSH CONRAD, b. c 1820; d. 1854
*8. MARY JANE SINGLETON, b. c 1830
9. SARAH ANN SINGLETON,
b. c 1831;
m. JOHN CARR, b. c 1826
10. ANN ELIZA SINGLETON,
b. Mar 1838;
m. FRANCIS B. “FRANK” CARR, b. Jan 1837
11. JOHN STANLEY SINGLETON,
b. 4 Jan 1840; d. 29 May 1917;
m. ELIZA T. BRAGG, b. 1556; d. 1928.
* Mary Jane Singleton
was listed in the 1870 U.S. Census for Braxton County, WV in the household
of Francis B. & Ann Eliza (Singleton) Carr. She was 40 years
old and unmarried. NO further record has been found of her.
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