See also, Civil War Pensions for Edgemons, submitted by
Judy Tate
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~edgmon/pension1.htm
"Roots of Roane County, TN 1792- ", by Snyder E. Roberts, 1981
page 157
The WILLIAM EDGEMON, JR. story is important to Roane history because of his vast number of descendants, and because, from a records standpoint, his case is one of the strangest of all among the early Emory River Settlers. The usually reliable Capt. W. E. McElwee compiled a list of Revolutionary War soldiers who later lived in Roane County, and gave appropriate notations on each. His comments on William Edgemon, Jr. were especially significant because he identified Edgemon's home site as being within the Blount's 5000-acre grant and on the site of the Indian town which was destroyed by Col. Shelby's troops in 1779, and he explains how Emery (Emory) River got its name. McElwee's comments in 1910 are so important that they are quoted verbatim as follows:
"William Edgemon, private, NC service, enrolled 15 February 1833 (effective date of his pension), age 73. Allowance $20. He lived at the place now owned by Rev. J. H. Denton, near Harriman, and died in 1835. He was for many years a Justice of the Peace and we now have in our possession an old book of his containing all the laws of the Territory under Gov. William Blount from 1790 to 1796, and all acts of the Assembly from 1796 to 1802, it being the first compilation of the laws published. His farm included the Indian town and corn fields destroyed by Evan Shelby on 20 May 1779o on his return march from destroying the military supplies furnished by the British to the Indians at Chickamauga. It was in pursuit of the Indians that William Emery (Emory) was drowned while swimming the river with his accoutrements on him. For this cause the river was named Emery River."
JOHN HALTMAN DENTON (1838-1917) was a well-known preacher, teacher and educator who was related by marriage to the MITCHELL, WILEY and GEERS families.
The above Edgemon story is strange because, so far, it has not been verified by Roane official records. William Edgemon's name does not appear in any of the early Roane petitions, militia rolls, tax lists, jury duty, JPs deeds, etc. Yet, he must have lived on Emory River for at least a short period before he returned to his farm in Sullivan County. He possibly had a lease agreement, or option with Willie Blount, or possibly he was an agent for Blount. In 1828 or 1829, he sold his farm in Sullivan County and returned to Roane County where he settled south of the TN River near the DEATHERAGE families. At this point, the Edgemon story is best told by Fred Edgemon of Sweetwater, TN, who is a direct descendant and he and his wife, Frances, have done extensive research. His story is essentially as follows
WILLIAM EDGEMON, JR. was born 1765 in Surry County, NC, and died between 1836-40 in Roane County, TN, one and one-half miles south of Paint Rock Baptist Church on Valley Road. His father, WILLIAM, SR. was married (1754_ to ELIZABETH KIMBALL. They moved to Surry County, NC bout 1760 where William, Jr. was born. William Jr. had brothers: GEORGE, SAMUEL, and THOMAS KIMBALL EDGEMON; the latter was reported to be a friend of Daniel Boone, and traveled with Boone from the Yadkin River to KY.
WILLIAM EDGEMON, JR.'s pension application states that he joined the NC line in 1779 at the age of 14 years, and served a total of 13 months. He fought in the Battle of King's Mountain. Prior to 1786, William married NANCY DEATHERAGE, daughter of Capt. GEORGE DEATHERAGE, also a Rev. War soldier. Nancy was born in Culpepper County, VA. In 1789, William and Nancy moved to Sullivan County, TN, and bought land as did his brother SAMUEL. William, Jr. and Nancy had seven children as follows:
- BRAXTON EDGEMON lived in Sullivan Co., died there abt 1820
- Three daughters married in Sullivan, and did not come to Roane Co.
- SAMUEL DEATHERAGE EDGEMON was born 8 Aug 1792 in Sullivan Co. and died in Meigs Co. TN, 23 Aug 1876. He is buried in the Edgemon Cemetery in Meigs Co. He married SARAH PIERCE (1798-1841 in Meigs). They had 12 children (see below)
- THOMAS KIMBALL EDGEMON (1798-1860) was buried in the Edgemon Cemetery in McMinn Co. He married NANCY PIERCE (1803-1873) who was a sister to Sarah, above.
- JOHNSON EDGEMON (1803-1842) is buried in the cemetery at Old Shiloh Church on Riley Creek. He married REBECCA PIERCE who was a sister to Sarah and Nancy
(more children shown on Deatherage web site)
Samuel Edgemon, number five above, moved to Meigs County from Roane in 1831, and bought a farm where the Edgemon Cemetery is now located. Samuel and Sarah remained at Ten Mile and reared 12 children who have produced many descendants. One of Samuel's sons was KIMBALL EDGEMON, who married KIZZIAH PHILLIPS (1838-1916). (See Clemmon Phillips family) They had twelve children.
MARTHA (1856), POLLY (1857), ANNIE (1859, WILLIAM S. (1860), REUBEN (1861),SARAH J. (1864), SAMUEL (1865), JAMES (1867), LETTIE (1869, LUCINDA (1872) k. (1874), and HATTIE (1881).
Kimball's son, Samuel above, had a son ARCH EDGEMON, who was the father of FRED EDGEMON, the provider of this information. Fred is descended from several Rev. War ancestors. In addition to William Edgemon, he is a direct descendant of AMOS MARNEY, CLEMMONS PHILLIPS, JOHN SUTTON and 'BIG JIM" CAMPBELL of Roane County.
The Edgemons have an annual family reunion in August at the Edgemon Cemetery. The average attendance is 200, with representatives from many western and southern states. Mrs. Mack (Georgia) Kelsey, of Athens, TN is the secretary for the association. She has the mailing address of over 3000 direct descendants of William Edgemon, Jr.
[written 1981]