John A. Adcock (abt. 1754 - aft. 1838)

Born about 1754 in Buckingham County, Virginia Colony, British America

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Barnum) Adcock — married about 1780 in Buckingham, Virginia, United States

Husband of Sally (Wheeler) Adcock — married 13 Feb 1787 in Buckingham County, Virginia

Descendants

Died after 11 Sep 1838 after about age 84 in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Len Hale [send private message] and Heather Dobbins [send private message]

John Adcock was a Virginia colonist.

John Adcock is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: P101724
Rank: Private

Biography

John was born about 1754 in Virginia. His middle name may have been "Asa". Some researchers believe his father was John Adcock while others believe his parents were Joseph Adcock and Sarah Cason.

He passed away after September 1838 In Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee and is buried in Adcock Cemetery, Ridgetop, Robertson County, Tennessee, USA. ^{[1] [2]} Please note that both the birth (1758) and death (1837) dates on the gravestone are incorrect. It is unknown at present who requested the gravestone be placed, but it was undoubtedly done many years after his death.

John married his first wife in Buckingham County, Virginia. The family left Virginia before 1800 and it is believed they lived in Granville, North Carolina. By 1818 they had settled in Tennessee. On 28 March 1818 John received Revolutionary War Land Warrant No. 2877 for ten acres in Tennessee. ^[3]

John first filed for Revolutionary War pension in 1819 and was at that time living in Smith County, Tennessee. He was still there when he filed a supplement in 1820. When he filed another supplement in 1821, he was living in Davidson County, Tennessee, and was still there when his pension certificate was issued in April 1822. In 1838 his bank submitted his pension certificate for renewal from Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. It is assumed John was living in or near Nashville.

Marriage

John married his first wife in Buckingham County, Virginia about 1780. He married his second wife after he settled in Tennessee. At the time John applied for his Revolutionary War Pension, he was married to his second wife. In 1820, she is said to be age 30. Unfortunately, he did not name her.

One of his wives is said to be Sarah Barnum and she is usually listed as the mother of his children. No documentation has been submitted for this marriage.

Revolutionary War Service

John served as a Private in the 6th Virginia Regiment during the Revolutionary War. He enlisted on 23 July 1775 from his home in Virginia. ^[4]

John applied for a pension on 8 November 1819 based on his Revolutionary War service. It was granted and he was placed on the West Tennessee pension roll at $8 per month from 8 November 1819. Certificate 18533 was issued 2 April 1822.

Smith and Davidson cos., Tennessee, 1819/1822

Adcock, John. S[urvivor] 39146
8 Nov., 1819. Smith Co., Tenn. John (X) Adcock, aged 65 or 66, declares he was enlisted on 14 Feb. 1776 by Lieut. James Barnitt and was received in service five or six moths later in Capt. Thomas Patterson's Company in 6th Virginia Regiment for two years. He was at battles of Trenton, Princeton, Perseattaway, Amboy, Rising Sun, Stillwater, Ticonderoga, White Marsh and Chestnut Hill, and was discharged 17 Feb. 1778 at the White Horse. He volunteered again and was at the battle of Guilford
8 Nov. 1819. John Woodson declares he saw John Adcock in service in the 6th Virginia Regiment.
15 Aug. 1820. Smith Co., Tenn. John (X) Adcock declares he is a farmer and owns two horses, a cow and calf, four hogs and one oven. His family consists of himself, wife aged 30 years and five children, the oldest aged about 12 and the youngest about six months.
12 May 1821. Davidson Co., Tenn. John (X) Adcock of said county, aged 66, declares he is a farmer and owns two horses, one cow and calf, one oven and one indifferent bed. His family consists of himself, wife aged 31, and five children between 13 and one year six months.
John Adcock of Davidson Co., Tenn., private in Regt. of Col. Mathews in Virginia Line for two years was placed on the West Tennessee pension roll at $8 per month from 8 Nov. 1819 under the Acts of 1818 and 1820. Certificate 18533 was issued 2 April 1822.^[5]

Census Records

• In 1800 there are two John Adcock's in Granville County, North Carolina (p 571)- Senior and Junior. John Junior is in the right age bracket (26-44), but he has seven sons and no daughters so does not seem to be the correct one. He also appears to be the son of John Senior and our John's father is supposedly Joseph Adcock. There is another John Adcock (p 499) who is also in the correct age bracket (26-44); he has no sons and two daughters. His wife is in the age bracket 16-25, which could be correct assuming this is John's first wife. No certainty that either of these two is the correct John Adcock.
• There is a John Adcock on the 1810 Census in Jefferson, Rutherford County, Tennessee. He and his wife appear to be in the age brackets consistent with this John Adcock. However, I am reluctant to say this is our John Adcock. He has eleven children and I have not found that our John had that many children. There are two John Adcocke's in Buckingham County, Virginia, but both are two young.
• In 1820 John was living in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. His name was misspelled on the census as John Addock. In the household are:^[6]
  • 1 male under 10
  • 1 male age 10-15
  • 1 male age 45 & over, John b c 1754
  • 2 females under 10
  • 1 female age 26-44, John's second wife b c 1790. She was said to be age 30 in 1820. (See Pension info above.)
• In 1830 John was living in Robertson County, Tennessee. In the household are:^[7]
  • 1 male age 70-79, John b c 1754
  • 2 females age 15-19
  • 1 female age 40-49, John's second wife b c 1790.
  • 1 female age 60-69

Death

Many variant death dates have been attributed to John with no documentation submitted. The gravestone located in Adcock Cemetery is obviously fairly recent. The photo on the Find A Grave Memorial shows no wear due to age. However, John appears to have still been living on 11 September 1838 when his bank manager sent his Pension Certificate to the US Pension office for renewal. The following letter addressed to James L. Edwards, Esqr., Pension Office, is included in John's pension application file. The letter was transcribed from an image on ancestry.com by Shirley Dalton 14:45, 19 July 2015 (EDT) .

Union Bank of Tennessee
Nashville 11th Sept. 1838

J. L. Edwards Esqr.
Dear Sir
I am desired by Mr. John Adcock a Revolutionary Pensioner under the Act of the 18th March 1818 to Inclose you [sic] his Pension certificate for renewal, you will discover it very much worne. Please to return back to the care of this office. Mr. Adcock has drawn his pension up to the 4th Instant. I am with much Respect Sir
Your Obbdent
John M Bass Pen.
& Pension Agent
by S. Cantrell ^[8]

Notes

Edward Adcock, born c 1729 in Virginia, has been removed as son from John and Sarah. His birth year proves he is not John's son.

Born 1758 in Albemarle (later Buckingham) County, Colonial Virginia.

His father is John Adcock the immigrant. His wife is Sally Wheeler, marrying her in VA on Feb. 13, 1778. He moved his family to Robertson Co., TN in 1823. He served in the Revolutionary War per his pension application. He began his service in Buckingham Co., Va. in 1881 in the company of Captain Saunders, Col. Skipworth and Major Thomas Tucker. He served at the Battle of Yorktown and was discharged at Winchester signed by Capt. Hughs Woodson. He also served in the War of 1812.

Sources

1. ↑ National Cemetery Administration. U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator.
2. ↑ Find A Grave [Find A Grave: Memorial #49572112 Memorial# 49572112] includes Military information and photo of gravestone.
3. ↑ North Carolina and Tennessee, Revolutionary War Land Warrants, 1783-1843 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Tennessee. North Carolina Revolutionary War Land Warrants, 1783–1837. Land Office Records, 1783–1927, Record Group 50. Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee.
4. ↑ U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M246, 138 rolls); War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, Record Group 93; National Archives, Washington. D.C.
5. ↑ Dorman, John Frederick, Compiler. Virginia Revolutionary Pension Applications, 1958; Vol. 1, p 24-25. As cited on Adcock Family.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch: accessed 20 July 2015), John Addock, Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States; citing p. , NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch: accessed 20 July 2015), John A Adcock, Not Stated, Robertson, Tennessee; citing p. 391, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 179; FHL microfilm 24,537.
8. ↑ U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (NARA microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Archive Roll Number: 18; 24 pages in packet.

• Marriage: "Virginia, U.S., Marriage Records, 1700-1850"
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 3143 #19673 (accessed 19 January 2024)
  Sally Wheeler marriage to John Adcock on 13 Feb 1787 in Buckingham, Virginia.
• Virginia, Marriage Records, 1700-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Bentley, Elizabeth Petty, indexer. Virginia Marriage Records: From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the William and Mary College Quarterly, and Tyler's Quarterly. Baltimore, MD: Genealogy Publishing Co., Inc., 1984. p 103.

See also:

• Pension Application, Census Records, Tennessee State Archives Records.

Acknowledgements

• Thank you to Heather Dobbins for creating WikiTree profile Adcock-319 through the import of My Alabama Roots.ged on Oct 20, 2013.