Joseph Mullins (1739 - aft. 1840)

Born 2 Mar 1739 in Amelia, Virginia

Descendants

Died after 1840 after age 100 in Bedford, Tennessee

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Biography

Soldier Joseph Mullins served with Halifax County Militia, Virginia Militia during the American Revolution.

Joseph was born in Virginia in 1739, served in the Revolutionary War under General George Washington, and later migrated to Tennessee. He raised a family and died sometime after 1840 in Bedford, Tennessee.

Disproved ancestry from William Mullins

It has been widely accepted on the internet and in genealogical circles that Joseph's father John is the son of William Mullins and Katherine (Smith) Mullins. DNA testing by the FtDNA Mullins surname project have disproved these links.^[1] Descendants of John Mullins, born about 1718 in Virginia are not YDNA related to the other descendants of William Mullins. Additionally, while there is a clear paper trail to link William's known sons James and William, there is no clear documentation linking John, born in 1718. William's son John is listed last in his will meaning that he was most likely born on or after 1726. To date, no records have been found to prove the parents of John Mullins.

Uncertain child

There is no evidence that Joseph Mullins had a son James. It is likely that the profile James Mullins is a conflation of William Mullin's son James' Mullin's profile. James' profile is now detached from Joseph Mullins and should not be re-attached without proper sourcing.

Birth

This profile is part of the Mullins Name Study.

Joseph was born 2 March 1739 in Amelia County, Virginia (later would become Prince Edward County).^[2]

Revolutionary War service

He served in the Revolutionary War,^[3][4][5] and passed away after 1840 in Bedford, Tennessee.^{[citation needed]}

We know many details about Joseph because of his Revolutionary War Veterans benefits application. He wrote out details of his life and then at a sworn court proceeding, he was further questioned about his place of birth, residences, Revolutionary War service, references, and migration to Tennessee from Virginia.

He was living in Halifax Country, Virginia, when he was drafted into service in January, 1781, "placed in a company under the command of Capt. Hezekiah Powell and was marched to Portsmouth where he was mustered into service and placed in a Regiment commanded by Colonel Gaskings under the command of Gen. Muklenburg and was marched from Portsmouth to a Col. Batty in the State of Virginia but he does not recall the name of the county where the American troops remained for some time. When they were attacked by the British Army where a general engagement took place, and the Americans under Gen. Muklenburg proved victorious. He says he was then marched back to Portsmouth and at that place his Captain took sick and died - where he remained until his time of three months service expired." He provided a copy of his discharge letter with the application.

He was again drafted into service in July, 1781, again in Halifax County, Virginia. This time he was a militiaman and was placed under the command of Captain Fleming Bates Company under the command of Colonel John Rogers and Boyce and "was marched to Little York where he was mustered into the command of General George Washington, where he says he continued until after the Siege of York, that he was in the engagement when Wallace was taken and remained at Little York until something like two weeks after his term of three months service expired."

He later went on an expedition against some hostile Creek Indians. And after, he took ill and was ordered discharged on 19 October, 1781. He also submitted this second written discharge letter with his application.

During the interrogation of the court (Bedford, Tennessee, 1833), we learn that he was born in Virginia and spent most of his life there. He said that his birthday was 2 March 1739. He lived in Halifax for "many years after the close of the Revolutionary War," and then moved to Henry County, VA, and then to Pittsylvania County, VA. Later, he migrated to Tennessee, first to Grainger County, then to Jefferson County, and finally he came to Bedford County where he lived at the time of this inquiry.^[6]

Migration to Tennessee

The first records of Joseph (found to date) in Tennessee: he appeared on a tax list in Grainger, Tennessee in 1805.^[7] Later, in 1823, he appeared on a land registry in Marion, Tennessee.^[8] He likely traveled from Virginia to Tennessee with his son Thomas Mullins who was married in Grainger, Tennessee in 1811, ^[9] and who also settles in Bedford, Tennessee.^[10]

The last record found (to date) is a pension roll record in 1835.^[11]

Residence and timeline

1830 - Jefferson, Tennessee (residence: 1830 US census)^[12]

Research Notes

Joseph Mullins traveled VA to Grainger, TN and then later west.

On the 1805 tax roll for Grainger, we see Joseph, John, & Joel Mullins.

Joseph had a first cousin, John Mullins who had a son Joel. John also has another son, Thomas R. Mullins, the same exact name as Joseph's son. Both Thomas R. Mullins were born in VA and both migrated to TN.

Another two of John's sons are named Oney Mullins and Giles Collins Mullins. Both also migrated to TN and both died in Rutherford County, TN.

Our Thomas R. Mullins settled in Bedford, TN. We find him on the early tax roll in Bedford in 1836, 1837, & 1839.

A Thomas R. Mullins (probably not our Thomas R.) is listed on the early tax roll for Rutherford in 1836. This is probably Oney's brother Thomas R.

The final disposition of the possible cousins are:

Father John - doesn't say where he died. Thomas R. - died Gibson County, TN - west of Nashville.

• Joseph's father John's will:

The will of John Mullins is dated 19 May 1772 Charlotte County, Virginia:

Wife Susannah Mullins "to have the use of my plantation during her natural life." Daughter Agness Mullins 120 acres; daughter Hannah Mullins 100 acres; daughter Precious Mullins 100 acres; granddaughter Lidia Mullins 100 acres; granddaughter Jane Bower 100 acres, "if she should die without heirs that her part shall go to her brother James Bowers"; sons William Mullins; John Mullins; DAVID MULLINS; Thomas Mullins; Joseph Mullins; and Joshua Mullins to have 5 shillings each. Wife Susannah to have "use of my stock of all kinds during her life and after her death to be equally divided among my daughters and granddaughters to whom I have given my land."

Witnesses: THOMAS MORTON, James Bower, Mary (X) Bower.

(S) John (H) Mullins. Deed proved 1 June 1772.

The division of the John Mullins estate was made 15 Feb. 1777 and the distribution of the estate was returned and recorded 2 Feb. 1778.

• Joseph Mullins marriage to Nancey Hudson, 1800 in Pittsylvania, VA:

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=60214&h=847494&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=lrz1937282&_phstart=successSource

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=3002&h=132299&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=lrz1937282&_phstart=successSource

If he did marry in Pittsylvania in 1800 this would certainly have been a 2nd marriage as his known children were born before 1800.

Sources to follow up on:

• Other Mullins in Tennessee in 1840: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1840usfedcenancestry/?name=thomas_mullins&event=1840_tennessee&count=50&event_x=_1-0&name_x=_psx&pcat=cen_1840

• 1840 Rutherford, TN census: also appears a Thomas Richardson https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=lrz-1487114&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&indiv=1&db=1840usfedcenancestry&gsfn=thomas&gsln=mullins&gsln_x=NP_NN_NS&msydy=1840&msypn__ftp=tennessee&msypn__ftp_x=1&new=1&rank=1&uidh=lrz&redir=false&gss=angs-d&pcat=35&fh=1&h=3023517&recoff=&ml_rpos=2

• https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=lrz-1487114&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&indiv=1&db=1840usfedcenancestry&gsfn=thomas&gsln=mullins&gsln_x=NP_NN_NS&msydy=1840&msypn__ftp=tennessee&msypn__ftp_x=1&new=1&rank=1&uidh=lrz&redir=false&gss=angs-d&pcat=35&fh=4&h=2991513&recoff=&ml_rpos=5

• Transcribed Pension Application S4248

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.familytreedna.com/public/mullins/default.aspx?section=ycolorized FtDNA
2. ↑ Carroll, Cornelius. "The Descendants of William Mullins." Accessed 16 February 2019 SJ Baty.
3. ↑ McAllister, J.T.. Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War. Hot Springs, VA, USA: McAllister Publishing Co., 1913.
4. ↑ U.S., The Pension Roll of 1835 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: United States Senate. The Pension Roll of 1835.4 vols. 1968 Reprint, with index. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1992, accessed 15 April 2018 SJ Baty at https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=60514&h=53667.
5. ↑ Historical reg. Of Virginians in the Rev., soldiers, saliors and marines, 1775- 1783. Ed. By John H. Gwathmey. Richmond, Va. 1938. (13, 872p.):572
6. ↑ 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. Accessed 15 April 2018 at https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1995&h=43586.
   Local file: https://www.wikitree.com/index.php.
7. ↑ Early Tax Lists of Tennessee. Microfilm, 12 rolls. The Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee. Accessed at Ancestry on 15 April 2018, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2883&h=23024.
8. ↑ 1823 Tennessee, Early Land Registers - Marion, TN - Joseph Mullins, accessed at Ancestry, 15 April 2018.
9. ↑ Tennessee, Marriage Records, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Nashville, TN, USA: Tennessee State Library and Archives. Microfilm. Accessed 15 April 2018 at https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1169&h=2168800&ssrc=pt&tid=18533366.
10. ↑ Year: 1850; Census Place: District 24, Bedford, Tennessee; Roll: M432_869; Page: 260B; Image: 519. Accessed at Ancestry on 15 April 2018, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8054&h=5947791.
11. ↑ The Pension Roll of 1835. 4 vols. 1968 Reprint, with index. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1992. Accessed 09 October 2018 SJ Baty.
12. ↑ "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHP9-DVP : 7 September 2017 SJ Baty), Joseph Mullins, Jefferson, Tennessee, United States; citing 323, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 180; FHL microfilm 24,538.