Abner Foster son of James

  Abner Foster, a Revolutionary War Patriot War Pension file #W8823

1787 Census of Virginia ISBN 0-89157-132-9
Bedford county
Foster, James self 10011
Foster, Drewester self 10011 (not tithable)
Foster, John self 00026
Foster, Abner self 00013  (he was over age 21)                  
                   ·  Birth: 18 Dec 1759 in Virginia

                   ·  Death: 27 Feb 1848 in Hamilton county Illinois

Married 1^st Drusilla O’Neal Aug 1781 in Amelia county Virginia

      Children;  

1.      Winnifred Foster 1784 in Virginia 

Note: Winifred Foster, who was born 1784 in Bedford Co, VA. and died 19 October 1854, in Allen County, KY. Winifreds death Record from "Kentucky Death Records 1852-1953", says she died of Palsy, and gives her parents names. Winifred married William Dalton, November 17, 1804, in Pittsylvania Co, VA. William was born 1786, VA and died 1860 Allen Co, KY. He was the son of George Dalton, b. 1753 Pittsylvania Co, VA & Winneyford Wigginton, b. 1762 Pittsylvania Co, VA. Their children were; Booker b. 1813, Malinda b. 1807, Elizabeth b. 1811, Mary b. 1820, David b. 1810 Warren Co, Jensey 1808, Warren Co, Martha 1818, Allen Co, Winifred 1809 Warren Co, Jane b. 1808? Warren Co, and Daniel 1816 Allen Co.

Marriage 1 William Dalton  17 Nov 1804 in Pittsylvania county Virginia

2.      William Foster 25 Nov 1788 in Bedford County Virginia  25 Nov 1788  married Jane Wilson  

Death 20 May 1857 ,Allen Co,KY; of Smallp0x

   Their Children are listed as; Iredell W Foster, James Wilson Foster, Margaret A, Eliza Jane, Booker A, John D, Abner S, Martha Ann, William Bilbo, Samantha Elizabeth.

1820 Census Allen county Kentucky
William Foster
2 males under 10, 1 male under 16, 1 male under 45, 1 female under 26

1850 Census Allen county Kentucky #200
Foster Wm 62 farming 12000 Va
Jane 54 NC
JW 30 farming Ky
SD 22 farming Ky
WB 16 farming Ky
SD 14 Ky
#199
Foster A Booker 26 farming 650 Ky
XXXXXXXXX 25 Ky

Allen county KY deaths
Foster, William age 79/m/md D.5/20/57 smallpox Father Abner Foster b. Bedford Co Va

Book C 1820-1825
Pg163-64 Nov 27, 1821 ....between ELIZABETH RUSSEL relict and widow of William RUSSEL dec'd & NEHEMIAH ROTEN in right of his wife MARY ROTEN formerly MARY RUSSEL, GEORGE RUSSELL & ELIJAH RUSSEL formerly of Allen county Kentucky but now of different states ... and WILLIAM FOSTER of the county of Allen ... Kentucky ... whereas WM RUSSEL did ... sell a parcel of land ... on Tramel creek in Allen County on the state line unto ABNER FOSTER and gave his bond for a title to sd land & sd land having been traded to WM FOSTER for $400 ... containing 75 acres ... Wit: R. ALEXANDER, ALEXANDER STEWART Signed: ELIZABETH (her X mark) RUSSEL , NEHEMIAH WROTEN, ELIJAH RUSSEL, GEORGE (his X mark) RUSSEL

Pg356-57 Mar 21, 1825 ...between CHRISTOPHER HAINES and MARY his wife of Allen County ...Kentucky.. and WILLIAM FOSTER of sd county and state ... $ 400... 75 acres of land... on Tramels creek in county and state afsd... Signed: CHRISTOPHER HAINES, MYRAH HAINES ... MYRAH HAINES wife and consort of sd CHRISTOPHER ... relinquished her right of dower ...

Marriage 1 Jane Wilson b: 1791 in Orange county NC

William's family is found at the Foster Graveyard, Allen Co KY listed as;
Melvina Foster wife of J. W. Foster b. 1/23/1835 d. 9/10/1880
Jane Wilson Foster wife of of Wm. Foster b. 12/20/1795 d. 8/12/1856
William Foster, b. 11/25/1788 d. 5/20/1857 of smallpox
George Foster (no marker)
Booker A. Foster b. 10/12/1823 d. 9/16/1889
James Wilson Foster b. 2/17/1819 d. 4/11/1893
Rachel Burris wife of Booker b. 9/15/1825 d. 2/11/1892

It is not known for sure if "this" ABNER FOSTER JR, is the son of William and Jane or the son of John and Rachell, or possibly the son of Abner Sr.  His data was gleaned from his Civil War pension file # 596144, as his minor sons put forth a claim for pension, in Bernie, Stoddard Co, MO.  Since William never seemed to leave Allen Co, KY, I suspect the later. However, it is said that William had a son named Abner S. (more research is needed)
Abner Foster was born 1829 Henderson County, TN.  He left a widow named Elizabeth Hayes, and they were married 3/19/1864, in Vienna, Johnson Co, Ill.  Abner was married several times, one ending in divorace.   Of this marriage his minor children were; Thomas Foster, b. 7/2/1867, James, b. 1865, and George b. 1869.
Abner Foster served in Co. D. 6th Illinois Calvery, enrolled Oct. 11 1861 and discharged May 29 1862.  He was counted absent and sick in the hospital April 30 1862 with the measles.  The measles caused various lung deseases, and his sickness's lasted for 50 days.  He also suffered from Typhoid.

3 & 4.  We find an Isaac Foster and a John Foster near Abner in Gallatin Co Illinois and SUSPECT they are related to Abner, perhaps sons by Drusilla O'Neal.

1840 Gallatin Co. Ill Census

43   8     Foster        John          1      1     1      0      0      1      0      0      0      0      0      0       0     1    1     1      0      0      0      1      0      0      0      0      0       0     0      0      0      0      0       0     0 

1840 Hamilton Co Census

Isaac Foster   (is he a widower)

1 m under 5

1 m 10-15     

1 m 40-50

1 F under 5

1 f 10-15

1 f 15-20

Married 2^nd Judith Lane Married: 13 Mar 1804 in Pittslyvania county Virginia

         Children;

1.      Nancy Foster 1813 in Kentucky (as stated in Judy Foster's pension application, as the oldest child of Abner and Judys)
1840 Gallatin Co. Ill Census

41   10    Foster        Nancy         0      0     1      1      0      0      0      0      0      0      0      0       0     1    2     0     

14    Foster        Thomas        0      0     0      0      1      0      0      0      0      0      0      0       0     0    0     0      1     

What is very interesting is the amount of children Abner had in his household during the census years. for example;

Census 1790 Bedford County, VA

Abner 1-2 males of 16 & upwards including head of family

1-2

Drury

1-1

John

1-2

James Sr.

1-2
1800 Pittsylvania Co, Va Tax Lists Personal B =1002 

1810 Warren/Barren Co, KY: 2m<10, 2m10<15, 2m16<25, 1m 45>, 3f<10, 1f26<44, 1F45>   (reports 6 sons)

1820 Allen Co, KY;  1m<10, 1m 16<26, 1m 45>, 4F<10, 3F 10<16, 1f 16<45, 1F 45>               (reports 2 sons

1830 Henderson Co, TN; 1m<5, 1m5<10, 1m15<20, 1m70<80, 1f5<10, 3F10<15, 2F15<20, 2F20<45, 1F50<60  (additional children in household perhaps sons of dtrs)

1840  Cain Creek, Gallatin Co, Illinois: 1m 80<90, 2F 20<30, 1 F 50<60

Based on the above census, we believe Abner had in the neighborhood of 7 sons and about that many daughters most of which are unknown. Speculation abounds.  We know that William stayed in Allen county KY and died there.  Nothing is known of Nancy, many speculate that she is the unmarried women in the cenus of Gallatin Illinois with children.  However, we believe that Nancy is a widow of one of Abner's sons or that she married a Foster retaining her surname. More research in this area is needed.

Death date and location in Abner's Revolutionary War Pension file #W8823

On West Tenn Henderson county Inscribed on the roll in 4 March 1834
Transferred to Illinois.
August 24 1838 Nashvile, Sept 04 1838 Illinois.

Where and what year were you born?
"In the county of Amelia Virginia in the month of December 1759."
He states his birth is recorded in his grand father's bible, "but has become of the bible I know not"

"In both my first and second tours of service as stated in the body of this my declaration I lived in the county of Amelia in the state of Virginia after which in Bedford county of the same then to Warren county in the state of Kentucky and from there Removed into the county of Henderson my present place of Residence."

Pg163-64 Nov 27, 1821 ....between ELIZABETH RUSSEL relict and widow of William RUSSEL dec'd & NEHEMIAH ROTEN in right of his wife MARY ROTEN formerly MARY RUSSEL, GEORGE RUSSELL & ELIJAH RUSSEL formerly of Allen county Kentucky but now of different states ... and WILLIAM FOSTER of the county of Allen ... Kentucky ... whereas WM RUSSEL did ... sell a parcel of land ... on Tramel creek in Allen County on the state line unto ABNER FOSTER and gave his bond for a title to sd land & sd land having been traded to WM FOSTER for $400 ... containing 75 acres ... Wit: R. ALEXANDER, ALEXANDER STEWART Signed: ELIZABETH (her X mark) RUSSEL , NEHEMIAH WROTEN, ELIJAH RUSSEL, GEORGE (his X mark) RUSSEL

Pioneer Baptist Church Records of South-Central Kentucky and the Upper Cumberland of Tennessee 1799-1899
by C.P.Cawthorn & N.L. Warnell
page 150
History of Salem Baptist Church (Allen County Kentucky)
The old Salem Baptist Church in Allen County was located on Trammel Creek and was constituted in the year 1804.
Again in 1817, the Salem Church sent out another group of members this time into the Indiana territory. This greatly reduced the congregation in members from which she never recovered. By 1821, the minutes of the Drakes Creek Association show a membership of 17. The church disappears from the records of that association in 1822, apparently having dissolved.
(Gasper River Association)
1814 Abner Foster 28
Moses Rand
1820 A. Foster 18
G. Wigington
G Dayton
(Drakes Creek Association)
1821 Drury Foster 17
Abner Foster
I’m inserting here my notes on the Personal Property Tax Lists of Pittsylvania County, VA, from 1796 – 1807 which encompasses the period this Foster family resided there:

1796 (Robert Devin)

·         No Foster

·         No Pratt

1796 (John White)

·         No Foster

·         No Pratt

1797 (John White)

·         Anderson Foster             1001

·         No Pratt

1797 (Robert Devin)

·         James Foster                 [27 May, 1 W>16, 0 B12-16, 0 B>16, 1 Horse]

·         No Pratt

1798 (John White)

·         No Foster

·         No Pratt

1798 (Jere White)

·         Drury Foster                  [26 May, 1001]

·         No Pratt

1799 (Jn White)

·         Abner Foster                  [6 APR, 1001]

·         No Pratt

1799 (Jerem^h White)

·         James Foster                 [18 MAR, 1001]

·         Drury Foster                  [18 MAR, 1001]

o        James and Drury Foster were listed in succession.

1800 (Jno White)

·         Abner Foster                  [5 APR, 1002]

·         No Pratt

1800 (Jeremiah White)

·         James Foster Jr(?)          [23 APR, 1001]

·         James Foster Sen           [23 APR, 1001]

·         Drury Foster                  [23 APR, 1001]

o        The three Fosters were listed in succession

·         No Pratt

1801 (Jno White)

·         No Foster

·         No Pratt

1801 (Jer. White)

·         James Foster Jr(?)          [20 JUL, 1001]

·         James Foster Senr          [20 JUL, 1001]

·         Drury Foster                  [20 JUL, 1001]

·         John Foster                    [20 JUL, 1002]

o        The 4 Fosters were listed in succession

·         No Pratt

1802 (John White)

·         No Foster

·         No Pratt

1802 (Jer. White)

·         John Foster                    [8 MAY, 1001]

·         James Foster Jr.             [8 MAY, 1002]

·         James Foster Senr          [8 MAY, 1001(?)]

·         Drury Foster                  [8 May, 1001]

o        James Jr., James Sr., and Drury were listed in succession.

·         No Pratt

1803 (John White)

·         No Foster

·         No Pratt

1803 (Jer. White)

·         Drury Foster                  [14 MAY, 1000]

·         James Foster Jr.             [14 MAY, 1002]

·         James Foster Senr          [14 MAY, 1001]

o        Drury, James Jr. and James Sr. were listed in succession.

·         Abner Foster                  [6 AUG, 1000]

·         John Foster                    [16 AUG, 1001]

·         No Pratt

1804 (John White)

·         No Foster

·         No Pratt

1804 (Jere White)

·         James L(?) Foster                      [16 APR, 1002]

·         James Foster Senr                      [16 APR, 1001]

·         Drury Foster                              [16 APR, 1001]

o        The two James and Drury were listed in succession.

·         Abner Foster                              [12 May, 1001]

1805 (John White)

·         No Foster

·         No Pratt

1805 (Jer. White)

·         James Foster Senr                      [20 AUG, 1001]

·         James Foster Jr                          [20 AUG, 1002]

·         Drury Foster                              [20 AUG, 1001]

·         Abner Foster                              [20 AUG, 1001]

o        All Fosters were listed in succession.

·         No Pratt

1806 (John White)

·         Matthew Foster                          [10 MAY, 1000,1]

·         No Pratt

1806 (Jere. White)

·         No Foster

·         No Pratt

1807 (John White)

·         No Foster

·         No Pratt

1807 (Jer. White)

·         No Foster

·         No Pratt

  Legends state that Abner was buried in 10 Mile Creek Cemetery, McLeansboro, Hamilton Co, Ill.  However, after contacting the cemetery, they had no listing.  “The stones they used were very soft, therefore unreadable today”   

If anyone has any additions or corrections please use the comment box below.