Parentage of Jesse Todd (1790/5 – 1874) of Kentucky, Tennessee and Moniteau Co MO

Richard McMurtry

May 2007

 

Conclusion:

I believe there is a good chance that Jesse Todd (1790/95-1874) of Kentucky, Tennessee (Cocke, Campbell, Grainger Counties) and Missouri (Cole and Moniteau Co) was either the son of James Todd b 1770s VA, (the son of Low Todd 1723-1792) OR the son of John Todd 1746 -1829 of VA-KY-Lincoln Co TN.

 

Lack of records, the destruction of records in Cocke Co TN, John Todd’s  will not mentioning ALL the children, and misleading DNA results have hampered proving (or disproving) this theory.  However, it may be possible to develop supportive circumstantial evidence.

 

The following research could be undertaken to develop this evidence:

  1. Determining the neighborhood of residence of Jesse Todd in Cocke Co: i.e. was he near Low Todd’s home. If so, then this is supporting evidence for the theory that Jesse was related to Low.

 

  • The names of the fellow soldiers of Jesse Todd and Isaac Todd (who served in the same unit at one time) in the war of 1812 could be obtained and by looking up their pension records (if any), deeds for them or their families, an approximation of the location of residence of both men could be determined.
  • The records of the Turner family in Jefferson Co could be searched to determine the residence of the husband of Susanna Turner, mother of Priscilla Turner (wife of Jesse Todd).
  • Determining the location of the land of Samuel Meals (father of Nancy Meals who married Isaac Todd) who died in Jefferson Co would tell us if Samuel Meals lived close to the Todds.

 

 

  1. DNA sample for Isaac Todd

 

It seems likely that the DNA sample from the Jesse Todd descendants indicates a non-paternity event, probably that Tilman was not the biological son of Jesse.  However, if Isaac Todd was brother to Jesse, then a DNA sample from Isaac’s descendants would show a Mary Todd Lincoln group of Todds DNA signature, IF my theory is right that Jesse and Isaac are sons of John Todd 1746-1829.

 

Isaac was married in Jefferson Co in 1813 and his wife (Nancy Meals) reportedly died about 1828.  Isaac appears in the 1830 census with a son b 1815-1820 and a son b 1825-1830 and some daughters.  One of those sons should have survived to adulthood or at least til the 1850 census.  Determining the ancestry of ALL the Tennessee born Todds in the 1825-1830 or the 1815-1820 period and then getting DNA samples from those that could not be linked to a specific family would determine if this branch was related to John Todd 1746-1820 or his kin.

 

Evidence

 

The basic evidence:

  1. DNA of two descendants of Jesse Todd does not match any other Todd families.  So either, this is an immigrant family or the DNA is not valid.  I believe the DNA is not valid because of a non-paternity event in the lineage, possibly by Tilman Todd b 1811 not being a biological son of Jesse.
  2. Jesse Todd b KY abt 1790/95 is in Cocke Co by 1811 when he married a Priscilla Turner who lived on the Nollichucky River.  This may be close to Low Todd’s land also on the Nollichucky River.  The movement of a Kentucky Todd to eastern TN suggests a possible connection between the two families.
  3. Isaac Todd married in Jefferson Co in 1813 to Nancy Meals.
  4. Jesse and Isaac served in the same unit in the War of 1812.
  5. Jesse and Isaac and Low Todd all settled in Campbell Co by 1818.  Isaac and Low on a branch of the Jellico and Jesse and  John Todd on the Licking Fork of Elk Fork.
  6. The Trammel family that was associated with Jellico Creek lived in Knox Co KY during the same period as James Todd and John Todd lived there 1805-1807.  Peter Trammel reportedly married Mary Todd in 1806 in Knox Co. KY. 
  7. John Todd 1746-1829 moved to Lincoln Co TN where his sister’s grandson Ebenezer McEwen had moved before 1812. 
  8. Isaac Todd seems to be the Isaac Todd who shows up in Lincoln Co TN in 1830 census, but got a grant for Campbell Co TN in 1838.
  9. All this interweaving of Isaac, James and Low Todd and John Todd suggests a family connection.
  10. However, the connection might be through one of Low Todd’s sons though this would not explain why Jesse reported that he was born in KY.
  11. John Todd’s will in 1829 mentions his relatives Ebenezer McEwen and Robert H McEwen (sister Sarah’s grandsons), but not the William Todd who died in Lincoln Co in 1842 and had children guardianed by in-laws of John Todd.  So we wonder if John may have had other children besides William and possibly Jesse and Isaac are them.
  12. Just as John Todd had been drawn to Lincoln Co TN by his cousin Ebenezer McEwen, perhaps Jesse and Issac had been drawn to relatives in Cocke Co after their father remarried in 1808.  Or perhaps Jesse and Issac were grandsons of Low Todd d 1792 through James Todd or John Todd (sons of Low).
  13. There were only four Todd families in the 1795 tax list compilation for Kentucky:
  1. Family of Mary Todd Lincoln (TF 19) in Fayette, Shelby, Bourbon, and Mercer Co, KY
  2. Family of Stafford Co VA Todds (TF 40) in Scott Co, KY
  3. Family of Joseph, Thomas and Caleb Todd (TF 17) in Madison Co KY
  4. Family of John and Edward Todd (TF 30) in Bourbon Co\
  5. Family of Thomas Todd (TF 31) of Franklin Co KY

 

We have DNA for all by TF 40 (which is in process in May 2007) and none match the DNA of Jesse Todd.  These families are well defined except for John Todd 1746-1829 of the Mary Todd Lincoln Group of Todds (TF19) and some branches of the Madison Co Todds (TF 17).   Jesse and Isaac are common names in TF 17, but only TF 19 has a connection to Cocke Co.  Therefore I think John Todd 1746-1829 is the father of Jesse.

 

Related records:

Todd, David, Pvt Col S. Bunch Capt Jones Griffin TN draft Mil

Hi folks,

Here's my reading of the military record that Rande obtained from the National Archives.

 

Todd, Issac Pvt Col S Bunch Capt Geo Gregory

Todd, Isaac Pvt Col S Bunch, Capt Capt Jno Houk ETN mil joined fr Capt Gregory’s Co

 

Todd, Issac Pvt Col Saml Bayless Capt B Jones ETN draft militia; trans frCapt Hale’s Co

Todd, Isaac Pvt Col Saml Bayless Capt Jos Hale E TN Mil

Todd, Jesse Pvt Col Saml Bayless, Capt B Jones ETN Draft Mil

 

 

Isaac’s  initial service commitment was from Nov 13, 1814 to May 18, 1815 and initial service was with Capt Joseph Hale’s Company of Infantry, 4th Regiment (Bayles’) Tennessee Militia; but on January 11, 1815, he was transferred to Capt. Branch Jones Company, of the same regiment (Col Samuel Bayles’ Regiment of East Tennessee Militia) and with the transfer he extended his service to Jun 10, 1815.  This was the unit that Jesse Todd served in from Nov 13 1814 to Jun 13, 1815.  Pursuant to this service, after the war, on 24 July 1815, he commissioned an attorney to collect pay due him and recorded it on 20 January 1816 in Jefferson County with witnesses: William Legg and a second I couldn’t read possibly John Kirk___. 

 

There is a William Legg who married Nancy Coffman in Jefferson Co in 1808 and who went to Limestone Co AL between 1816 and 1824 and whose children included Daniel Meals Legg b 1824.  Hence we see a connection between Isaac Todd and his wife Nancy Meals and his witness William Legg who used Meals as a middle name for one of his children.