The Blackburn Family

Ancestors of Lucetta Blackburn Collins

For further information, see

Grant County, KY websites:

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ky/county/grant/index/home.html

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygrant/

Rankin-Blackburn website:

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/m/o/Michael-A-Smoke/index.html

1st Generation:  The Immigrant  Ancestor

Capt. William Blackburn

(1653-1738)

Captain William Blackburn was born 17 September 1653 in Newcastle on the Tyne, Yorkshire, England.[1]  His wife's name was Elizabeth (last name unknown).   He died in 1738 in Abingdon Parrish, Gloucester (or Middlesex) County, VA.

Children of William and Elizabeth Blackburn were:

i.          Elizabeth

ii.          Dorothy

iii.         Martha b. 1714

iv.         William (Capt.) b. 1717

v.         Thomas b. 1721

vi.         Anna b. 1722/23

vii.        Millicent b. 1717

viii.       Edward b. 30 Nov 1729 m. Ann.

2nd generation

Edward Blackburn

(b. 1729)

Edward Blackburn was born 30 November 1729, the youngest child of William Blackburn and his wife Elizabeth.  He married Ann (last name unknown)[2].

Edward and Ann Blackburn had the following children:

            i.          Julius Blackburn m. Betsy Scruggs

            ii.          Mildred Blackburn m. Henry Buford

            iii.         Elizabeth Blackburn

            iv.         James B. Blackburn (1745-1814) m. Jane (Jenny) Rankin

            v.         George Blackburn b. 1746, m. Prudence Berry

            vi.         William Blackburn b. 1749

3rd generation

James B. Blackburn

(1745-1814)

Jane (Jenny) Rankin

(about 1750-after 1830)

James B. Blackburn was born about 1745 in Augusta Co., VA, the fourth child of Edward Blackburn and his wife Ann.  He died in 1814 in Harrison Co., KY.[3]

Jane (Jenny) Rankin was born about 1755 in Frederick  Co., Virginia, the daughter of David Rankin Jr., and Hannah Province Rankin.  (see RANKIN)

            James Blackburn and Jane Rankin married in about 1770 in Albemarle Co., VA, and had the following children:[4]

            i.          Samuel Blackburn, b. Oct 1771 probably in Frederick Co., VA,

                                    d. 1834 McMinn Co., TN

            ii.          Robert Rankin Blackburn, b. 1773 Frederick Co., VA, d. 13 Oct 1834

                                    Vermilion Co., IL

            iii.         David Blackburn, b. VA, d. 29 Nov. 1849 Harrison Co., KY

            iv.         William Blackburn b. 1776 VA, d. before1840 Lawrence Co., IL

            v.         Polly Lucretia Blackburn b. 1778-9, VA, d. 1840, Adams Co., IL

            vi.         Hannah Blackburn, b. 1780 Rutherford NC, d. after 1853 Grayson, TX

            vii.        Thomas R. Blackburn, b 22 Mar 1782 Rutherford, NC, d, 16 Apr 1859

                                    Grant Co., KY

            viii.       John Blackburn b. 1784 Rutherford NC, d. bef. 1844 Bourbon Co., KY.

            ix.         Rankin Blackburn (1786 NC-1876 KY) m. Rachel King (1798-1856)

            x.         Jane (Jean) Blackburn, b. 1788 Rutherford NC, d. 1871 Vernon, Jennings

                                    Co., IN

            xi.         Sarah H. Blackburn b 23 Mar 1789, NC, d. 20 May 1855 Jefferson

                                    Co., IA           

            xii.        James Rankin Blackburn II, b. 14 Mar 1791, Harrison, KY, d. 29 Apr

                                    1862, Livingston Co., MO

            According to the article on this family in the Grant County News, Footsteps of the Past, published October 5, 2000, it appears that James and Jane Blackburn moved from Virginia to North Carolina, residing in Rutherford County, NC by 1782.  By 1791 the family migrated to then Bourbon, now Harrison Co., KY, where by 1801 the family was residing on 110 acres on the south side of the South Fork of the Licking River.

            In the website entitled "Descendants of David Rankin, Sr.," Michael Smoke wrote, "We believe 1779 to be the date this family arrived in North Carolina from Virginia by the evidence that he entered his land on that date and his daughter Hannah Blackburn Vanzant in the census record for Franklin Co., TN in 1850 gives her age as 70, so her birth would have been 1780.  She lists North Carolina as her place of birth.  That they came from Virginia is shown by the census record of John Blackburn, son of James' oldest son Samuel, who gives place of birth of his father as Virginia.

            "It appears that James and Jane  moved to Harrison Co., KY about 1791 as their last child, James was born there March 14, 1791 ... James Blackburn's first purchase of land appears in Deed Book 1, page 612, March 18, 1801 ... 100 acres of land on the south side of South Fork of the Licking River."[5]

            James' will was written 28 August 1810 and proved December 1810 in Harrison Co., KY.

            By 1830 Jane was believed to be living in the household of a son, Thomas R. Blackburn, in Grant Co., KY.[6]

4th Generation

Rankin Blackburn

(1786-1876)

Rachel Minerva King

(1798-1856)

           Rankin Blackburn was born in 1786 in Rutherford Co., NC, the ninth of twelve children of James B. Blackburn and Jane (Jenny) Rankin.[7]  He married (1) Rachel Minerva King in Harrison Co., KY on 8 November 1817[8].  Rachel was born 12 Oct 1798 in Harrison County, the daughter of Richard W. King and his wife Sarah Canady[9]  [10]  (see KING ).

Their children were as follows:

i.          James Blackburn b. 21 Aug 1818, d. 8 Jan 1905, m. Malinda

                        Rich.

ii.          Betty Blackburn m. 13 Aug 1844 Morris McGlassen

iii.         Sarah Blackburn. b. 9 Sep 1820, m. Ben Schooler

iv.         John Jackson Blackburn, Sr. (1823-1901) m. Luvisa Stone

v.         Rachelle  Blackburn, 1827-1915[11], m. Francis M. McAtee

vi.         Edward Blackburn

vii.        Mary L. Blackburn, b. 1834, m. David D. Caldwell

viii.       Nancy J. Blackburn. b. 29 Aug 1839, d. 18 Apr 1861, m.

                        Abraham D. Abernathy

ix.         Martha  C. Blackburn, b. 3 Feb 1842, d. 27 Dec. 1917,

                        m. Richard L. Abernathy

x.         Robert Blackburn

Rankin Blackburn appears in the Harrison Co., KY census in 1820 and 1830.  In 1834 he received a Kentucky Land Grant of 400 acres in Grant County, on Eagle Creek.[12]  Thereafter, he appears in the Grant County census of 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870.   

            Rachel died 15 Aug 1856 and is buried in the New Vine Run Cemetery in Grant Co., KY.[13]

Nine months later, on 17 May 1857, Rankin Blackburn, age 71, married 17-year-old Margaret Ann Parrent, and they had 8 children:  William R., b. 1858 but does not appear in 1860 census; America B. 1860-1901; Albert Clarence b. 1862; Emma D. b. 1864; Luvina b. 1867; Cora A. b. 1867; Ross b. 1875; and Ellen.[14]

            Rankin died in 1876 and is buried in the New Vine Run Cemetery in Grant Co.,

KY.[15]

            His widow, Margaret Blackburn, appears in the 1880 Grant Co., KY census, p. 63A, as follows:

            Blackburn, Margaret 39

                        Albert C. 18

                        Emma D. 16

                        Luvisa 11

                        Cora L. 8

                        Ross 4

5th Generation

John Jackson Blackburn

(1823-1901)

Luvisa Stone

(1823-1906)

John Jackson Blackburn was born 8 Feb 1823[16]  in Grant County, KY, the fourth of ten children of Rankin Blackburn and Rachel King.[17]

He married on 15 Sept 1846 Luvisa Stone who was born 16 Oct 1823, the daughter of Andrew Barton Stone (b. about 1797) and Nancy Wiggens (b. about 1797)[18].  (Other children included Willis, Samuel, Vardiman, Rachel and Andrew.)[19]      

John and Luvisa had the following children[20]:

i.          Rachel Blackburn, b. about 1848, m. James Burk

ii.          Nancy J. Blackburn, b. about 1849, d. 1921, m. Simeon Blackburn

iii.         Sarah Blackburn, 1850-1851 (buried in Vine Run Cemetery)[21]

iv.         Rankin Blackburn, b. about 1853, d. 1901; Spanish American

                        War veteran

v.         Mary L. Blackburn, b. about 1855, d. 1916, m. Leonard Chapman

vi.         Lucetta Blackburn (1856-1940) m. Albert B. Collins

                        (see COLLINS )

vii.        Martha  C.  Blackburn (1859-1939)[22] m. Lucian S. Delph;

                        their daughter Mabel married John T. McClure[23]

viii.       Elizabeth Blackburn, b. 1861, d. 1923, m. William S. Lawrence

ix.         Catherine Blackburn 1862-1864[24]

x.         John J. Blackburn, Jr., b. Sept 1865, m. Iva Webster, d. 1930[25]

xi.         Atha Forest Blackburn, 1867-1931[26], m. John Lee Sturgeon

The family appears in the Grant County, KY census as follows:

1850 Grant Co. KY census, p. 302:   John 26, Luvisa 25, Rachel 2, Nancy 1, Henry Stone 13, Reuben Beard 14.

1860 Grant Co., KY census, p. 76:  John J. Blackburn 37, Louvisa 36, Rachel 12, Nancy J. 11, Rankin 7, Mary L. 5, Lucetta 3, Martha C. 1.

1870 Grant Co., KY census, p. 530:   John B. Blackburn, farmer, 46, wife Louvisa, 46, Mary L. 19, Rankin 17, Lucetta 15, Martha 12, Elizabeth 10, Cathy 3, John 4.  Also living in their home was John Blackburn, 64.

1880 Grant Co., KY census, p. 65A:  Blackburn, John J., 57, Luvisa 56, John J. 14, Atha F. 12.

1900 Grant Co. census:  John J. Blackburn Sr., age 77, wife Louvisa 76.  Their son John J. Blackburn, Jr. lives next door.

John J. Blackburn died 2 January 1901 and is buried in the Vine Run Cemetery (formerly known as Blackburn Cemetery.)  Luvisa died 18 April 1906 and is buried beside her husband.

A souvenir edition of the Williamstown Courier of May 30, 1901, reprinted September 19, 1981 by the Grant County Historical Society, contained the following article on John J. Blackburn, Junior:

JOHN J. BLACKBURN was born in Grant County, near the home where he now resides, on the 7^th day of September, 1865.  He is a son of J. J. and Louisa [should be Luvisa] Blackburn, and is the second son in a family of two sons and seven [should be nine] daughters.  Both sons and seven of the girls are living.   They are:  Rankin, John J., Rachel, Nancy Jane, Mary, Lucretia [should be Lucetta], Martha C., Elizabeth and Atha F.  His father was born in Harrison County on the 8^th day of February, 1823, and lived until recently.  His mother was born in Grant County on the 16^th day of October, 1823.  John J. Blackburn is a farmer, and a good one at that.  He owns 500 acres of fine blue grass land in the highest state of cultivation.  He has seventy head of fine cattle and 215 head of good sheep, and other stock in proportion.  He is up to date in his methods, and if he lives and the past is an index to the future, he will one of these days be one of the richest men in the county.