Myths

The observation “It’s not what you don’t know that gets you into trouble–it’s what you know for sure that just isn’t so” is nowhere more true than in genealogy. Below are myths that appear in our office over and over.

Does your family have a myth that needs to be added to the list? Let us know by sending the topic to research_support@graysonheritage.org

Myth 1: "My Ancestor received his land grant in Grayson (or Ashe) for Revolutionary War service."

No, he didn’t. After the war, the states wanted to place experienced soldiers on their western frontiers for defense. Virginia issued its land grants primarily in present-day Kentucky and Ohio, while North Carolina offered veterans land in Tennessee. No Revolutionary War service land grants were issued for land in present-day Virginia or North Carolina. Your ancestor may have come to Grayson or Ashe after the Revolution, but he didn’t receive land here for his military service.

Myth 2: "I'm part Cherokee through Old Ned Sizemore."

“Ned” Sizemore was born in eastern Virginia hundreds of miles from the Cherokees’ mountain home. If Mr. Sizemore carried any Native American blood at all, it would far more likely have been from the Pamunkey or other eastern Virginia peoples. On the other hand, it is quite possible that some of the Sizemores married into the Cherokee nation after they moved to western North Carolina.

Myth 3: "I'm part Cherokee through my Grayson ancestors."

Well, maybe. Still, if you acquired Native American blood in Grayson, it wasn’t necessarily Cherokee. While no native groups lived here full-time when Europeans first settled in the area, this was a shared hunting ground for both Cherokee and Shawnee as well as other tribes. Today, however, everyone is a wannabe Cherokee.

Myth 4: "My ancestor was born in Grayson in 1730 and lived his entire life here."

Come on folks, this was Indian territory. The first documented white settler was Andrew Baker in the 1750s, and he had to leave until after the end of the French and Indian War. There were no permanent settlers of European descent here until the mid-1760s. Even then they were few and far between. And while we’re on the subject, this wasn’t Grayson until 1793. The first land surveyors (1772-1774) traipsed through the area while this was part of Fincastle County. It was Montgomery from 1776 to 1789 and Wythe from 1790 to 1793.

Myth 5: "The Bourns came to Grayson in 1765."

Myth 6: "Minitree Jones was descended from John Paul Jones."

John Paul was something like three or four years old when Minitree Jones was born. Besides, Minitree’s birth to Thomas and Elizabeth Jones in 1752 is recorded in the Bruton Parish Church register in Williamsburg. Can we please put this one to rest?
Minitree Jones and both of his parents came to present-day Grayson in the early 1780s with the Bourns. Jones researchers tell us that both Thomas and Minitree Jones had served as overseers for the Bourns while they were still in Henrico County. The birth record is another bit of evidence contradicting the 1765 arrival date for the Bourns since Minitree Jones would have turned thirteen that summer and would have been too young to be an overseer for the Bourns’ slaves. Both Thomas and Minitree acquired their own land upon arrival in this area with their first surveys also recorded in 1782.

Myth 7: "Ephraim Osborne was the son of Jonathan Osborne and Gretta Holloman of Williamsburg."

We’ve talked about this one in previous years. DNA evidence shows he was part of the Osborne clan of New Haven/Long Island/New Jersey. The immigrant ancestor of this clan was Thomas Osborn, one of the original settlers of New Haven colony in 1637. The tradition in Grayson for generations had said Ephraim came from New Jersey, but a “professional” genealogist made the bogus Williamsburg connection in the 1940s, and since then this fallacy has been replicated thousands of times.

Myth 8: "Old John Hash's first wife was Rebecca Anderson."

Probably not. If so, no one has shown any evidence to support the claim in the past 35 years. We simply do not know the name of “Old John’s” first wife.
“Old John’s” grandson John did marry Rebecca Anderson. We have seen family group sheets which merged Old John’s family with that of his grandson and suspect the grandson’s marriage is the origin of this claim.

Myth 9: "The Cornetts are descended from King Cnut (Canute)."

This is very unlikely, and nowhere near being proven. To date, there is not a reliable connection across the pond to 1700s United Kingdom, much less back to King Canute who ruled Denmark, England, and Norway in the early 1000s, having died in 1035. All that is verifiable at this time is the similarity of the names.