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- References: Swinney Family....Compiled and Written by Em m a Swinney Walker, Blakesburg, Iowa. 1928-1929
Salt Lake Microfilm No. 1307506 (Item 30), WLA Source Co d e is CCF 83044
Emma Swinney Walker relates that three Swinney brothers ca m e from County Cork, Ireland, and settled on the Susquehan n a River in Pennsylvania. One brother may have returne d t o Ireland. The brother Moses settled in Monroe County , VA . Emma covers James Swinney and Susanna Hammock and l ist s eleven children.
The Swinney & Dunlap Family History by Lee Ora May Swinne y , as given to her by two widow aunts. The aunts are: Ma r y (May) Parthena Swinney Overbury, and Maude (Myrtle) Le e S winney McAfee.
According to Myrtle & May Swinney,as told to them by the i r grandfather, William Christian Swinney, and William bei n g the son of Samuel Harrison Swinney, claimed that Jame s Se more Swinney was from Cork County, Ireland. This fac t is t o be researched.
James Semore Swinney was born sometime between 1750 and 17 6 0 based on his reported age in the 1830 Monroe County, V A c ensus, as age between 70 and 80. This from James L. Go re i n 1999.
*The Sir name was always spelled Swinney, with the Swinney / Price descendants and they did not know James Swinney's m id dle name.
The following data was supplied, 10 August 1996, by Jame s L . Gore to Carol & Jerry Nelson, 5440 Horse Ridge Way, B onit a, CA 91902, phone #619 479-6242; e-mail address: jdn 3434@ aol.com
Quote: James was one of the first settlers of the New Riv e r country. On 19 Mar 1796 a James Swinney was on the ta x l ist for Greenbrier County, VA.
James was a soldier in the "Indian Wars" in Caperton's Com p any. Fought the indians in Kanawha Valley, VA and was pr ob ably with Gen. Lewis at the battle of Point Pleasant.
James' Will probated Sep. 1836 in Monroe County, VA.
James Semore Swinney Sr.'s wife is given as Susan Hammoc k i n "Swinney Family" by Emma Swinney Walker.
In a "corrective" statement written by James L. Gore , i n a letter dated 18 Feb. 1999, claims he was misquote d an d did not give his permission to William Sanders who w rot e in his Vol 1 book, A New River Heritage, the Indian d at a listed in the next few paragraphs. In Vol. !!! Sander s m ade a retraction of his statements. Per James Gore, th es e were Notes only, and were only working notes. Two of J ame s and Susanna's daughters married into the Gore family . Pe r James L. Gore in a letter dated 20 July 1994; attac hmen t dated 13 November 1981 up-dated: "The first eight ch ildr en were by ____Hammock and the latter three children w ere b y Susanna_____. Susanna's maiden name is unknown whe n sh e married James in 1793, she was Lilly."
As one reads further, some of the above confusion on wiv e s clears. Daughter Anna Swinney born 1779 at Pittsylvani a , VA., married James William Wiley (See Wiley Family Gro u p Sheets). According to James Wiley: He married Annie Sw ee ney whose mother was an Indian named Wenomah. Per Jame s L . Gore letter of 18 Feb 1999, his research does not ind icat e any Indian heritage . James L. Gore's "History of th e Wil ey Family" by Sanders in NRH, Vol 3, page 212, quotes : Jam es Wiley Sr. born 1777 at what is now Shawnee Lake , WV; die d 2/28/1857 in Mercer County. James married 179 9 in Monro e Co., VA., to Anna Sweeney Born 1775 at what i s now Shawne e Lake, WV; died 18 Oct 1863 at Shawnee Lake , WV. Anna Swi nney is the daughter of James Sweeney and h is Shawnee wife , Wimona.
*The name Wenomah will be spelled various ways throughou t t he Swinney data.
Jacklyn Gay Price McLaughlin was told by her father that t h ere was Indian blood in the Swinney background. Gay's si st ers and brothers were also told that their grandparent s wer e half breed indians, and first cousins. We have no t prove n this.
James L. Gore who supplied the Shawnee Indian wife, feel s t hat the first eight children are from the Indian wife , as S usanna Hammock lived to be 104, so one would believ e she wo uld be the second wife. Further research must b e done on b oth wives. The Lilly sir name may be a mix up ? There ar e many Gore/Lilly marriages, plus Pennington/L illy marriage s mixed into the Swinney family.
Regarding the brothers of James Semore Swinney Sr. Much r e search needs to be done. We know James had a brother Mos e s (per Emma Swinney Walker).
The Will of Moses Sweney dated 30 Apr 1784 at Pittsylvan i a Co., VA; Abstract of Wills 1768-1800, Book 975.5665 H87 4 , page 99: Names, James Semore Sweney and other childre n no t named, to receive Moveables equally divided. With t he he lp of this Will, we discovered the father of James Sw inne y and that James was named James Semore Swinney.
Emma Swinney Walker's statement that one of the three brot h ers arriving in America from County Cork, Ireland, was na me d Moses. This Moses would be the son of Moses Sweney an d An n Semore/Seymour.
Further, Jacklyn Gay Price/Swinney (McLaughlin) receiv e d a Revolutionary War Declaration for pension for a Jose p h Swinney from Haskell D. Shumate, Star Route 4, Box 30C , U nion, West VA. 24983. This letter was mailed July 26 , 1985 . Gay along with her sisters' Lynne and Delpha, me t Haskel l Shumate while in Union, West Virginia the earl y part of J uly 1985.
It is possible that Joseph Swinney may be another son of M o ses Sweney and Ann Semore/Seymour.
The Swinney/Gore data sent by James L. Gore has many Shuma t e familes married with Swinneys, as well as Gore.
Haskell Shumate feels Joseph Swinney is connected with Jam e s Semore Swinney Sr., as he applied for his pension at Un io n, West Virginia, and was living near James. Joseph Swi nne y stated his age about 82 years in the Application date d 18 26. That would make Joseph Swinney born around 1744 an d wo uld be about James Swinney's age. Also, James Swinne y stat ed in Joseph Swinney's Application for Pension tha t he is t he half brother of Joseph Swinney.
*Virginia B. Sweeny, P. O. Box 483, Osterville, MA 02655 s e nt a letter to Gay, dated 15 April 1989. In her letter s h e stated she corresponded with Nona J. Armstrong of Sant a B arbara, CA., and that Norma's great great grandfathe r is S amuel Neil Sweeny. Samuel was on the 1790 U. S. Cens us, Mil ton, PA.
What is facinating, this Sweeny family has almost the iden t ical story as Emma Swinney Walker, but with different des ce ndants:
"There were three brothers who came from Ireland to Pennsy l vania in the 1700's...Samuel Sweeny was in Milton, Northu mb erland County,PA., on the Susquehanna River in 1795. I t i s thought that one of his brothers, Alexander Sweeny we nt t o the southern colonies."
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