Signed Sealed and Pronounced in Presence of us
John Smith His
James Crow Robert (RL) Luney (Seal)
Elinor Crow Mark
John Burton (His Mark)
At a court held for Botetourt County the 13th of November 1770 this writing purporting to be the last will and Testament of Robert Looney decd. was Presented in court by Joseph Looney one of the Executors herein named and proved by the oaths of Thomas Crow, James Crow and John Smith and ordered to be recorded and on motion of said Executor who made oath according to Law certificate is granted him for obtaining a probate thereof in due form whereupon he together with Abraham McClelland and John Looney his securities entered into and acknowledged their bond in five Hundred pounds conditioned as the Law directs. Tests John May C.B.C. Recorded in Will Book A, page 5; Botetourt County, Virginia. (Robert's mark was a capital R on the upper shank of capital L.) (Probably his stock Brand)
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Abraham McClelland was a brother of the wife of David (2) Looney, and John Looney, who also acted as security for Joseph (2) Looney, the executor, was Robert's son, about 38 years old at that time. John Looney, grandson, was the eldest son of Robert (2) Jr. (deed).) and legal heir by right of primogeniture.
It is unfortunate that Robert (1) Looney did not name all of his children in his will. The muster roll of the Augusta County Militia, Company 8, under Captain George Robinson includes Thomas, Dan, and Adam Looney, in the order mentioned, and the date of this list has been fixed by Waddell as 1742. Probably Robert (1) was too old for service at that time. This roll is here accepted as a clue to the relative ages of older sons of Robert (1) and Elizabeth. It is surmised that no other sons were as old as 16 in 1742.
With possible exception of Samuel, the above and 6 others are established as sons of Robert (1) Looney by reference to the Augusta County records.
According to Notable Southern Families (Vol. 2, pp. 305, 315) a Louisa Looney married Captain John Shelby of the military organization of Washington County, Virginia. According to a D.A.R. application paper (Lineage 78, 382) John Shelby Sr. (b. 1724 - d. 1794) went to join his brother Moses in North Carolina in 1750 where he met Louisa Looney. He established a station in the Wautauga District known as Shelby's. Their children were: John Jr., married Elizabeth Brigham; David married Sarah Bledsoe; Eban, Thomas, Isaac; Louisa married Wm. McCrab; and Catherine Shelby who married ____ Evan.
Also, according to D.A.R. lineage Lucy Jane Looney married 1753 Stephen Holston (1729-1776) son of Henry Holston Sr. (Lineage 68, 301; 149, 235.) Among their children was James Henry (1754-1825) who married Lucy Austin (1764-).
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Doubtless there were other daughters. It is not unlikely that some of them may have married men named Clark, Crow, Mills, Rowland, or Smith who were closely associated with the Looneys.
Mrs. Edward Spear Atkinson of 1502 Stuart Avenue, Houston, Texas (in 1947) and Mrs. Louisa P. Bosworth of Woodstock, Vermont (in 1945) are interested in various families of early Sullivan County, N.C. In a letter to the compiler from Mrs. Bosworth in 1945 one finds; "Have you any record of the marriage of Abraham McClelland to Julie Ann Looney? Mrs Atkinson says he was married twice, and Julia Ann Looney was his first wife. He (Abraham McClelland) was very evidently the son of John and brother of William who married Barbara Walker, of Mary who married Bobt. (sic) Looney, and of ---(Jane) who md.... (Samuel) Gamble." (David instead of Robert Looney was intended of course.) Then in an undated letter in February or March 1947 Mrs. Atkinson included a list of 9 children of William McClelland who married 22 December 1768 Barbara Walker born 1741. Among those children were:
3) Jane McClelland b. 28 Oct. 1770, married James Looney.
5) Abraham McClelland b. 1 Nov. 1776, m. Julia Ann (or Annis) Looney.
In a later letter Mrs. Atkinson reported that John Wallace born 1750 married (")-----McClelland and being left a widow she m. (2) Captain Wm. Lowry in Blount County, Tenn. They had a son, Abraham Wallace, who married in 1802 his first cousin Ann McClelland, only daughter of Abraham McClelland by his first wife.
The bases of these reports are not known to the compiler and their interpretation with respect to Looney is not clear. As Mrs Atkinson observed, the Abraham McClelland, son of Wm. and Barbara, was not old enough to have a daughter marrying in 1802; but it is plain that Abraham McClelland, brother of Mrs. David Looney was to old to have had a first wife's only daughter that married in 1802; and
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especially so because he had a Rachel who married ca 1759 James Gregg. Thus if weight is given to the Wallace report there remains no implication that Julis Annis Looney was one of the daughters of Robert (1) Looney. There is some possibility that these reports may pertain to the Adam Looney Branch of this family. (See Adam Branch).
There are other questions of early date. One is the identity of Mary Looney who owned land on the south side of Looney's Mill Creek adjacent to the 196 acres (adjoining John Mill's land) that were surveyed for John Looney on March 4, 1768. (Rockingham Co. surveys 1, 137.) With reference to the 196 acres Kegley says, "line of his own land and Mary Looney's Land." Does this indicate that a Mary Looney was married to John Mills at about this time? Professor Taylor thought that Mary, as used here, was an error for Margaret, the widow of Robert Looney J., but Robert Jr. died in 1756 and Margaret was called Renfro as early as 1763. On the other hand, she and her son John (3) did not sell their 213 acres on the Looney Mill Creek until 1773. (See Robert Looney Jr. Branch.)
There was also a Margaret Looney who had a survey of 250 acres on Looney's Mill Creek in 1755, according to Kegley. Peter (2) Looney bought 250 acres on the Creek in 1754, but was not married until ca 1759 and died in 1760. His widow Margaret seems not to have married James McCain before 1767 and thus may have had the land surveyed in 1765 but not in 1755.
The following is a tentative list of the children of Robert (1) and Elizabeth Looney, with Approximate and adjusted best estimates of dates of birth, death, and marriage.
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Robert Jr. Looney, b. 1721-1756; m. ca 1742/43 Margaret Rhea, who later as Robert's widow married Stephen Renfro. (See Robt Jr. Branch)
Daniel Looney, 1723-1760, married Jane Evans.
Adam Looney, 1725-1770, m. Hannah Wright, of N. Carolina. (See Adam Looney Branch)
Samuel Looney, 1727-175- said to have been killed by Indians in 1760. His widow was Ann ---- who adm. estate and married Elijah Cross. Looney children were Samuel Jr. and Moses. (H.H. Smith, Blountville, Tenn. is a descendant of Elijah and Ann Looney Cross.)
Louisa Looney, 1728- married Capt. John Shelby, say 1750-51 in North Carolina.
Absalom Looney, 1729-1796; three years old when brought to the colonies. Married Margaret (Peggy), who was not living at the time he made his will 1791, probated 1796. (See Absalom (2) Branch.)
Lucy Jane Looney, b. 1730- married in 1753 Stephen Holston-(or (Lucy had Henry Holston or Holstein)
John Looney, 1732-1817, m ca 1759 Esther Renfro. (Noah Looney was grand-nephew of John who died at Bachelor's Retreat, S.C.
Peter Looney, b. 1734-1760; (in Philadelphia) m Margaret. In Will Book 4, p. 93 Mch 16 1768 "Margaret" Looney is admix of husband Peter Looney estate, (Augusta Co.) Peter Looney Jr. was only heir, and a minor.
David Looney, b. 1735-1810, married ca 1755 Mary McClelland.
Joseph Looney, b. in Botetourt Co. Va. 1740-1817, married Jean (Jane) Bowen 25 June 1764 in Augusta Co. Va. (license) See will of Lilly Bowan, Washington Co. Va. Book 2, p73.
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Thomas (2), and Daniel (2) Looney as above, seem not to have had male progeny. Brief accounts of them will be given here and the other sons of Robert (1) and Elizabeth Looney will be considered later in separate branches, each of which begins with the second generation in America.
Thomas (2) Looney b. 1718, died in Indian raid between 1755-60, was the first of the Looneys named on the muster roll of Augusta County, Virginia, in 1742 and probably the eldest son and heir of Robert and Elizabeth Looney. (Mr. Tilton, the compiler of these records and comments, - gives death of Thomas (2) Looney as based on an entry in Augusta Order Book 1, 26. dated 15 April 1746: Petition of Margaret Lundey -- her clothes taken by David Logan, constable on attachment vs. her deceased husband Thomas Lundey at suit of Daniel Harriss, be returned," (Comment by EWS: Some similarity of names, but why assume Lundey to be meant for Luney? Perhaps there was a Thomas Lundey, decd. whose widow was Margaret. The Thomas (2) Looney (Luney) son of Robert (1) had wife Jane Harmon, - no Margaret mentioned - though she may have been Margaret Jane Harmon. They had daughter Lovice who married John Brigham, according to many records among descendants. Family record of Mrs. Marvin Huff, Evansville, Ind., gives Peter Looney (H). Wife Rachael Harmon, - born in Maryland - associated with John Brigham, husband of Lovice Looney,)
Mrs. W.C. Weaks of Terre Haute, Indiana, and his cousin Miss Mabel Weaks of New York City have a record of the birth about 1745 or 1746 of a Louisa Looney who married James Brigham. They have considered that her mother was Margaret Harmon, daughter of Captain Adam Harmon, and immigrant from Germany credited with being one of the first permanent settlers on New River in the early 1740's. (Harmon Genealogy of Southern Branch, by J.N. Harmon
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