Early Looney in America, by Leroy W. Tilton

John (4) (“Jackie”) had married 1 February 1826 Cynthia Diskins, born 1810, daughter of Polly or Katy Stiltner. (Had Deskins’ widow remarried or was his wife born Stiltner?) Cynthia Looney died ca 1889 and John (4) Looney died 16 June 1896 in Buchanan County, Virginia.

The children of John (4) and Cynthia (Deskins) Looney, all born in what is now Buchanan County, Virginia, were:

	Joseph (5) Looney  b. 16 Nov. 1826.  See 5th Gen.
	Sarah (Sallie) Looney  b. 1 May 1829, d. 23 March 1901; m. 23 Oct. 1845 
		Silas Ratliff (Tazwell Mar. 2, 4.)  Silas was b. 1825, d. 24 March 1896.  They had:

		Elizabeth Ratliff
		Eliza Jane Ratliff
		Cosby Ratliff
		A. Poe Ratliff
		Louisa Ratliff
		Margaret Ratliff

	Catherine (Katy) Looney  b. 4 Aug. 1830, d. 17 Aug. 1900; m. 1 Nov. 1849 
		Henderson Elswick b. 5 Oct. 1830, d. June 1888, son of John and Winnie 
		(Rowe) Elswick.  They had:

		Lucy Elswick
		John L. Elswick
		Joseph L. Elswick
		Jemima Enjeline Elswick
		Mary Elswick
		Thompson L. Elswick
		Louisa Elswick
		Nancy Elswick
		Lewis Elswick
		Basil H. Elswick
		Anderson Elswick
		Landon Monteville Elswick

	John (5) Looney  b. ca 1834.  See 5th Gen.
	Elizabeth (5) Looney  b. 2 Jan. 1835.  See 5th Gen. under Henry (5) 
		b. 1831 (Joseph4, John3).
	Mary (Polly) Looney  b. 21 June 1838, d. 10 May 1926; m. 13 Oct. 
		1853 James A Clevinger b. 21 Dec. 1833, d. 26 Sept. 1926.  
		Their children were:

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		Cynthia Clevinger
		William Harve Clevinger
		Barbara Clevinger
		John L. Clevinger
		Sarah Jane Clevinger
		James Henry Clevinger
		Daniel Clevinger
		Morgan Clevinger d. 25 Dec. 1963.

	Louisa Jane Looney  b. 28 Aug. 1841, d. 1 Nov. 1913; m. 7 April 1857 
		Robert Silk Shortridge b. 11 March 1829, d. 20 July 1909.  They had:

		Cordelia Shortridge
		Daniel Shortridge
		Boroughgard (Bogle) Shortridge
		Elizabeth Shortridge
		Catherine L. (Katy) Shortridge,  d. 10 Dec. 1963.
		Sarah Margaret Shortridge
		Polly Jane Shortridge
		Louisa Shortridge
		Henry Maclelan Shortridge
		Alexander Shortridge
		John W. Shortridge,  d. 9 Oct. 1963.
		Cynthia Vicy Shortridge

	William (5) Henry Looney  b. ca 1845. See 5th Gen.
	Daniel (5) Robert Looney  b. 1849.  See 5th Gen.

William (4) Looney (John3) was born say 1810 in the vally of Sinking Creek near Craig’s Creek, then in Botetourt County, Virginia. (Was his middle name Levi?) Since in the division of his father’s lands in 1823 he was listed the last of the children and received the largest acreage (40), it is surmised that he was younger than his sister Sarah. The bond for his marriage to Charlotte Dudding, daughter of Joseph Dudding, was dated 7 May 1830. (Botetourt Mar. Reg. 452.)

At the 1840 census of Botetourt County, William Looney was in the 20-30 age group and wife in same group, with 3 boys and 2 girls. In 1850 the census of Botetourt lists Charlotte as 43 and head of the household, Mary E. as 17, James M. 15, and William C. 13; and in 1860 in Craig County Charlotte was 52, James M. was 22, and William C. was 21. They lived on a farm valued at $1800 with personal estate of $765.

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Probably, then, Charlotte Dudding was born ca 1808. The inventory of William Looney’s estate was taken in June 1843 by his kindsman John Leffel, his brother-in-law Jonathan Givens, and Madison Givens. (Botetourt Wills G, 29.) Charlotte Looney died 11 September 1882. The will of Mrs. William Levi Looney mentions William Calvin and Mary Ann Looney. Mrs. Sayers lists the children as follows:

	Mary (5) Ann Looney  b. 23 Sept. 1831, d. 1 Feb. 1901; m. John Zell  
		b. 17 July 1832, d. 18 Dec. 1914.  Their children were:

		Elizabeth Zell  b. 22 Nov. 1862.
		Sallie Zell  b. 13 July 1859.
		James Wilson Zell  b. 24 Oct 1863.
		Charlie Zell
		Lucy Zell

	John W. Looney  b. 12 Oct. 1833, d. 13 Nov. 1849.
	James M. Looney  b. Eagle Rock, Va., 20 Jan. 1836.
	William (5) Calvin Looney  b. 31 Oct. 1838.  See 5th Gen.
	Elizabeth C. Looney  b. 5 Oct. 1840, d. 14 Dec. 1842.

(The 5 children satisfy the census data fairly well if Mary Ann is indeed identical with Mary E. listed as 17 in 1850, and if the 1840 enumeration was made after Elizabeth’s birth on 5 October. If another child named Mary E. was born in 1832 and died or married in the fifties, the census data would also be satisfied approximately as well if the 1840 enumeration was made before 5 October.)

Peter (4) C. Looney (Robert3) was born 28 March 1823 in Russell (Tazwell) County, Virginia, probably near present Grundy in Buchanan County. He died near Looneyville, in Roane County, West Virginia, 2 July 1911. Peter C. Looney was married 23 February 1844 to Charity Vineyard who was born 10 July 1825. He was a teacher and County Superintendent of Schools of Roane County. He wrote a sketch of Robert (3) Looney and his family of Hardesty’s History of Roane County.

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The children of Peter C. and Charity Looney were (chiefly according to Bishop’s History and the 1860 Census of Roane County):

	Mary Looney  b. 14 June 1845.
	Daniel (5) Looney Jr.  b. 22 Sept. 1846.  See 5th Gen.
	Rachel Looney  b. 13 June 1848.
	Robert Looney  b. 4 June 1850, d. 7 May 1860.
	Presley (5) Looney  b. 22 April 1852.  See 5th Gen.
	James C. Looney  b. 7 Dec. 1854, d. 7 Feb. 1883.
	Peter (5) C. Looney Jr.  b. 24 Feb. 1857.  See 5th Gen.
	Catherine Looney  b. 1859.
	Susan E. Looney  b. 10 Aug. 1861.
	Davidson Looney  b. 28 Aug. 1863.
	Abraham W. Looney  b. 1 June 1866.
	Jane E. Looney  b. 17 March 1869.

Daniel (4) Looney (Robert3) was born 8 January 1827 in Russell (Tazwell) County, Virginia, probably near present Gruany, Virginia, and died 30 December 1888. He was married 1 April 1849 to Jeannette Ann Caldwell born 26 December 1829, daughter of William and Matilda (Crawford) Caldwell who came from Greenbrier County, Virginia. They settled in 1857 on Henry’s Fork, now Roane County, West Virginia. He served as Justice-of-the-Peace for nearly 20 years and was known as Squire Daniel Looney. Their children (according to Bishop and Hardesty) were:

	Frances Katherine Looney  b. 2 Jan. 1850.
	Matilda Josephine Looney  b. 22 Jan. 1852.
	Alfred Bowman Looney  b. 2 May 1856.
	William M. Looney  b. 7 Aug. 1858.

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	Viola Elizabeth Looney  b. 27 Feb. 1861.
	Robert Edward Lee Looney  b. 4 March 1864.
	Joseph F. Looney  b. 8 Feb. 1867.
	Rosanna Looney  b. 13 Sept. 1869.
	Peter (5) H. Looney  b. 11 Jan. 1873.  See 5th Gen.
(Eight of these children are reported to have attended their father’s 
funeral in 1888.  See obituary of Squire Daniel Looney.)

Abraham (4) Looney (Robert3) was born in November 1830 in Russell County, Virginia, and died in 1913. He married Sarah S. McClannahan. They had 4 children (acording to Bishop):

	Elizabeth C. Looney, m. John W. Ferrell.
	Alice J. Looney, m. John W. Kelly.
	Mary M. (called Dora) Looney, m. Henry A. Dougherty.
	John William Looney of Spencer, W. Va., m. Harriet Caroline Osborn.

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