Early Looney in America, by Leroy W. Tilton

Robert Looney Jr. Branch
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Samuel(5) Wilson Looney (Absalom(4), Benjamin(3)) was born 3 Aug- 1819- He married (1) 22 Aug. 1804 in Knox County, Tenn., Sarah A. Pryor (d. 23 Oct.1866). He apparently went with his father to Bienville Parish, La., but moved to Salem, Texas. Samuel(5) Married (2) 30 April 1867, Odelia Green. He must have been in Texas in 1850. He died 17 July 1878 in Sparkman, Ark., but did not live there. (His mother's parents had lived in Arkansas.)

Samuel(5) Wilson Looney had six children by his first wife and five by the second wife, as follows:

    By first wife, Sarah:
        Margaret Elizabeth Looney
        James Pryor Looney
        Robert(6) Hunter Looney ( See 6th Generation)
        Mary EIeanor Looney   b. 28 Feb. 1855, m. 25 Dec. 1879
                                   Lorenzo Franklin Graham. (8 children)
        John Peter Looney   d. 1 Apr. 1930; m. Dora Virginia
                                   Graham.  Edward Graham Looney  b. 8 Aug. 1892
        Samuel Wesley Looney   Living 1941 at Bishop, Calif.

    By second wife, Odelia:
        Milton Absalom Looney   b. 6 may 1868, d. 1939; m. Effie _______.
                                Sparkman., Ark.
        Sarah Ann Looney   b. 1 Feb. 1870
        Martha Elizabeth Looney   b. 1872,  d. 30 June 1920
        Willis Benjamin Looney  b. 21 Sept. 1875, d. 31 July 1923
        Elijah Hillman Looney   b. 24 Dec. 1875(sic), d. 14 Aug. 1908

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Robert Johnson Looney (Absalom(4), Benjamin(3) ) was born ca 1824 in or near Knoxville, Tenn. He married ca 1852 Lettie B. Frith, daughter of ______Frith and Nancy McDade (who were married in Georgia in 1825, moved to Macon, Mississippi, then ca 1850 to Washington County, Texas, and to East Texas within a year or two.)

Robert Johnson Looney probably went to Louisiana when his parents did about 1848 or 1850, but he was not in Bienville Parish in 1850. He was an attorney in Twp. 19, 4th Ward, Bossier Parish, La., in 1850 and lived with his nephew Robert W. Looney, Inn Keeper. Robert's younger brother Benjamin Franklin Looney, student.. was there also at the 1850 census. Their location was not far from Shreveport, where Robert Johnson Looney practiced law for many years.

In 1860 he and wife Lettie B. (b. 1835., Miss.) lived in Shreveport, Caddo Parish, with their children:

        Richard Looney   b. 1853
        R. M. Looney   b. 1855
        Thomas W. Looney   b. 1860

Benjamin(5) Franklin Looney (Absalom(4) , Benjamin(3)) was born ca 1833 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He went to Bienville Parish, La., with his parents and was listed there in 1850; also listed with his older brother Robert(5) Johnson Looney as Living with their nephew Robert(6) W. Looney (Joseph(5) McM) in Bossier Parish and not far from Shreveport. He married Josephine Frith, b. 1839 in Macon, Mississippi, sister of Lettie Eleanor Frith who had attended school at Minden, La. Benjamin (5) Franklin Looney was accidentally killed in 1859 in Bossier

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Parish, La. Mrs. Josephine Looney moved to Marion County, La., and was listed at the census of 1860 living near Jefferson in the household of Nancy Frith (b. 1810 Ga.). With Mrs. Looney was her baby:

Benjamin(6) Franklin Looney, b. ca 1859 ( See 6th Generation.)

Moses(5) Looney (Samuel(4) , Samuel(3) ) was born ca 1796 (census of 1830, Rhea County). He received a rifle according to the will of his great uncle, Moses Looney, 1823.

Moses Looney enlisted in Rhea County in September 1813 as a private in the company under Capt. James Preston in the Regt. of East Tennessee Volunteers commanded by Col. John Brown, according to his application for bounty land when he was a resident of Dade County, Georgia in 1850., and of Pontotoc County, Miss., in 1855. He gave his birth one time as 1792 and another time as 1795.

At the Rhea County census of 1830 Moses and wife had six boys and three girls, all under 20 years and all boys under 15. A Moses Looney witnessed his bounty land application in 1850.

William(5) Evan Looney (Samuel(4), Samuel(3)) was born say about 1805 in northeast Tennessee, probably in Rhea or Roane County, where he lived several years before his removal to Henry County., Tenn., where he was listed at the 1830 census with at least one daughter under 5 years. He had married Phetna M. Frazier., daughter of Julian and Elizabeth (McBee) Frazier of Knoxville, Tenn.

James E. Looney removed to Hinds County, Mississippi, in 1834 and died in 1836 while temporarily absent from home in Yalobusha County. His widow returned to

End Page - 98 - Tennessee, married David I. Whitnell, and removed to Kentucky and died in 1852.

    Among their children were:
        Mary Jones Looney   b. 29 May, 1832   m. Josiah Whitnell
        William Augustus Looney   b. 9 Apr.  1831   (See 6th Generation)

John(5) Looney (Samuel(4) , Samuel(3)) was born ca 1810 (1850 census), probably in Rhea or Roane County, Tenn. He married Lucinda Eddington (b. 1810) 17 March 1830 in Rhea County (Rhea Go. Married 180-1845, P. 77., DAR. Library). He may possibly have been John(6), a son of Moses(5) Looney (Samuel(4) ) of Rhea County, since the census of 1830 shows no sons in the family of Samuel(4) Looney at that date. Moses(5) Looney had two boys aged 10 and 15. Whether son of Samuel(4) of Moses(5) , it must be assumed that John had left home before the 1830 enumeration and possibly was enumerated in 1830 in an Eddington home.

In Rhea County Deeds F. 68 (date not copied) there is proof that Lucinda Looney, formerly Edington, was an heir of Anne Edington, deceased, of Rhea County. Mrs. Samuel R. Edington of Tucson, Arizona, says that Ann Edington (Great-grandmother of Samuel) was the widow of Luke Edington who died in Smith County, Tenn., leaving children in early teens, including son Isaac, and said Ann was executrix of his estate. (Ann was b. 14 Feb. 1786; died 3 March 1838.) Mrs. 0. S. Duran reports that "Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region," ca 1890., mentions an Isaac Preston Looney., b. 1831 Roane County, Tenn., son of John and Lucinda Edrington Looney., natives of East Tennessee.

John Looney had removed to Franklin Country in northwest Alabama by the

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1850 census, and perhaps 10 years earlier. There was a John Looney enumerated there in 1840 with very similar family. Using Mrs. Duran's report and the 1850 census, John & Lucinda Looney, both b. 1810, had children as follows:

        Isaac Preston Looney   b. ca 1831 in Tennessee
        Absalom Looney   b. ca 1832
        Sarah Looney   b. ca 1834
        Albert Looney   b. ca 1836
        Mary Looney   b. ca 1838
        William Looney   b. ca 1843
        Martha Looney   b. ca 1846
        John Looney   b. ca 1848

(There is, however, a slight discrepancy; in 1850 William, Martha, and
John were marked "b.  Tenn.")
        The name Isaac Preston Looney suggests that these people may belong to
        the Joseph branch rather than here.  However, Isaac Was an Edington name
        and there were Prestons in Roane County at least as early as 1840.

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