Early Looney in America, by Leroy W. Tilton


pg51
Looney- Absalom Branch

A descendant of Rachel and John is Mrs. Marvin J. Huff, 423 E. Olmstead Ave.
Evansville Ind.

        Edward 5 Looney
        Born 1832
        (1850 Census of Sumner Co.)

        Dr. Jonathan 4 Davis Looney  (Peter 3)  was Born in Sumner Co.,
        Tenn., January 23, 1796.  He was educated as a physician and
        married in Sumner Co. November 9, 1819 to Harriett Hassell,
        born January 23, 1804.  The clergyman was Reverend Hardy M. Cryer.
        Dr. Looney went to Limestone Co., Alabama, and practiced there from
        1822 to 1825.  Then in 1826 he moved to Henry Co., Tenn., where
        he practiced till he died in 1867..  His wife Harriett died Oct. 6 1861.

        The following list of the children of Dr. Jonathan 4 Davis Looney and
        his wife Harriett (Hassell) Looney was furnished in 1939 by Miss
        Corrine Diggs of Paris, Tenn., from the Bible in possession of
        Miss Emma Looney, granddaughter of Dr. Jonathan 4 D. Looney.

        1)  John Hassell: 5
         Born Dec. 27 1820 Sumner Co.
         Died Jan. 17, 1821

        2) Peter 5 Looney
        Born Feb. 11 1822 Athens Alabama
        See 5th Generation

        3) William 5 Scoby Looney
        Born Nov. 9, 1823 Athens Alabama

        4) Julia Looney
        born August 29, 1825 Athens Alabama

        5) Margaret Looney
        Born august 8, 1827

        6) Martha 5 Elizabeth Looney
        Born Jan 26, 1829 Henry Co. Tenn

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Looney -  Absalom Branch

        7) Malissa Douglass Looney b. Henry Co. Tenn., 26 July, 1830.
        8) Rachel Looney, b. Henry Co., Tenn., 3 Dec 1831.
        9) Leonidas 5 Looney b. Henry Co., Tenn., 23 Aug. 1833.
        10) Mary Davis Looney b. Henry Co., Tenn., 22 Feb. 1835
        11) Leroy 5 Looney b. Henry Co., Tenn., 21 Sept. 1837.
        12) Jonathan 5 Davis Looney Jr. b. Henry Co., Tenn., 1 Jan, 1840
                Had Maggie Looney, Guy 6 Thomas Looney of Huntington,
                Tenn., in 1939, Hallie H Looney and Hays Looney.
        13) Harriet Looney b. Henry Co., Tenn., 29 Jan 1841
        14) Andrew 5 Jackson Looney b. Henry Co., Tenn., 8 Feb. 1843

Edward 4 Carven Looney (Peter 3) was born in 1804 in Sumner Co. Tenn. He married 5 Jan. 1834 Sally Dempsey b. 1809. (Sumner records say he m. 1 Jan. by Jessee Gambling, J.P.) He was evidently named for Edward Carven, first husband of Mary 3 Looney who was next younger sister to Peter 3 Looney. (this Carven name here confirms the conclusion reached in studying the two Peter Looneys of Sumner Co., namely that Peter 3 who married Rachel was son of Absalom 2 Looney.)

Edward 4 Carven Looney was living with his parents in Sumner Co., Tenn., in 1820 and 1830. In 1840 he was listed in Sumner Co. (age overstated as 40/50 with wife's age understated as 20/30, 1 dau. 10/15, i.e. Bennetta 6, and 1 son 0/5, i.e. Peter Davis 2). In 1850 they had moved to Henry Co., Tenn., and all 6 children are there listed with correct ages. (Mary had died even before the 1840 enumeration.) Edward 4 Carven Looney d. 11 June 1862. Sallie Looney d. 26 Aug. 1891.

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Looney - Absalom Branch

Edward 4 Carven Looney and his wife Sally (Dempsey) Looney had children as follows:

        Benetta Looney b. 30 Oct. 1834, d. 1 July 1919; m. ---Frazie
        Mary Looney b. 14 Aug. 1839, d. 7 June 1840
        Peter 5 Davis Looney b. 1 Aug. 1838, d. 18 Dec 1896.
        Jesse 5 Cox Looney b. 28 Aug. 1840, d. 28 Feb. 1922. Had
        son William Looney of Paris, Tenn.
        Rachel Delana Looney b. 26 Aug. 1842.
        Mattie Ann Looney b. 3 July 1846, d. March 1932.
                m. (1)  Samuel S. Patterson, d. 7 June 1876.
                m. (2)  William Hull, b. 1 May 1846, d. 29 Jan. 1918.
        George 5 Edward Looney b. 28 Jan. 1849, d. 16 Oct. 1861.
        Jonathan 5 Byron Looney b. 29 July 1852, d. 15 July 1929. Had
                dau. Miss Ruth Looney of Paris, Tenn., who furnished
                information.
        The baby b. 18 April 1854.

                (Chiefly from Miss Ruth Looney's Bible, 1939).

Jonathan 4 Looney (perhaps Jonathan 3) was born say 1789. He married May 1809 Mary Holstine, daughter of Henry Holstine Jr. and Margaret his wife.

The 1810 census of Botetourt Co., Va., shows wife and 1 child, the 1820 census of Wayne township in Champaign Co., Ohio, shows wife and 5 children; the 1830 census there shows wife and 7 children, but 4 of them were under 10. Therefore, they had at least 9 children. Botetourt Co., Va., records show, sometime after 1807 (see Deeds 9, p. 317), a power of attorney from Jonathan Looney to

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Looney - Absalom Branch

T. Anderson of Botetourt to sell interest in lands or Henry Holstine that descended to Johnathan's wife "Mercy." Her birth is fixed by the census records as 1785 +/- 5.

Joseph 4 Looney (perhaps Jonathan 3) was born say 1792. He was certainly of age in Dec. 1815 when in Giles Co., Tenn. he was appointed with John Colewell as administrator of estate of Wm. Colewell. Joseph Looney of Lincoln Co. Tenn. made will 18 Oct. 1817; proved 4 Nov. 1817 by Thomas Henly and John Acuff. Wife Caty and unnamed children. Abner Buckley Executor. Witnesses: Thomas Henly, John Acuff, Sarah Acuff. Account of sales signed by Joab Buckley, Executor. (Line. Wills and Invs., 210, 231.)

John 4 Warren Looney (Absalom 3) was born ca 1793 on the 640-acre tract which his father on 7 Aug. 1789 acquired from William Lee. It was on Little War Creek, near the mouth of War Creek, on the southeast side of Clinch River. The grant, N.C. No. 311 issued on 27 Nov. 1792 to Absalom 3 Looney, recites "where he now lives." The land was then in Hawkins Co., but now is probably near Treadway in Hancock Co., Tenn.

John Warren was probably the eldest child and was about 17 when the family moved to Alabama. Descendants of John Warren Looney have a tradition that the Absalom Looney family came to the Huntsville, Ala. area from Petersburg, Lincoln Co., Tenn. John Warren Looney had an uncle, Jonathan 3 Looney and wife Jane who were living just southeast of Petersburg on the E. Fork of Mulberry Creek at that time and a cousin, Peter 3 (Peter 2) was just moving

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Looney - Absalom Branch

from Sumner to Lincoln Co. and had bought a lot in Fayatteville nearby. Possibly, then, absalom 3 moved his family from Hawkins Co. to Alabama via an overland route and visited relatives in Lincoln Co. Incidentally, there were several families named Warren in the early census records of Lincoln and John Warren Looney may have had maternal relatives there.

He married, license 8 Feb. 1815, at Huntsville, Madison Co., Ala., Nancy Campbell b. 1794 Va., daughter of Elizabeth Campbell and granddaughter of Owen and Elizabeth Cammel who moved from Culpepper Co., Va. to Gallatin, Tenn., to Huntsville, Ala. The sureties on the marriage license were Jacob Fuqua and Absalom Looney. Owen Campbell lived on 160 acres which he purchased 18 Sept. 1809 about a mile south of Absalom Looney's first purchase - his home plantation on Indian Creek.

John warren Looney, aged about 25 and married 3 years, made his first land entry 4 Feb. 1818 for 82 acres, the W 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 35, Township 4, Range 2W. This land was about 8 miles west southwest of the Absalom Looney home plantation on Indian Creek and was probably John W. Looney's first homestead. (When he sold it in May 1829 to his brother Absalom 4 Looney, Nancy the wife of John w. Looney signed the deed.)

After the death of Absalom 3 Looney, John W. Looney was appointed administrator with a bond of $10,000 signed by John Hogan and James Neeley on 25 Oct. 1818. When the personal property of Absalom Looney was sold on 4 Jan. 1819, John 4 Warren Looney was the principal purchaser--to the extent of $ 932.50. The plantation was rented at the same time to Thomas Cain for $ 610.00. No account of

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