Blakes and McClendons of Coweta County

I received an e-mail last week from Ken Arnold who is related to Frances Arnold (by marriage) who gave me some tips on where to look for some of those Arnold families. I forwarded his letter to Frances and found out that Ken was the one who helped Frances with her Arnolds in the first place. So, a belated thank you to Ken, for allowing us to share some of his Arnold research with our south side readers. I appreciate any contributions and hopefully, I can always give credit where credit is due.

Now, for this week's family. It always tickles me and makes me chuckle when I find a remote relative hidden under a bunch of surnames in a thickly detailed family history.

"Well, I'll be darned," I say. "Look who I found." And that's what happened when I was browsing through my Coweta County Chronicles, and saw my half-great-great grandaunt, Olive Blake, hidden among the McClendons, Kirbys, Wilkins, Coopers and other ancestors of Joseph McClendon, Olive's husband.

Well, I was off and running and, using my newly acquired Coweta County resources, did a little research of my own and added several new names to my family tree.

Olive Blake was born about 1795, probably in Elbert Co., Ga. Her father, William Blake, was the great-grandson of Thomas Blake, who settled in Isle of Wight County, Va. in the mid 1600s. Thomas' descendants are detailed and documented in the book, "Southern Blakes," by Kate Blake Daus, my second (and third) cousin. That's the book that got me started on this darned stuff in the first place.

William Blake and his second wife, Lucy Allen Mobley (the widow Mobley), moved from Wake Co., N.C. to Wilkes Co., Ga. between 1783 and 1785. Their land in Wilkes was in the part that was cut off to form Elbert Co. in 1790. Olive was the daughter of William and Lucy Allen (Mobley) Blake. My ancestor, also a William Blake, was the son of William Blake and his first wife whose name is unknown. Thus, my William and Olive were half-siblings.

Olive married Joseph McClendon in 1815 (Ancestry marriage records say the marriage took place in Jasper Co., Ga.) and, sometime before 1837, they moved to Coweta County. From what I have been able to ascertain, I believe they lived between Newnan and Grantville.

Coweta Chronicles gives Joseph's birth date as June, 1751, but I seriously doubt the accuracy of that date. According to censuses, some of his children were born in the 1830s, which means he was in his 80s when they were born. Not impossible, but highly improbable. It also gives Olive's death date as 1817, which also is in error.

However, Coweta Chronicles states that Joseph was a Revolutionary soldier when he was "very young," and also states that he fought in the War of 1812. (I'm going to have to sit and think on that one a while.)

There was a Thomas McClendon, age 55, in the 1830 census, but I don't know if this was Joseph using a middle name or not. I could not match up all the children and their ages with the information I had gleaned so far. However, the age seems very realistic and would make his birth date 1775, if indeed this turns out to be Joseph. Much more believable.

Joseph McClendon made his will in Coweta County and it was admitted Nov. 8, 1837. The abstract names his wife, Olive, and heirs Adison T. McClendon, Allen J. McLendon, Lucy Ann McClendon, John J. McClendon, Harriett McClendon, Elizabeth Cooper McClendon, Cynthia Melepa McClendon, and Joseph McClendon. Executors were Asberry Daniel and William Mobley, and witnesses were Asberry Daniel, John Turner and James Lee. The will does not give the relationship of the heirs, but, for the moment, I'm assuming they are all children. I am also guessing that the William Mobley named as executor might be Olive's half-brother. I do know there was some type of court dispute earlier between William Blake and his stepchildren, and a William Mobley was named as one of those children.

Olive Blake McClendon appears in the 1840 Coweta County census, age 40-50, as head of household with four males and four females, ranging in age from 5-10 to 20-30.

In 1850, she is listed as age 55, with four children still at home: Nancy H., age 22, Elizabeth C., age 19, Cinthia, age 17, and Joseph, age 15. I am assuming that many of the children were born early in the marriage and had already left home. Adison McClendon, age 31, his wife, Issabella, and their young daughter, Julia, live nearby. Jonathan Jackson McClendon, age 24, his wife Sara (Kirby) McClendon, and their eight-month-old son, Walter F., also are still in Coweta Co.

Olive has disappeared by 1860, but her son, Jonathan Jackson McClendon appears in Coweta County through 1870. His children appear to be Orlando, Walter F. (who disappears after that first 1850 census, unless Walter and Orlando are the same person), Lizzie, Ann Talulah (apparently called "Loulie"), and John T. McClendon.

I do not know when or where Olive died. There are no burials listed in the Coweta Cemeteries book which gives the name of Olive or Joseph, although Joseph is listed in the book as being a Revolutionary soldier who lived in Coweta. Olive, at the last census only age 55, may have remarried, but, woe is me! I loaned my marriage book out, not knowing I might need it. Olive also may have moved across the state line to be with her nephews, Thomas and William Blake, who were in Randolph County, Ala. (Thomas was my GGgrandfather.) I fully intend to do further research on this family.

If you are related or connected to the Blakes or McClendons, I would love to hear from you.

I'm still looking for stories about your Atlanta area ancestors. Send them to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; E-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!

(Judy regrets that time does not permit her to do personal research for others. She will willingly share research information on her own family lines, including collateral and allied lines.)