Elisha WALLING ²⁵

  General Notes:

Elisha Walling and his wife Mary were described in 1868 by one of his descendants, Mattie Rice Howard: "Elisha had dark skin, black eyes, and black hair. He was one of the strongest men in Virginia and whipped the local champion at Chatt White's store. Mary had fair skin, blue eyes and was one of the neatest women in the world".
Between 1732 and 1734 Elisha was on the tax list of Prince George County, Maryland. He may have traveled along the Pennsylvania Wagon Road across Maryland into Virginia. He owned land in Lunenberg County, Virginia between 1741 and 1745. In 1746 he patented land near present day Martinsville, Virginia at a site known as "Round About" because of a bend in the Smith River. Elisha Walling was appointed constable in 1748 of a territory later to become Henry and Patrick Counties in Virginia. He took the oath of allegiance in 1777 in Henry County, Virginia. Elisha is listed on the Henry County Personal Property Tax Lists for 1778, 1779,
and 1780.
On February 27, 1783 Elisha Walling and William Roberts were credited with furnishing supplies to the Continental Army of the American Revolution. Elisha furnished two pecks of cornmeal and 20 pounds of bacon to Colonel Lee's Legion. He also contributed one beef to Captain Robinson's Company of Volunteers on their way Southward. Elisha Walling may have been killed by Indians while hunting. One account states: "On the hunters' return to camp the other men saw blood on the snow and found the remains of him and his companion; some say that Wallin's dog led them to his body while others say that his dog stood over the bodies protecting them from wild beasts. At any rate, these men had been killed by Indians and it is the first known death of a white scout to be scalped in Harland County, Kentucky. The ridge where they
camped, the creek, and the town of "Wallins" were named for him. His body was found whence almost decayed recognized by the buttons on his clothes".
This version of Elisha Walling's death has some credence, since no will has ever been found. This would indicate his death was unexpected, for normally when ill, a person would have written a will.

Elisha Walling was born on 26 July 1708 in Cohansey, Salem Co., NJ and apparently spent his childhood in this area. In an addendum to his will dated 22 Oct. 1724, Thomas Walling authorized his wife Sarah to bind out their son Elisha (then age 16) to a trade until he reached age 21. According to family tradition, Elisha ran away to Bucks Co., PA to avoid being bound out and there joined up with the William Blevins family who (along with Cox, Roberts and other families) were in route from New England to Maryland. Somewhere in route, it is believed that Elisha married William Blevins' daughter, probably Mary Blevins. It is quite likely that they moved to Prince George's Co., MD along with Elisha's brothers James and William to live on land purchased by their father Thomas Walling some years before. In 1733, these Wallings appeared on a list of tithables in the Monocosie Hundred in Prince George's Co., MD.

In 1745, Elisha Walling appeared in Lunenburg Co., VA where he patented 400 acres of land on Cherrystone Creek. In 1746, he patented lands on Irwin and Smith Rivers where he made his home at a place called "Roundabout", located about two miles east of the present town of Martinsville, VA and east of Blue Ridge. In 1747, he entered 400 acres on the north fork of Buttram Town Creek. In 1748, he was appointed constable of Western Lunenburg Co. from Smith River to the Wart Mountains (territory later to become Henry and Patrick Counties) and entered and had surveyed 400 acres of land on the Sandy River (6 July 1748). In a court meeting held for Lunenburg Co. in June 1749, Elisha Walling was appointed surveyor of part of a new road from the Staunton River to the Mayo Settlement, leading from Bannister to the Smith River. From 1752 to 1757, this land was in Halifax Co. and beginning in 1767, was in Pittsylvania Co. On 17 July 1767, a list of tithables taken by Peter Copeland, Gentleman, for Lunenburg Co. shows Elisha Wallen, Sr., his sons Joseph and James Wallen, and Capt. William Blevins. The 1767 list of tithables taken by Robert Chandler shows Elisha's son Elisha, Jr. and the 1767 list taken by Hamon Critz shows Elisha's son Thomas Walling.

Over the years, a good bit of confusion existed concerning Elisha Walling, due in part to an account given by Major John Redd of Henry Co., VA in 1849, who claimed to have personally known him. From "The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography" (Vol. VI, p.338), the following account by Redd is summarized below:

"Waldin and about 16 others probably established a hunting camp in Powell's Valley as early as 1761. The Long Hunters, however, hardly ever went out with more than two or three because it would have been folly for more to go into Indian Territory at War. The Blevins and Cox were big families and lived on Smith's River near Walden and were related to him by marriage. Walden was a man of darke skin, about 5 feet, 10 or 11 inches, a square build and weighed about 180 pounds, very cours features, ordinary intellect and was regarded as a very honest and correct man in all his transactions. In 1774, he was about 40 years old. He had very little property, never cultivated the soil and lived entirely by hunting. He lived at Smith's River at a place called round-about near the center of the county and about 2 miles east of Martinsville, the present county seat of Henry County. He lived near his wife's father Will Blevins. They were squatters on land owned by a company of speculators and when land registration was threatened at the start of the Revolutionary War, they moved enmass. Walden settled on the Holsten River, about 18 miles above Knoxville. A few years after 1776, he moved to Powel's Valley, stayed there a short time and moved to a settlement up the Missoura River. He died on the frontiers of Missoura at a very advanced age and performed no military duty during the Revolutionary War."

Today, it is clear that Major Redd was describing Elisha Walling, Jr., son of Elisha, Sr.

²⁵

Elisha married Mary BLEVENS, daughter of William BLEVENS and Agnes WALLING, about 1730 in , Prince George, Maryland, U.S.A. (Mary BLEVENS was born about 1710 in Westerly, Rhode Island, Rhode Island, U.S.A. and died in 1805 in , Surry, Virginia, U.S.A..)