Category: DEPEW

Isaac Depew Sr, One of the Revolutionary War Overmountain Men

March 20, 2013 Dennis Ayers No comments exist

The oldest child of John Depew and his wife Catharine was Isaac Depew, Sr., born in Sept 1758 in New Jersey. When the family moved to a farm near Fincastle in Botetourt County, VA. he moved with them, but at the age of 18 he enlisted in the militia to fight in the Revolutionary War. Per his pension application filed many years after the war, in 1776 and 1777 he served several 3 month tours of duty as a Private fighting the Cherokee Indians. These actions first brought him to be familiar with East TN. In 1780 he again joined the militia to repel the Cherokees, and earned the rank of Captain under Colonel Landon Carter.

In Oct 1780, Captain Isaac Depew was one of the 1040 volunteers from Tennessee called the Overmountain men who played a very significant role in defeating the British in the Battle of Kings Mountain. The men first gathered at Sycamore Shoals near Elizabethton, TN, and then marched 80 miles in 5 days across the mountains to join forces with about 400 North Carolina militia. Together they engaged the enemy led by Colonel Ferguson at Kings Mountain just below the South Carolina border. (Recall from a previous post about our Ayers ancestors in the Rev War, that Elihu and Nathaniel Ayers fought with the NC militia.) The victory at Kings Mountain proved decisive in defeating the British in the South and eventually in gaining American independence. Isaac Depew also stated that he later took part in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781.

After the war, Isaac returned home to Virginia. However, by 1784 he had relocated to East Tennessee. By occupation he was a wheelright, cabinet maker and a farmer. He also became active politically when in 1799 he was appointed Commissioner of Jonesborough and in 1801 Commissioner of Washington County. He eventually settled at Rock Springs, in Sullivan County. Between 1787 and 1850 he bought and sold land on a regular basis and at one point had accumulated 3000 acres on and near Bays Mountain.

Isaac Depew, Sr. married twice, first to Jane Jones in 1780, and then after she died to Virginia Grimes, a widow in 1804. Altogether, he was the father of seventeen children. According to reports, the Depews were deeply religious people and highly skilled workmen. Isaac Depew had heirs who were magistrates, physicians, farmers and soldiers. A grandson, The Reverend William P. Depew, to whom he had given substantial land became a preacher in the Methodist Church and was held in very high regard by all who knew him. He gave the land, organized and help build Depew’s Chapel and served as its pastor. Several Depews are buried in the Chapel cemetery including Captain Isaac Depew. The church, located in the shadow of Bays Mountain near Kingsport, TN, is still in use today.

Captain Isaac Depew was one of the most respected men in his county. However, he became the subject of general notoriety when he became opposed in principle to the Congressional Act of 1832 which established pensions for service in the Revolutionary War. His complaint was that it allowed pensions to persons able to support themselves. He believed the Act was too liberal in its provisions, and those who did not need the aid obtained it too easily. He personally possessed property and good health and the ability to subsist without aid from the government. It is totally unclear then, why Isaac Depew eventually filed his own application in 1852. By that time he was already 94 years old and other volunteers who could have provided testimony of his service had already died before him. So the application was turned down due to lack of sufficient proof, and he died in 1854 without providing any additional information.

John DEPEW, the Immigrant for the DEPEW Line

February 1, 2013 Dennis No comments exist

As mentioned, Walter Depew migrated from France to Ludlow, England around 1695. We do not know who Walter married, but he had a son, John, who was born near Ludlow castle “in the North of England” in 1726. Thanks to the research of others including Josephine Depew Shelton a descendant, we believe that John came to America in 1748 while the colonies were still under British rule. So, John was our American immigrant for the Depew line.

Also, in 1748, John married Catherine Shepherd in Princeton, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Later, they lived for a while in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, as records show there was a lawsuit in 1770 in which “John Depew Senr” was a party, and also in Lancaster County where “John Depew, freeman” was taxed 15 shillings in 1771 as a resident. John and Catherine had eight children.

Like many other Pennsylvania families, sometime prior to the Revolutionary War the family moved southward and finally settled in Botetourt County, VA. John is then listed on Rev War roles as an officer in Captain Henry Heith’s Independent Company of Virginia Troops stationed at Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania in 1777 and 1778. So, it was ironic that John took up the fight as a colonist after being born as a British citizen.

After his war service, the earliest record of John Depew in Botetourt County shows that he surveyed a road there in September, 1778. Residents of the county were responsible for maintaining roads for the five miles nearest their property, and all men between the ages of 18 and 65 were required to work on the roads, and could be fined for not doing so.

Later, in Aug 1798, there was a survey for John Depew Sen’r of 370 acres on Glade Creek, on both sides of the Great Road (perhaps the Great Wagon Road?). John died at age 85 in April, 1811, after leaving a will made in June 1809. His wife, Catherine, also died that same year at age 80.

Our DEPEW Forebears in Europe

January 30, 2013 Dennis No comments exist

The earliest Depews appear to have come from the area near Paris, France, in the seventeenth century and were of noble origin. During that period, as elsewhere in Europe, there was a bitter struggle between the Catholics and the Protestants. In France most of the Protestants were called Huguenots (properly pronounced yu-geh-noh). They diverged from Catholic beliefs in the rejection of the Pope’s authority and in the individual’s right to interpret scriptures for himself. This placed them in conflict with both the Catholic Church and the King of France. The Huguenots advocated liberal reforms in religion and government, while the Catholics, who were in power, persecuted all who opposed them. In 1685, King Louis XIV went on the throne and began a campaign of unbearable cruelty against all Huguenots.

As a result of such intense persecution, it has been estimated by historians that by the end of the 1600s, up to 300,000 Huguenots had evaded authorities and made their way out of the country. In general, those who left France were of a superior type, many of them belonging to the nobility. They were industrious and independent, with many coming from the highly skilled artisan class. This exodus was a primary reason that French culture and artistic ability have been scattered throughout the world. Against this historical backdrop, some of the Depews were among those Huguenots who fled for religious freedom.

According to the book, The Trail of the Huguenots, by G. Elmore Reaman, Barthelmy Depew was born in 1650 and became a trusted Lieutenant in the palace guard of Louis XIV. He retired in 1682 and married countess Susannah Lavillon. However, following his Protestant beliefs, he escaped to Germany in 1685 where he stayed for 14 years before going to England in 1699. He then sailed to America to a Huguenot settlement near Richmond,Virginia where he died in 1714.

Also, Walter (Gaultier) Depew was born in 1674, and although some researchers suspect he was a descendant of Barhelmy, to my knowledge it has not been proven. Like many other Huguenots, Walter, made his way to England about 1695 and located in Ludlow, Shropshire, where he is said to have been a soldier. That is where he died in 1728 at age 54. Walter was our Depew ancestor.

The DEPEW Branch of Our Tree

January 28, 2013 Dennis No comments exist

Now I will turn to stories about the DEPEW branch of our family tree which follows my father’s mother’s maiden name ancestors. As might be expected just from the sound of it, the origin of Depew is French, and the name was apparently derived from those who dwelt near or on a hill. Sometimes the P is capitalized as well as the D in the spelling (i.e, DePew). However, there are numerous spelling variations including Depue, Depuy, Depui, Depuis, Dupew and many more. None of the variations are very common in the United States. For example there are only about 6000 persons named Depew as of the 2000 census. Most Depew families today live in New York state. Most Depew families in Canada live in the Ontario Province across the border from New York. As you will see later on, however, our line of Depews in America migrated from New Jersey to Virginia and then on to Tennessee.

By the way, also as of the 2000 U.S. Census, only 8.3 million Americans claimed French ancestry. That’s only about 3% of the total population, much less than those who claim ancestry from other European countries.