DAR National # 388618
Resided in Westmoreland County VA. during the Revolutionary War
From Montaignes Pioneer History of Randolph County
Monroe Randolph County Family History, Pub 1853.

E J. Sprague's Sketches of Randolph County, Pub 1856, pg 94.


The notarized copy, dated 2 March 1950, is in the possession of Malcolm and
B. J. Blanchard of Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California, as of 1997.

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History of the Clendenin Family
by Nancy Clendenin Mann

Henry and Charles Clendenin came from Dumfries Scotland to Westmoreland
County, Virginia in the early part of the seventeenth century [1], the date
of their arrival not known, but John Clendenin, a son of Henry, was born in
Virginia, was old enough for military duty during the Revolutionary War. He
served in a Virginia regiment. He married Mary Sympson, to them was born
eight children, Henry, William, James, Margaret, John, Nancy, Harvey and
Maria. In 1790, John Clendenin and family, William Clendenin, a brother of
John, and William Sympson, who was the husband of Rebecca Clendenin, a
sister of John and William moved from Westmoreland County, Virginia to
Green County, Kentucky, where John and family remained until 1811 [2], when
they came to Randolph County, Illinois. The Sympsons remained in Kentucky.
William Clendenin moved to Missouri, where he raised a family, the second
marriage that is recorded in Pulaski County, Missouri, was that of William
McDonald and Abigail Clendenin. They were married by Isaac Clark, J.P.
1833. This family of Clendenin had two sons named Theodore and Perry, who
in 1844 lived in Illinois perhaps Greene County. They were engaged in
farming and stock raising, took their cattle, hogs, etc. to New Orleans by
steam boat to market.

John Clendenin and family, consisting of his wife, himself and five sons
and three daughters, also his son-in-law, George Gaddie and family,
consisting of his wife, two children and a colored man and woman, who
belonged to Gaddies (this was when Illinois was under Territorial
government and slavery was permitted in the territory.) The Clendenin
family left their Kentucky home in the month of November, 1811 [3], and
commenced their journey to Illinois. They traveled in wagons and on
horseback, as there were no steamboats on the Ohio and Mississippi at that
date. The moving family camped for the night at the close of their first
day's journey, prepared supper and got ready to rest, when the father, in
looking over their baggage discovered that they had left a bundle of apple
settings which they had prepared to bring with them. The next morn, John,
the fourth son, seventeen years old, who had a fine saddle horse was sent
back to get the apple trees. The family remained in camp until he returned.
The family reached Kaskaskia in the month of December, rested their teams
and looked about for a place to locate. They were farmers and commenced
farm life in Illinois on a tract of land where the town of
Chester is now situated, the part of the town, now known as Buena Vista.
There were the five sons, the son-in-law, Gaddie, the father and the
colored man. They went to work to make themselves comfortable in their new
home, built a dwelling house for the family, stables for their horses,
planted the apple trees which they had brought from Kentucky with them.

They were very comfortable in their new home until the Autumn of 1813, when
the family was stricken with an epidemic of Typhus fever. Henry, the oldest
son, age 25 years, Margaret, the married daughter, William the third son
and their Mother all died and were buried, in what is now the Chester
Cemetery [4], perhaps the first burial made on the place. These were sad
days for the Clendenin's. They, perhaps, many times thought of their old
Kentucky home. Soon after this Gaddie took his teams, his colored folks and
his children and went back to Kentucky where he lived to an old age. His
son Bluford, in 1836 came back to Illinois to visit his Clendenin relatives
and took malarial fever and died at the home of his uncle, Harvey Clendenin
and is buried in Ebenezer Cemetery [5].

James Clendenin married Margaret Herd, who died leaving three sons, William Sympson, John Herd, and James. James died when 18 years old. Sympson married a Miss Oliver, who died, leaving two children, Emaline and Calvin Clendenin. After the death of his Oliver wife, Sympson married a widow
Mann, to them was born a family. They went to Stockton, California, where
Sympson died. His descendents live in California. Emaline married. She is
now dead. John Herd Clendenin married Mary Elizabeth Vickers. Their
children who lived to maturity were William Harvey, Mose Walter, Margaret
Ann, Sarah Jane, Content Elizabeth, Joseph H, Benjamin H. and Lettie.
William Harvey was a merchant, married Emily Jones, died at Kansas City,
leaving two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Herd, resides at
Chicago, Illinois, the second, Roscoe Turner resides at Atchison, Kansas,
is a dealer in (woolen) wear; the daughter Daisey is the wife of Power[6]
in Kansas City. Mose Walter Clendenin was a physician graduated from
Jefferson Medical College, married Lydia Wagoner. They were the parents of
two sons and two daughters. Ernest the oldest is R. R. man, his home is now
in St. Louis, Missouri.

State of Illinois
County of Jackson
Before me appeared Mildred B. Midjaas who being duly sworn, states that the
above Clendenin Family History was written, as copied, by her grandmother,
Nancy Clendenin Mann, that the unfinished original of the same was found in
the Clendenin Bible, and that the Bible and original family papers are now
in the possession of Sarah Clendenin Mann, of Rockwood, Illinois.[7] Sworn
to and subscribed before me this 2nd day of March A.D. 1950.

(signed) J. L. Burnett, Notary Public

State of Illinois
County of Jackson
I, J. L. Burnett a notary public in and for said County and State do
certify that the foregoing instrument of writing was this day found by me
to be an exact copy of the original.

Given under my hand and seal of office, this 2nd day of May A.D., 1950.

(signed) J. L. Burnett, notary public


"Skillern Family History and Genealogy"
by Darlene Appell and Ethylmae Eylar Carter 1971

Page 27 The first two children of James and Margaret (Anderson) Clendenin are proved by the will of Margaret Anderson, grandmother of Margaret (Anderson) Clendenin.

The grandmother, Margaret made her will May 4, 1761. It was probated in Augusta County, Virginia March 20, 1764. Will book 3, page 311. This will names Hannah Anderson and John Clendenin, children of James and Margaret (Anderson) Clendenin.

The other names of the children comes from a manuscript of Mrs. D. W. Hayes dated December, 1940 and found in the Filson Club of Louisville, Kentucky. Mr. Hayes names additional children Mary Rebeccah , William and Martha 'Patsy'. Other sources maintain Mary and Rebeccah are two separate daughters. The Sympson Bible lists Rebeccah as the wife of William Sympson.