| Sources |
- [S1014] Notes of KareSD, Keeney and Yocum Ties.
KEENEY & YOCUM TIES GO FROM SOUTH POTOMiAC TO GREENBRIER, KENTUCKY AND EAST TENNESSEE
KEENEY researchers in Oregon, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky,
North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia take note:
The colonial ties between the KEENEY and Yocum families suggest
an ever-increasing closeness. It is undisputed that Peter Keeney was
probably an in-law in the Matthias Yocum family, witnessed the marriage'
of his son, and was present at his death. It has just been revealed
that Peter's brother, John Jonathan, accompanied Michael Yocum as
they claimed grants in North Carolina in an area that soon became the
Tennessee county of Greene, later divided into Jefferson and Cocke
counties. Numerous'records show this connection.
EARLY KEENEY -YOCUM TIES
On a 26 April 1745 order by the Council of Virginia 100,000 acres of
land in the Greenbrier valley were offered to settlers who would settle
and cultivate the land, with a limit of 1,000 acres per grant. Virginia
land records show that JOHN KEE1'l"EY (450 acres), Felty Yocum (480
acres), Frederick See (480 acres), Matthew Yocum (330 acres) and
George See (360 acres) received grants in 1750 and 1751. The Yocums
and Sees were closely related by marriage.
In 1750 practically all of westem Virginia and West Virginia were in
Augusta county. This is important to remember, as many counties
(Bedford, Botetourt, Hampshire, Hardy, Greenbrier eta!) were formed
and residents changed counties·without moving away. Dr Thomas
Walker, returning from an exploratory .trip·into the Kentucky region
in 1750 noted that several families had already settled in the Greenbrier
area of Muddy Creek and Big Levels.
The French & Indian War against English expansion broke out in
1754 and continued to 1761, with 60 Shawnee warriors making havoc
of the new settlers, including the destruction of a new fort. However,
the deadly blow by the Shawnees came in the summer of 1765. Contradictory
reports estimate that 9 to 12 prople were killed and seven
taken prisoner. For about 45 days 59 terrified inhabitants huddlesd
inside the Muddv Creek outpost awaiting the fall of the tomahawk or
scalping knife. Captain John Lewis. who was 45 miles away along the
Jackson River, came to their relief. finding on arrival that the enemy
had moved two days earlier. Virginia Gov Dinwiddie called the incident
"a shameful panic" after learning that the settlers had abandoned
their homes, left crops in the field, losing everything they had
worked for. A Mrs F Keeney, Frederick Yocum and Felty Yocum had a
lost their lives in the uprising.
JOHN KEENEY was a member of Dickinson's Company of Rangers rs
in 1756 and 1757. From where had he come? Augusta court records
. of August 1749 listed him as defendent in a lawsuit with James Rutredge
and listed his residence as South Branch. South Branch was in
the HampshirelHardy county where the Yocums and Sees had lived.
Apparently JOHN KEENEY also lived there for a time and came along
to Muddy Creek, living adjacent to his Yokum neighbors. First settlers
of Hardy and Grant counties (1735-1750) included Frederick See,
George See and Matthias Yocum, living in the Mill Creek area, close
to Maysville in present day Grant County.
Keeney and Yocum family court records were often listed in Bedford
County, the nearest courthouse. Actually most of their activities took
place in Botetourt County, founded in 1769. Greenbrier County was
founded from Botetourt County in 1780. Greenbrier landowners listed in 1780
included John Keeney, Michael Keeney, Gcorge See, Michael See
and George Yocum. Matthias Yocum and Peter Keene had departed
the year before from their Auhur's Bortom homes near Fort Lewis in
the Roanoke river valley. An August 9. 1755 Augusta court record
lists the transfer of 261 acres on the north side of the Roanoke above
Arthur' Bottom from James Campooll to Matthias Yocum.
SEITLEMENTS AFTER INDIAN RAIDS
In I761 Frederick See and Felty Yocum settled on Muddy Creek, the
scene of recent atrocities During the calm belween 1764 and 1774
numerous settlers found their back to the Greenbrier region, mostly in
the year 1769. There were sporadic Indian attacks; in 1780 they killed
Thomas Griffith and took his son prisoner. The boy was rescued.
Arbuckle's Fort became the rendevous point in 1774, when armies
were firming for the showddown with the Shawness in the Battle of
Point Pleasant.
Kegler's History Of the Virginia Frontier lists many families that
moved from 1748 to 1757. Matthias Yocum is listed with a group of
18 located in the lower end (Roanoke area) of Augusta County.
Wolves were numerous in this settlement Waddell's Annual says
that the promise of a reward netted 256 wolf heads in 1751.
KEENEYS & YOCUMS TO NORTH CAROLINA & TENNESSEEE
During the American Revolution John Jonathan Keeney (cl750-
c1845) was active on the frontier, with Michael, Thomas and David
Keeney offering supplies. For this Jonathan received a 67 acre grant
in 1788 on the north side of the French Broad River in Orcene Co TN"
(earlier a part of North Carolina). Earlier, in 1782. Peter Keeney of Fort
Lewis received a grant for land in Fayette Co KY, the grant being registered
in Botetourt County. Peter had already accompanied Matthias
Yocum to Kentucky)'.
From the Draper Manuscripts we read that Matthias Yocum (1705-
1783) came to Kenmcb.-yin the fall of 1779 and settled with his family at
Yokum's Station in 1780. His wife, Elizabeth See (b.5-8-1730 at Telnech~
ocken Creek. Berks Co PA died in KY 11-14·1780). Their large family
lists lots of sons, although there were daughters. They were listed in
the HlSTOR Y OF H.A.RDYCOUNTY as follows: Jesse Yocum.
12-2-1756 m. Ann Boyles, Elizabeth 1760, George Washington 12-3-1763, J
Amelia 1764 m. James Ray c 1781 in KY, Jacob 1767, Matthias Jr 1771,
lames B 1772, Solomon 1773 d.l0-26-I850 in Denton TX, Isaac 1777 at
Fort Harness (now Moorefield WV). The parents of Matthias Yocum
were Francis Jochem (b. i678 in New Amsterdam NY, d.I?51 in Hampshire
Co VA) & Millie Felty (b. 1682 ·atNew Amsterdam). His wife Elinor See
was a daughter of George Ludwig Zeh (b.1680 in Ruhlsheim Germany, d.
24 Apr 1752 in Augusta Co VA).
In 1738 the Yocum, See, Stump and Harness families moved to the
South Branch of the Potomac, settling at Mike's Ford, near present day
Moorefoeld, then in Hampshire County. As already stated, under the inLafayette
1745 order of the Virginia Council, many of them claimed land along the
Greenbrier River, and along with John Keeney were the first families to
apply. During the next decades numerous land transactions took place
as listed in Bedford Co Va and Lincoln Co (later KY).
The Botetourt County Index of Tithables 1770-1777 listed Conrad Yocum
3, George Yocum 6, Hy Yocum 1, Jolm Yocum 2, Matthias Yocum 2
On S October 1780 George Yocum was married to
Isabella Taylor in Bedford Co, with Peter Keeney as witness. Between
1770 and 1790 Matthias Yocum of Mercer Co KY purchased land from
Thomas Burton and wife in Washington (later Greene) Co TN), North
Carolina, where the Keeneys were also moving. No doubt this was for
son Michael Yocum and wife Ann Boyle (d/o Alexander Boyle who. had
lived in Bedford Co from 1762 to 1784. In 1775 Charles McGlothltn con-
veyed 55 shillings to Michael Yocum for land along the Little Otter m
Bedford County Michael was a witness in the trilal of John Down-
ing. In 1785·11emoved to Greene Co NC (which became Tennessee).
Priscilla Yocum (b.l773), Michael s daughter, married Fredenck Mayberry In
1790
Thus the close allIances of these two families, all the way from the South Branch in the 1740s to
the Greenbrier Valley to North Carolina and Telmessee was crystal
In 1791 Jefferson Co TN was formed from Greene, Cocke Co In 1784.
The sons of John Keeney and their families fill the records of the Big
Pigeon Baptist Church in Cocke Co during the next decade. John Keenry
and Michael Yocum served together on the Court of Fleas in Jefferson
County in 1798. It is doubtful that the families had moved, but
the county boundaries were no longer the same.
The tax list of Knox Co TN. 1799 listed Jacob, Michael and Solomon
Yocum. Several Keeneys were dismissed from Big Pigeon Baptist Church in
1799. Soon after by 1803 the Keeneys scattered -. Jolm Jonathan to Indiana,
David and Thomas to Missouri, James (killed in War of 1812)" Joseph to what became
Anderson County TN. Yocum families scattered to Missori, Arkansas and Texas.
Today one finds both families in almost every state. Al Capp made the
Yocum name a household word with his Li'l Abner comic strip.
There are hundreds of Yocum / Yokim / Yoakum researchers.
(Research for this story has covered twenty years, with material
supplied or suggested by scores of researchers. When Blanche
Keeney Stephens, descendent of Peter Keeney, publishes her
book on this subject the whole picture will be clearer).
http://roscoe.k-f-g-online.info/KeeneyUpdate/PDFUpdates/KeeneyUpDateSeptember20010001.pdf
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Vitter-Weaver Genealogy
1767 - 1838 (70 years)
1769 - 1840 (71 years)
