Records indicate that Joseph Runnion was born in Bedford County, Virginia. According to the registry in the Bible of his brother-in-law Thomas Shepherd, Joseph was born on October 31, 1776. His parents were John and Susannah (Stanton) Runion. (The spelling of this surname is flexible.) Around 1779, when Joseph was three years old, his father enlisted in a “provisional” Virginia regiment of the Continental Army to fight for American Independence. He did not leave his family alone on the frontier but arranged for his wife’s sister Nancy to stay with them, along with her newlywed husband Thomas Shepherd. In addition, the county government provided Susannah’s family with grain while the father was away, fighting for American independence.
At the start of the war, Thomas Shepherd’s parents and siblings had moved to Wilkes County, North Carolina, where his father John Shepherd had been a supplier for the war effort. Now that the war was over, both the Thomas Shepherd and John Runnion families moved to Wilkes County. Among other things this enable their wives, the sisters Nancy and Susannah (Stanton), to stay together.
In Wilkes County, Joseph Runnion grew up with the young siblings of Thomas, and twelve years later, around 1793, he was married to one of them, Mary Shepherd. The next year they had a daughter Mary Runnion, (who 14 years later married her cousin John Shepherd). Sadly, Joseph’s wife Mary died after her first child, perhaps from complications of childbirth. Joseph then married her sister Elizabeth, probably around 1795, before he, his parents, and the rest of his family moved to Buncombe county, where his father John is mentioned in records beginning in 1795. Both men are listed in the 1800 and 1810 census records.
In 1810 Joseph enlisted in the 7th infantry regiment, where he served in Captain Blue’s company and then Captain Gibson’s. Evidently he did not fit the mold of regimental life, and on November 14 he was given 30 lashes for “unsoldierlike conduct.” He resigned, and the family moved up the Pigeon River Valley into Cocke County, Tennessee, where according to census records his son Levi was born that same year. It seems likely that his parents, John and Susannah (Stanton) Runnion, moved to Cocke County at the same time, because John’s name stops appearing in the records of Buncombe County, where he had often been a juror or a witness to a signature.
In November of 1814 Joseph enlisted with the 5th Regiment (Booth's) of East Tennessee Militia, which was being organized at Knoxville. The regiment was sent to Mobile, Alabama, to defend it from attacks by British forces. At war's end in May, 1815, the regiment was disbanded and Joseph came home. The family then moved to Sevier County, where Joseph had numerous second cousins, the children of Isaac Barefoot Runyon. Joseph and Elizabeth’s son Joseph Jr. was born in Sevier County in 1817. In 1824 Joseph received a land grant in Sevier County, probably as a bounty for his service in the War of 1812.
Joseph and Elizabeth had a total of eleven known children, in addition to Mary:
Rodman Runyan 1800 – AFT 1848
John Stuart Runnion 1801–1874
Henry M. Runyan 1804–1875
Nancy (Runnion) Carter Robinson 1804–1868
George W Runnion 1806–1881
Elias "Eli" Levi Runnion 1810–1870
James Runyon 1810 – BET 1870-1880
Elizabeth Martha (Runyon) Leatherwood 1812–1887
Thomas Runyon 1814–1874?
Joseph R. Runion Jr 1817–1903
Isaac Runnion 1819–1877
In November 1827 Joseph and Elizabeth purchased land back in Cocke County along Cosby’s Creek, near the Pigeon River. The next year his sons George and John Stuart bought neighboring land. They farmed the land for about ten years, then most of the family moved to Blount County. Their sons Henry and Rodman remained in Cocke County, as did their son John Stuart, who remained for a while on his farm beside Cosby Creek and then moved to Polk County. Their daughter Nancy married and moved to Kentucky.
In Blount County, their married son George Runnion and married daughter Elizabeth Leatherwood developed farms of their own, while Joseph and Elizabeth ran their farm together with their sons Levi, James, and Joseph Jr. So they were surrounded by many of their children and grandchildren. By 1838 their farm had 190 acres, valued at $600. At that time the average monthly wage was about $10, so their farm was worth the equivalent of five annual salaries. Sometime between the 1840 census and 1843, Joseph’s wife Elizabeth passed away, at around 68 years of age.
On February 7, 1843, at age 67, Joseph was married for the third time, to a Jane (Golf) Parks, age 41. She had one child, a son James Parks, age 14, and a former husband, Azariah Parks, who was in the State Prison in Nashville.
In 1849, Joseph’s son John Stuart Runnion was issued a land grant in Polk county and settled there with their families, as did Joseph’s sons Isaac and James and their families. Joseph and his wife Jane and her son James all moved to Polk County as well, and they are listed together in the 1850 census. That is the last record of Joseph, and it is assumed that he died in Polk County prior to the 1860 census. His wife Jane and her son James moved to Meigs County, where they were listed in the 1870 census.
At the start of the war, Thomas Shepherd’s parents and siblings had moved to Wilkes County, North Carolina, where his father John Shepherd had been a supplier for the war effort. Now that the war was over, both the Thomas Shepherd and John Runnion families moved to Wilkes County. Among other things this enable their wives, the sisters Nancy and Susannah (Stanton), to stay together.
In Wilkes County, Joseph Runnion grew up with the young siblings of Thomas, and twelve years later, around 1793, he was married to one of them, Mary Shepherd. The next year they had a daughter Mary Runnion, (who 14 years later married her cousin John Shepherd). Sadly, Joseph’s wife Mary died after her first child, perhaps from complications of childbirth. Joseph then married her sister Elizabeth, probably around 1795, before he, his parents, and the rest of his family moved to Buncombe county, where his father John is mentioned in records beginning in 1795. Both men are listed in the 1800 and 1810 census records.
In 1810 Joseph enlisted in the 7th infantry regiment, where he served in Captain Blue’s company and then Captain Gibson’s. Evidently he did not fit the mold of regimental life, and on November 14 he was given 30 lashes for “unsoldierlike conduct.” He resigned, and the family moved up the Pigeon River Valley into Cocke County, Tennessee, where according to census records his son Levi was born that same year. It seems likely that his parents, John and Susannah (Stanton) Runnion, moved to Cocke County at the same time, because John’s name stops appearing in the records of Buncombe County, where he had often been a juror or a witness to a signature.
In November of 1814 Joseph enlisted with the 5th Regiment (Booth's) of East Tennessee Militia, which was being organized at Knoxville. The regiment was sent to Mobile, Alabama, to defend it from attacks by British forces. At war's end in May, 1815, the regiment was disbanded and Joseph came home. The family then moved to Sevier County, where Joseph had numerous second cousins, the children of Isaac Barefoot Runyon. Joseph and Elizabeth’s son Joseph Jr. was born in Sevier County in 1817. In 1824 Joseph received a land grant in Sevier County, probably as a bounty for his service in the War of 1812.
Joseph and Elizabeth had a total of eleven known children, in addition to Mary:
Rodman Runyan 1800 – AFT 1848
John Stuart Runnion 1801–1874
Henry M. Runyan 1804–1875
Nancy (Runnion) Carter Robinson 1804–1868
George W Runnion 1806–1881
Elias "Eli" Levi Runnion 1810–1870
James Runyon 1810 – BET 1870-1880
Elizabeth Martha (Runyon) Leatherwood 1812–1887
Thomas Runyon 1814–1874?
Joseph R. Runion Jr 1817–1903
Isaac Runnion 1819–1877
In November 1827 Joseph and Elizabeth purchased land back in Cocke County along Cosby’s Creek, near the Pigeon River. The next year his sons George and John Stuart bought neighboring land. They farmed the land for about ten years, then most of the family moved to Blount County. Their sons Henry and Rodman remained in Cocke County, as did their son John Stuart, who remained for a while on his farm beside Cosby Creek and then moved to Polk County. Their daughter Nancy married and moved to Kentucky.
In Blount County, their married son George Runnion and married daughter Elizabeth Leatherwood developed farms of their own, while Joseph and Elizabeth ran their farm together with their sons Levi, James, and Joseph Jr. So they were surrounded by many of their children and grandchildren. By 1838 their farm had 190 acres, valued at $600. At that time the average monthly wage was about $10, so their farm was worth the equivalent of five annual salaries. Sometime between the 1840 census and 1843, Joseph’s wife Elizabeth passed away, at around 68 years of age.
On February 7, 1843, at age 67, Joseph was married for the third time, to a Jane (Golf) Parks, age 41. She had one child, a son James Parks, age 14, and a former husband, Azariah Parks, who was in the State Prison in Nashville.
In 1849, Joseph’s son John Stuart Runnion was issued a land grant in Polk county and settled there with their families, as did Joseph’s sons Isaac and James and their families. Joseph and his wife Jane and her son James all moved to Polk County as well, and they are listed together in the 1850 census. That is the last record of Joseph, and it is assumed that he died in Polk County prior to the 1860 census. His wife Jane and her son James moved to Meigs County, where they were listed in the 1870 census.
Records indicate that Joseph Runnion was born in Bedford County, Virginia. According to the registry in the Bible of his brother-in-law Thomas Shepherd, Joseph was born on October 31, 1776. His parents were John and Susannah (Stanton) Runion. (The spelling of this surname is flexible.) Around 1779, when Joseph was three years old, his father enlisted in a “provisional” Virginia regiment of the Continental Army to fight for American Independence. He did not leave his family alone on the frontier but arranged for his wife’s sister Nancy to stay with them, along with her newlywed husband Thomas Shepherd. In addition, the county government provided Susannah’s family with grain while the father was away, fighting for American independence.
At the start of the war, Thomas Shepherd’s parents and siblings had moved to Wilkes County, North Carolina, where his father John Shepherd had been a supplier for the war effort. Now that the war was over, both the Thomas Shepherd and John Runnion families moved to Wilkes County. Among other things this enable their wives, the sisters Nancy and Susannah (Stanton), to stay together.
In Wilkes County, Joseph Runnion grew up with the young siblings of Thomas, and twelve years later, around 1793, he was married to one of them, Mary Shepherd. The next year they had a daughter Mary Runnion, (who 14 years later married her cousin John Shepherd). Sadly, Joseph’s wife Mary died after her first child, perhaps from complications of childbirth. Joseph then married her sister Elizabeth, probably around 1795, before he, his parents, and the rest of his family moved to Buncombe county, where his father John is mentioned in records beginning in 1795. Both men are listed in the 1800 and 1810 census records.
In 1810 Joseph enlisted in the 7th infantry regiment, where he served in Captain Blue’s company and then Captain Gibson’s. Evidently he did not fit the mold of regimental life, and on November 14 he was given 30 lashes for “unsoldierlike conduct.” He resigned, and the family moved up the Pigeon River Valley into Cocke County, Tennessee, where according to census records his son Levi was born that same year. It seems likely that his parents, John and Susannah (Stanton) Runnion, moved to Cocke County at the same time, because John’s name stops appearing in the records of Buncombe County, where he had often been a juror or a witness to a signature.
In November of 1814 Joseph enlisted with the 5th Regiment (Booth's) of East Tennessee Militia, which was being organized at Knoxville. The regiment was sent to Mobile, Alabama, to defend it from attacks by British forces. At war's end in May, 1815, the regiment was disbanded and Joseph came home. The family then moved to Sevier County, where Joseph had numerous second cousins, the children of Isaac Barefoot Runyon. Joseph and Elizabeth’s son Joseph Jr. was born in Sevier County in 1817. In 1824 Joseph received a land grant in Sevier County, probably as a bounty for his service in the War of 1812.
Joseph and Elizabeth had a total of eleven known children, in addition to Mary:
Rodman Runyan 1800 – AFT 1848
John Stuart Runnion 1801–1874
Henry M. Runyan 1804–1875
Nancy (Runnion) Carter Robinson 1804–1868
George W Runnion 1806–1881
Elias "Eli" Levi Runnion 1810–1870
James Runyon 1810 – BET 1870-1880
Elizabeth Martha (Runyon) Leatherwood 1812–1887
Thomas Runyon 1814–1874?
Joseph R. Runion Jr 1817–1903
Isaac Runnion 1819–1877
In November 1827 Joseph and Elizabeth purchased land back in Cocke County along Cosby’s Creek, near the Pigeon River. The next year his sons George and John Stuart bought neighboring land. They farmed the land for about ten years, then most of the family moved to Blount County. Their sons Henry and Rodman remained in Cocke County, as did their son John Stuart, who remained for a while on his farm beside Cosby Creek and then moved to Polk County. Their daughter Nancy married and moved to Kentucky.
In Blount County, their married son George Runnion and married daughter Elizabeth Leatherwood developed farms of their own, while Joseph and Elizabeth ran their farm together with their sons Levi, James, and Joseph Jr. So they were surrounded by many of their children and grandchildren. By 1838 their farm had 190 acres, valued at $600. At that time the average monthly wage was about $10, so their farm was worth the equivalent of five annual salaries. Sometime between the 1840 census and 1843, Joseph’s wife Elizabeth passed away, at around 68 years of age.
On February 7, 1843, at age 67, Joseph was married for the third time, to a Jane (Golf) Parks, age 41. She had one child, a son James Parks, age 14, and a former husband, Azariah Parks, who was in the State Prison in Nashville.
In 1849, Joseph’s son John Stuart Runnion was issued a land grant in Polk county and settled there with their families, as did Joseph’s sons Isaac and James and their families. Joseph and his wife Jane and her son James all moved to Polk County as well, and they are listed together in the 1850 census. That is the last record of Joseph, and it is assumed that he died in Polk County prior to the 1860 census. His wife Jane and her son James moved to Meigs County, where they were listed in the 1870 census.
At the start of the war, Thomas Shepherd’s parents and siblings had moved to Wilkes County, North Carolina, where his father John Shepherd had been a supplier for the war effort. Now that the war was over, both the Thomas Shepherd and John Runnion families moved to Wilkes County. Among other things this enable their wives, the sisters Nancy and Susannah (Stanton), to stay together.
In Wilkes County, Joseph Runnion grew up with the young siblings of Thomas, and twelve years later, around 1793, he was married to one of them, Mary Shepherd. The next year they had a daughter Mary Runnion, (who 14 years later married her cousin John Shepherd). Sadly, Joseph’s wife Mary died after her first child, perhaps from complications of childbirth. Joseph then married her sister Elizabeth, probably around 1795, before he, his parents, and the rest of his family moved to Buncombe county, where his father John is mentioned in records beginning in 1795. Both men are listed in the 1800 and 1810 census records.
In 1810 Joseph enlisted in the 7th infantry regiment, where he served in Captain Blue’s company and then Captain Gibson’s. Evidently he did not fit the mold of regimental life, and on November 14 he was given 30 lashes for “unsoldierlike conduct.” He resigned, and the family moved up the Pigeon River Valley into Cocke County, Tennessee, where according to census records his son Levi was born that same year. It seems likely that his parents, John and Susannah (Stanton) Runnion, moved to Cocke County at the same time, because John’s name stops appearing in the records of Buncombe County, where he had often been a juror or a witness to a signature.
In November of 1814 Joseph enlisted with the 5th Regiment (Booth's) of East Tennessee Militia, which was being organized at Knoxville. The regiment was sent to Mobile, Alabama, to defend it from attacks by British forces. At war's end in May, 1815, the regiment was disbanded and Joseph came home. The family then moved to Sevier County, where Joseph had numerous second cousins, the children of Isaac Barefoot Runyon. Joseph and Elizabeth’s son Joseph Jr. was born in Sevier County in 1817. In 1824 Joseph received a land grant in Sevier County, probably as a bounty for his service in the War of 1812.
Joseph and Elizabeth had a total of eleven known children, in addition to Mary:
Rodman Runyan 1800 – AFT 1848
John Stuart Runnion 1801–1874
Henry M. Runyan 1804–1875
Nancy (Runnion) Carter Robinson 1804–1868
George W Runnion 1806–1881
Elias "Eli" Levi Runnion 1810–1870
James Runyon 1810 – BET 1870-1880
Elizabeth Martha (Runyon) Leatherwood 1812–1887
Thomas Runyon 1814–1874?
Joseph R. Runion Jr 1817–1903
Isaac Runnion 1819–1877
In November 1827 Joseph and Elizabeth purchased land back in Cocke County along Cosby’s Creek, near the Pigeon River. The next year his sons George and John Stuart bought neighboring land. They farmed the land for about ten years, then most of the family moved to Blount County. Their sons Henry and Rodman remained in Cocke County, as did their son John Stuart, who remained for a while on his farm beside Cosby Creek and then moved to Polk County. Their daughter Nancy married and moved to Kentucky.
In Blount County, their married son George Runnion and married daughter Elizabeth Leatherwood developed farms of their own, while Joseph and Elizabeth ran their farm together with their sons Levi, James, and Joseph Jr. So they were surrounded by many of their children and grandchildren. By 1838 their farm had 190 acres, valued at $600. At that time the average monthly wage was about $10, so their farm was worth the equivalent of five annual salaries. Sometime between the 1840 census and 1843, Joseph’s wife Elizabeth passed away, at around 68 years of age.
On February 7, 1843, at age 67, Joseph was married for the third time, to a Jane (Golf) Parks, age 41. She had one child, a son James Parks, age 14, and a former husband, Azariah Parks, who was in the State Prison in Nashville.
In 1849, Joseph’s son John Stuart Runnion was issued a land grant in Polk county and settled there with their families, as did Joseph’s sons Isaac and James and their families. Joseph and his wife Jane and her son James all moved to Polk County as well, and they are listed together in the 1850 census. That is the last record of Joseph, and it is assumed that he died in Polk County prior to the 1860 census. His wife Jane and her son James moved to Meigs County, where they were listed in the 1870 census.
Family Members
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