Henry, Charles and Richard Skaggs, and three other brothers were granddsons of an Irishman who fled from Ireland of Londonderry in 1688-'89, when so many of the Scotch-Irish race emigrated to the shores of the New World. We find his adventureous decendants, natives of Maryland, living on the frontiers of New River and sharing largely in the toils and hardships of the Long Hunters in 1770-'71.
In June 1775, we find Henry aiding to pilot Col. Thomas Slaughter and others on an exploratory tour of the Green River country. Henry Skaggs and brothers were a noted family of hunters and nothing but hunters, and keeping pace with the advancing settlements, they pushed forward to Clinch River and were forting in 1777 at Shadrach White's Station in the neighborhood of the Maiden Spring Fork of the Clinch. In 1781 one of the family of Skaggs, who had been residing in the Cumberland settlements removed to Kentucky.
In 1779 Henry Skaggs , accompanied by upwards of twenty men, started for Kentucky, were attacked by indians in Powells Vally, lost part of their horses, when all had returned save Skaggs, his son John a mere youth, and a man named Sinclair. With eleven horses, they went to the Green River country to hunt, and during the succeding winter Sinclair got lost, probably drowned in the Green River and young Skaggs sickened and died, and amidst the severities of the season a hollow log was his burial place. His father was left alone to finish the hunt and return home with the horses, pelts and furs. He settled on Pitmans Creek in the Green River country within present Taylor County, Kentucky, in 1789 with his children and connections around him sharing freely in the indian difficulties of the times; and there he died in 1808 or '9, aged upwards of eighty years. Possing a large and bony frame, he was bold, enterprising and fearless. His brothers Charles and Richard who also settled in that region, lived to a good old age There is much more in the book, but this is the most important part
Page 47:
There were at least eight different ways to spell the names that they
(Cherokee) were know by, so is it any wonder that there are many variations
of our own family name of Cothron--Martha Cathron, Progenitor--having today
so many different spellings, such as Cochrine and so on as is verified by our
southern relatives, Catherine, Cothran, Katherin, Cothron... Martha Cathrin
Patrick."
Page 48:
First Progenitor: William Skaggs (Skaggs, Stagg, Skag)...
had license to sail to and from the Colonies int he mid-1600's.
Second Progenitor: Thomas Skaggs and Ann Wollard
As I stood by old Thomas' grave near the beautiful New River, Virginia (now
West Virginia), I thought of all the generations that have lived in this
great land of ours after our foreparents arrived from Londonderry, Ireland
and perhaps Germany by way of London, England. My mind wandered back to
Cambridge, England where Thomas and Ann were married in late autumn in
Cambridge, England--Oct. 31, 1734 at St. Sepulcher's... Old Thomas and Ann,
whose descendants were destined to become the famous "Long Hunters of
Kentucky"
Third Progenitor: Richard Skaggs and Mary Thear
Some genealogists refer to her as Mary Hatch. Many second and third
marriages occurred among pilgrims as the men were killed or died young.
Richard was one of the famous "Long Hunters of Kentucky" who helped supply
food to the settlers in the colonies... land grants... centered around
Meadow Creek of New River in Virginia.
Fourth Progenitor: James Skaggs and Rachel Moredock
(Some places spelled Mordeck). Virginia Public Records are abundant with
information.
Fifth Progenitors: Martha Cathrin Patrick and Peter Skaggs
Genealogists refer to him as Old Peter... He chose Martha Cathrin, Cherokee
Indian at age 17, she being a mere 13 or so the calculated ages go. He
called her "Patsy" or "Patty", as did all her friends and relatives... She
died 1865; both were members of Big Blaine United Baptist Church of Jesus
Christ. Patty comes directly from Wilkes County, North Carolina and they
were married in Fincastle County, Virginia, June 24, 1788. They came to the
head-of-Blaine, now Lawrence County, Kentucky in 1804 by way of Floyd County,
Kentucky... Old Peter died October 21, 1841, and was interred at Terryville,
now Martha, Kentucky. Patty, or Patsy as she was called... died 1865, age
84. Genealogists and prolific writer, Earl N. Skaggs, name sons of Thomas
and Ann W
From "The National Foundation Descendants of Thomas Skaggs (I only have
copies of pages 1-24):
Page 7
Veterans Administration Records Washington D.C.:
Skaggs Trace was named for three Irish brothers, Henry, Charles, and Richard
Skaggs. Long Hunters---The Wilderness Road by Robert L Kincaid>>
Page 9
Vol.4 pp. 263-64 (William and Mary Quarterly) Wanted, ancestry of Skaggs
and Moredeck family and marriages of James Skaggs and Miss Moredeck. They
had the following children: James Skaggs, b. Aug 5th 1789, Abraham Moredeck
Skaggs, b. May 10th, 1792, Gideon Skaggs, b. ? A daughter whom married ...
Hankins, died leaving one child Eli Skaggs Hankins.
Page 18
Page 24
THE SKAGGS FAMILY AND THE SKAGGESTON COMMUNITY IN KNOX COUNTY
Knox County, in its eastern section, out the oldMillerstown Pike and near the Rutledge Pike section of
the old days, once known as the old Emory Road, has a community known as SKAGGSTON. It was named for the Skaggs Family who settled there in the early days of Knox County. The name of the original Skaggs is not shown on modern records, but STEPHEN M. (Moredock) SKAGGS who was born in Tennessee and of course, in Knox County, was one of the sons of the original person of that (unknown) name. He was born in 1795 and his wife was Dorcas (McPherron). This family from
Virginia were numbered among the "Long Hunters" of D. Boone.
Contributor: ggggrandaughter of Stephen MoredockSkaggs: Karen Skaggs-Phelps
<
Skaggs, James and Rache., Guarantee Martin Thomas L40 78 Meadow Cr. Br.
New River
Maryland Will Record:
4896 S(c)haggs, Wm. A Planter Kent Co. Will 6th Sept. 1742, 27th Oct 1742.
4897 Wife, Mary
4898 Son, Scaggs, Richard, Kent Co.l, Maryland, 1766
4900 Wife, Mary Thear
5101 Son John
4899 Daughter, Elizabeth
(Page 29 has more info but I do not have this page.)
"Big Sandy Skaggs"
Compiled by Lucille Sparks-Edwards and Edria Faye Fyffe Skaggs with Additional Information from Private Papers of Juanita Skaggs Lutteral, Illinois, Earl N. Skaggs, Victor, West Virginia,
William H Pelfrey, Keaton, Kentucky, L C Skaggs, Wallingord Kentucky, Gypsie Sadler, Portsmouth, Ohio, Ellarie White, Illinois.
Copyright TX 227-172 1978 -- Lucille Spark-Edwards, Second printing 1980
Printed in The United States of America
Appalachia Publishers, PO Box 102, Martha, Kentucky, Lawrence County
Lucille's health failed several years ago and she is no longer active in research. She may have published a subsequent volume but I have been unable to confirm this.
Preface
<<...our Skaggs originated near Ulster, Ireland, probably from Scotland with many Fyffes, Fergusons, and more familiar sounding family names. From Ireland they made their way to England, married into the German nationality, crossing then to Kent County, Maryland. The Scotch-Irish Valley in Virginia, with all its fame and ill-fame, became home to Old Thomas Skaggs, Old Peter Skaggs, many, many James Skaggs along with various Henrys, Johns, Charles and more familiar Skaggs family names. Among these Skaggs
were the ones most famous in history books as "The Long Hunter," professional hunting ground of Kentucky, then unsettled.>>
Page 23-25
<
William Skaggs (Skaggs, Stagg, Skag)... had license to sail to and from the Colonies int he mid-1600's...Second Progenitor: Thomas Skaggs and Ann Wollard
As I stood by old Thomas' grave near the beautiful New River, Virginia (now West Virginia), I thought of all the generations that have lived in this great land of ours after our fore parents arrived from Londonderry, Ireland and perhaps Germany by way of London, England. My mind wandered back to
Cambridge, England where Thomas and Ann were married in late autumn in Cambridge, England--Oct. 31, 1734 at St. Sepulcher's... Old Thomas and Ann, whose descendants were destined to become the famous "Long Hunters of Kentucky">>
From TENNESSEE COUSINS, A History of Tennessee People by Worth S. Ray; p.225
Parenthesis material added by KSP
There should be one caveat that everyone should be aware of when ordering a
"family" coat of arms. Most north European coats of arms were issued to
individuals not to families. A fathers coat of arms would be different from
that of his sons. They were paid for and issued to distinguish armored
knights from one another on the battlefield. I believe the Italians had
family coats of arms as did some east European countries. I guess it could
be summed up this way. To purchase a "family coat of arms" from a retailer
or even a store specializing in these items would the same as finding
someone's published genealogy on a web page, and without researching, claim
this as your family.
For a better definition go to http://user.aol.com/ballywoodn/acheraldry.html
The book big Sandy Skaggs by Lucille Sparks -Edwards says this on page 33,34:
I was affiliated with hundreds of native-born Germans... Leo asked if
my family were related to the Heidelberg Skaggs... Often Leo, who spoke
broken English, would tell me of the German Skaggs. He'd say, "You can well
be proud of your heritage, ja, goot Chermans...
I feel justified that my searching proves one Elizabeth Skagg was of
German nationality, and that my progenitor Richard Skagg, the planter husband
was Irish.
Now, if you care to believe that the German extraction came through one
of the grandmothers, not grandfathers, you may be interested in the history
books that tell us of the sailors and adventurers called the Vikings, whose
origin was Scandinavia, Norseland. Records of their ships log bear the names
Skegg, Skeggi, Skeats, Skeat Skeggs (none Skaggs or Scaggs). The word Skegg
itself means "beard"; Old norse is Skegg-beard. Many of the shi records
listed the sailors as white-beard, Black-beard, gold-beard and so on to
Skegg-beard on the records listed twelve hundred and forty six in different
British history books of names and origins. One's imagination could fill the
gaps, here and there as there are no records that I know of in existence that
show an exact descendance of our family before October 28, 1730.
