I'm a
charter member of the Oaks Chapter (MI) of the National Society, Sons of the
American Revolution. My "Revolutionary Ancestor" is Devereux Gilliam, of
Virginia. My G G G Grandfather Devereux who was born abt. 1740, participated in
the Battle of King's Mountain in October 1780. That victory is generally
considered a turning point of the Revolution. For his service, the State of
North Carolina granted him 640 acres in East Tennessee at the forks of the French Broad and Holston rivers,
five miles east of what would soon become Knoxville. There, about 1787, he
built "Gilliam's Station" which was one of the frontier forts of that
time. More properly called a blockhouse, it;
"...was 24 feet long,
and 18 feet wide. It was two full stories, made of well hewn logs and covered
with shingles fastened on the laths with hammered nails. It [had] a very large
and deep old-fashioned chimney and fine fireplace, and was soon used as a
station by cutting portholes in the cracks between the logs. Through these,
rifles of the frontiersmen commanded both rivers and the surrounding heights."
J.G.M. Ramsey, noted Tennessee historian
A Tennessee blockhouse,
similar in size
and basic
shape to Gilliam's Station.
The upper story being larger than that below, allowed its occupants to fire down through portholes in the floor at an attacker trying to set a fire, or enter a window. After one fierce battle at a similar blockhouse, it was noted that there were numerous bullet holes in the ceiling above one such porthole, in a circular pattern no larger than a man's hat.
Devereux raised a numerous family, and also sheltered the nearby settlers from threatened Indian attacks on more than one occasion. Being between the two rivers, they were less bothered by Indian attacks than some of their more unfortunate neighbors.
* (follow the link below to a letter from Hugh Dunlap (1769-1846) for more details) *
Here are two representations of the position of Gilliam's Station in relation to the rivers. The Holston flows down from the northeast, to the French Broad River flowing from the east. Together they form the Tennessee River.
A preacher, Samuel Carrick traveled to the area in 1790, and when he saw the number of settlers living in the area without a house of worship, arranged for the people to gather at Gilliam's Station so he could preach a sermon for them. On the appointed day, people came from miles around to listen to Rev. Carrick's sermon. Another preacher, Rev. Hezekiah Balch, also came to the gathering and together, he and Rev. Carrick gave the first religious services on that then-distant frontier, preaching the gospel and baptizing children and adults alike.
As it turns out, Gilliam's Station was built on a large cane-covered mound. When it was cleared after 1866, it was discovered that it was an Indian burial mound and contained a large amount of ancient artifacts which now reside in some of the world's foremost museums.
Devereux Gilliam married Edith Ellis, a daughter of Susannah Harding and Charles Ellis, whose American ancestors date to the second charter of the Virginia Company (1609). The Gilliams were in Virginia at a very early date also. Their daughter Susannah H. Gilliam married Hugh Dunlap in Knoxville, 12Jun 1794.
DUNLAP FAMILY / HISTORY LINKS:
HISTORY of LEBANON IN-THE-FORK CHURCH DUNLOP/DUNLAP CLAN PAGE
Scottish family name history - Awesome -
To read the complete text of a letter written by HUGH DUNLAP in 1842, concerning his remembrances of the 1792 founding of Knoxville,
MUST!!! CLICK HERE SEE!!!
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RELATED LINKS:
Sons of the American Revolution
VIEW A LIST OF AMERICAN PATRIOTS WHO FOUGHT
AT KING'S MOUNTAIN, SOUTH CAROLINA OCT. 7, 1780!!!!
OFFICERS SOLDIERS
A-I J-Z A-B C-D E-G H-J K-M N-R S-V W-Z
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I also have
a relative who participated in the War of 1812. Richard Gilliam Dunlap, b 1796, joined the East Tennessee
Volunteer Infantry at the age of 16. He was later a lawyer in Knoxville, and a
member of the Tennessee State Legislature from 1829-1833 in Knox and Anderson
Counties, and continued his military career as well. He served as a Captain in
the Seminole Campaign against the Florida Indians and was later elected
Brigadier General of the Brigade.
In 1836, Richard and his troops policed the Cherokee Nation in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia as they were moved west. When his troops were disbanded in autumn of 1836, he said that he gave the Indians all the protection in his power, the Whites needed none. He added that he would never aid in enforcing, "at the point of the bayonet, a treaty made by a lean minority against the will and authority of the Cherokee people."
Richard soon
after went to Texas and was appointed Secretary of the Treasury of the Republic
of Texas under President Lamar, and signed their currency in 1839. Click the
link below to my Money Page to see an example. Later that same year, he was
sent to Washington D.C. to represent that Republic as Minister to The United
States. On 22May 1840, he married Mary Louisa Winn, a daughter of Timothy
Winn and Rebecca Dulany.
Richard died
at the City Hotel in New Orleans, 22 Jun 1841, six days after arriving there
ill, "...although
the best medical aid and kindest treatment was afforded him."
New Orleans Times-Picayune, 23 Jun 1841
Since Richard died without issue, I honor him here, and in the Society of the War of 1812 as his Great-Grand Nephew.
complete biography of Richard*
Related Links:
Society of the War of 1812 (MI) Membership Requirements
War of 1812 Military History Links
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View a transcription of the
of Capt. Jesse Cole's
1ST Regiment of East Tennessee Volunteers
in the War of 1812 ! ! ! !
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Come visit my "virtual collection" of coins and paper money -
Kenneth Dunlap 1999-2022