Jacob Chaney 1715 - 1801
| Husband: |
Jacob Chaney |
| Date of Birth, Place of Birth: |
1715,South River Hundred, Anne Arundel, Maryland |
| Date of Death, Place of Death: |
bef 21 Sep 1801,Laurel Grove, Pittsylvania, Virginia |
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| Wife: |
Sarah Midkiff |
| Date of Birth, Place of Birth: |
1727,Halifax, Virginia |
| Date of Death, Place of Death: |
1801,Laurel Grove, Pittsylvania, Virginia |
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| Marriage Date, Place of Marriage: |
1745,Lunenburg, Virginia |
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| Son (My Line): |
James Chaney |
| Son Date of Birth, Place of Birth: |
1748,New Burnswick (now Pittsylvania) County, Virginia |
| Son Date of Death, Place of Death: |
bef May 1792,Unknown |
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| Info: |
Jacob Chaney the ancestor of all the Chaney families of Pittsylvania, and Halifax
counties, Virginia, and the surrounding country. Jacob’s father Charles Cheney
of Anne Arundel County Maryland was the son of Richard Cheyney one of the early
settlers of Anne Arundel County Maryland. Jacob’s father married again as his mother had died
it is said that the stepmother broke a skillet, placed the pieces together and sent
Jacob into an old kitchen to bring it, when he caught a hold of the skillet it fell to pieces.
His father was gone from home that day and on his return she told him that Jacob had
broken the skillet. After his father had severely punished him, he also
told him he didn’t care if he went away and that he could never see him again.
Jacob was about eighteen years old at the time he left his father, he went to northern
Virginia or Maryland and lived awhile. From there he moved to Bedford County,
Virginia, where he married Sarah Midkiff then he moved to Pittsylvania County, Virginia
and settled on Elk Horn Creek two miles North of Peytonsburg, VA. Jacob, at this time
had a wife and several children. They would build large sparkling fires to keep the wild
animals away while Jacob would be gone as far as sixty miles to mill. In those days the
black bear, the panther, and the wolf were yet to be seen in the forest and no doubt
dreaded by the settlers. It was passed down by oral history that while Jacob was
living on Elk Horn Creek he had a dream that further south about ten miles there were
two creeks now known as Birch Creek and Buck Horn Creek, a small creek which
empties into Birch creek in the southeastern part of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. He also
dreamed of the large shelving rocks projecting from the earth and leaning south as they
actually are and where cattle could find refuge from the cold wintry winds. Jacob’s dream
had so much weight on his mind that he came south to investigate, he found everything
so much like he had dreamed it pleased him very much that he went around and chopped
as much land as he wanted to pay taxes on and had it recorded at the county seat. This
land was government land at that time. In the year 1750, Jacob moved over to his new
place and settled in the fork of Buck Horn and Birch Creeks and later on he built a home
on top of the hill now known as the Chaney Burying Ground. Some of this land has never
been changed from the Chaney name. "I do not know whether Jacob was a member of any church or not; I am inclined to believe, however, that he was a devout man as he named some of his boys Scriptural names and some of them were members.
Jacob raised nine boys six settled near the old homestead. Nathaniel and two others
He was buried in the Chaney burying ground. (adapted from Henry Watson Chaney Article 1907) |
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