Jonathan Blevins
Jonathan Blevins Jr. (1779-1863) is said to have been one of the first white settlers to set up a homestead in what is now the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area. He is the ancestral patriarch of the expansive Blevins family in Scott County, though much of the detail surrounding his life remains a mystery.
See Also: Noteworthy Settlers of the Big South Fork Region
See Also: The Scott County Lineage Project
Biography
Born about 1779 in Montgomery County, Va., Jonathan Blevins was the son of Jonathan Blevins Sr. (abt. 1763-1830) and Charlotte Muse (abt. 1769-1808).
Jonathan Blevins was from a family of renowned trappers. His great-grandfather, William “Old Bill” Blevins, was from Lancashire, England and was the first of the Blevins family (originally spelled Bleddyn) to migrate to the American colonies. He settled in Virginia colony.
It was with Old Bill Blevins and his sons that the family legacy as long hunters originated. It was written in 1751 that Blevins and his sons “would bring in to the local trading post more pelts than there was cash to pay for, but that they would gladly accept goods in lieu of cash.”
One of those sons was Daniel Blevins, born about 1710. He married Sarah Sutton. He joined his father and brothers on long hunting expeditions in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Jonathan Blevins Sr. was Daniel Blevins’ fifth-oldest child, out of seven children. He married Charlotte Muse. They eventually settled in Wayne County, Ky.
Jonathan Blevins Jr. married Catherine “Katy” Troxell (1783-1814) in 1804. They had several children, including Jonathan “Juber” Blevins III, Mary Ann “Polly” Blevins, Jacob Blevins and Tarlton Blevins.
Katy Troxell was purported to be the daughter of Princess Cornblossom of the Cherokee Indian tribe. However, the existence of Princess Cornblossom is very much disputed.
Katy Troxell died in 1814. Jonathan Blevins remarried on Dec. 21 that same year to Sarah Minton (1795-1838). The had more children, including Armpstead Blevins and Isaac Blevins.
Life & Times
With Jonathan Blevins’ children, the family tradition of long hunting began to cease and the family transitioned to subsistence farming as a means of livelihood.
It has been written that Blevins settled on Parch Corn Creek in what is now the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area. It has also been written that he was the original owner of what is now Charit Creek Lodge on Station Camp Creek, although that’s very likely untrue.
In fact, the location of Blevins’ residence remains very much in dispute. There are indications that he lived at Parch Corn Creek by 1815, which would make him one of the first white settlers in the Big South Fork region. Court records, including property deeds, indicate that he lived in the Rock Creek area of Wayne County, Ky. One possible source for the confusion: due to early disputes over the location of the Tennessee-Kentucky border, areas along the Big South Fork River north of Leatherwood Ford were long considered to be part of Wayne County, Ky.
Jonathan Blevins was still living in Wayne County, Ky. as late as 1850, according to the census taken that year. (Also interesting to note: Sarah Blevins is listed with Jonathan Blevins in both the 1850 and 1860 censuses, although genealogy records typically indicate that she died in 1838.)
It’s interesting to note that no Blevins were living in Scott County when the 1850 census was taken. Like Jonathan, Armstead Blevins was still listed in Wayne County, Ky., that year.
Regardless of when he moved to Scott County, he lived the final years of his life in the Big South Fork. He was listed as living in Scott County when the 1860 census was taken.
Legacy
Many of Blevins’ descendants lived in the Big South Fork region. Armstead Blevins, one of his younger sons, lived at Parch Corn Creek. Jacob Blevins lived on the headwaters of Station Camp Creek, at a farm known as “Jake’s Place.” His cabin was later disassembled and moved to what is now Charit Creek Lodge, after being purchased by Joe Simpson. Simpson operated the lodge as Parch Corn Creek Hunting Lodge in the mid 20th century. It was for Jake Blevins’ wife, Katie Blevins, that the cemetery at Bandy Creek, where many of the Blevins descendants are buried, was named.
The Oscar Blevins Farm near Bandy Creek was built by Jonathan Blevins’ great-grandson, Jack Blevins. The nearby Lora Blevins Farm was also built by a great-grandson. The Hattie Blevins Cemetery in the Big South Fork, where many more of the Blevins descendants are buried, is named for the first wife of Armstead Blevins.
Death
Jonathan Blevins Jr. died on March 21, 1863, after being stung by bees. He was about 84 years old at the time.
It is said that Blevins was buried on Station Camp Creek. Both his wives are also purported to be buried there, although it is doubtful that Katy Troxell was buried there. Some have expressed doubt that Blevins was actually buried where his grave stone is located on Station Camp Creek, speculating that he may have instead been buried in the small cemetery at Charit Creek Lodge.