Col. James Dysart

1744-1818

The following information was supplied by Patrick Meehan

James Dysart was the son of Samuel Dysart and Frances Anderson. Shortly after coming to America, the western part of Pennsylvania, James Dysart joined James Knox and others in a group to explore Tennessee and Kentucky, known in history as the Long Hunters. About 1770, he reached the Little Holston, where Abingdon, Washington Co., Virginia now stands. He soon became an influential member of the community, and in 1775 married Agnes Beattie, daughter of John Beattie, also an eminent man of those parts. John gave them a farm next to his home. James also acquired other land, about 2,000 acres on Moccasin Creek. He was the first Sheriff of Washington County, being commissioned to build the Court House and the jail. We read of his life in Drapers' Kings Mountain, and in the History of Southwest Virginia by Lewis Preston Summers, a lawyer of Abingdon and a descendant of Elizabeth, one of James' sisters. Here we also read of the Cowans, the Logans, the Meeks and the Carsons, family after family who are connected with the Dysart.

When he married, he built a home on the land next to Colonel Beattie's, a big two story double log house, with a huge stone chimney at either end. He called his home Brook Hall in memory of the Irish home. In 1788, his sister Elizabeth Dysart Breden, with her eight children came and lived with him for 15 years. Her husband, John Breden, died in Ireland. His sister Frances married John McAllister.

James was one of the signers on the petition that called the first minister, Rev. Charles Cummings, to Ebbing, and Sinking Springs Church at Abingdon, Va. Rev. Cummings baptized all and married some of James Dysart's children.

In about 1806, broken in health and discouraged over political difficulties, he moved with his family to Rockcastle County, KY and built another home near Mt. Vernon. Many of the allied families moved there and to neighboring counties. James loved books, and when asked if he was lonely in his wilderness home, he replied, "I am never lonely when I have a good book." He died in Kentucky, May 26, 1818. Agnes lived until 1833, making her home with her son, Johnson, who remained in the family home.

Col. James Dysart (1744-5-26-1818) married Agnes Nancy Beattie (~1754-1833). They had 6 children:

  1. Eleanor Dysart b.9-24-1776 d.6-4-1850 married William Carson.
  2. Samuel Dysart b.10-14-1778 d.~1831 married Ann Meek b.xxxx d.~1834-37. They had 8 children:
    1. Elizabeth Dysart
    2. Samuel Meek Dysart (1804-1870) married Margaret Ann Craig.
    3. Madison Dysart (1806-1839) married Marie Cowan.
    4. Jackson Dysart
    5. James Dysart.
    6. Hardin Dysart (~1812-1874) married Mary Jane 'Sarah' Montgomery. They had 6 children:
        • Samuel Dysart (1837-1895)
        • Margaret Dysart.
        • Mary Ellen Dysart.
        • William Craig Dysart (1845-1901) married Iola Smith. They had 5 children:
          • Charles Redmonds Dysart (1869-1928) married Katherine Frodsham.
          • Samuel Franklin Dysart (1870-1927) married Louella Messick.
          • Reed Dysart (1872-1957) married Lillian Gregory.
          • Jeannie Dysart (1876-1959) married William James Cann.
          • Clarence M. Dysart (1884-1918) married Bessie Catherine Kirk.
        • John Dysart (1848-1925).
        • Elizabeth Dysart (1870-xxxx).
    1. Johnson Dysart married Dixon Adams.
    2. Thomas Dysart married Elizabeth Beatty.
  1. John Beattie Dysart b.11-10-1780 d.xxxx.
  2. Frances 'Fanny' Dysart b.3-23-1785 d.2-27-1831 married John W. Cowan b.12-4-1783 d.6-3-1860. They had 9 children:
    1. Ellen Cowan.
    2. James D. Cowan b.6-24-1810 d.1-23-1890 married Nancy O. Newell b.1816 d.4-13-1878. They had 7 children:
        • Samuel Newell Cowan b.12-1-1841 d.10-25-1924 married Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Lanier b.7-10-1848 d.3-21-1907. They had 5 children:
          • Addie L. Cowan married John Murphy.
          • Lulu Lee Cowan married Frank Nelson.
          • William F. Cowan.
          • Luke Allen Cowan.
          • Julian Lanier Cowan.
        • D. Franklin Cowan 'Doc' b.8-12-1843 d.9-11-1895 married Nancy B. 'Nannie' Hail b.2-15-1849 d.1940. He was in the Confederate Army, 6th Kentucky Calvary under General John Hunt Morgan. He was wounded and captured and spent the rest of the war at Camp Douglas, IL. In 1870 he went to the Gallatin Valley in Montana. In 1877 her returned to Kentucky, married Nancy and returned to Montana to raise their family. They had 8 children:
          • James W. Cowan b.11-29-1877 d.xxxx.
          • Frank L. 'Chub' Cowan b.5-6-1879 d.xxxx married Wilby (unknown).
          • Robert Benjamin Cowan b.1-13-1881 d.4-2-1962 married Lillian Lucille Strong b.6-10-1886 d.8-15-1961.
          • Lucy Frances Cowan b.6-6-1882 d.1934 married Jacob F. 'Yaght' Miller (1867-1937).
          • Claude Cowan married Benny (unknown).
          • Charlie Cowan.
          • Emma Cowan married Buck Krahn.
          • Catherine 'Kitty' Cowan b.xxxx d.c1919 married Ed Blodgett.
        • Rebecca F. Cowan b.c1847 d.xxxx.
        • William M. Cowan b.1849 d.xxxx married Louisa Gibson b.1-14-1854 d.1915. They had one child:
          • Alvin Montgomery Cowan b.2-28-1895 d.5-9-1974 married Beryl Purdom b.8-12-1897 d.12-1983.
        • Walter W. Cowan (1852-xxxx) married Fannie McCreary and they had 4 children.
          • Harry Cowan.
          • Edwin Cowan.
          • Mattie Cowan.
          • Helen Cowan.
        • Andrew J. Cowan b.5-1-1855 d.xxxx married Laura McCreary. They had 4 children:
          • Jefferson Cowan.
          • Minnie Cowan.
          • Rea Cowan.
          • Lora Cowan.
        • Eliza E. Cowan b.c1858 d.xxxx married Samuel Chestnut and had 5 Chestnuts.
          • Fannie Chestnut.
          • Frank Chestnut.
          • Ide Chestnut.
          • George Chestnut.
          • Bessie Chestnut.
    1. Pollyann Cowan b.12-24-1813 d.xxxx .
    2. Jackson Cowan b.1-12-1815 d.5-20-1895 married Penelope Saunders b.2-17-1826 d.7-2-1913. They had 5 children:
        • Martha F. Cowan b.9-23-1848 d.xxxx married J. P. Ingram and had one child:
          • J. Perry Ingram b.1-15-1872 d.xxxx.
        • George S. Cowan b.5-29-1850 d.xxxx married Lizzie J. Waddle.
          • Add Cowan b.11-11-1876 d.xxxx .
          • Suewillie Cowan b.6-24-1878 d.xxxx.
          • Eddie Cowan b.8-10-1883 d.xxxx .
          • Penelope Cowan b.2-15-1885 d.xxxx.
          • James Jackson Cowan b.1-15-1887 d.xxxx .
          • Thomas Brian Cowan b.4-20-1889 d.xxxx .
        • John Cowan b.12-22-1851 d.xxxx married Nannie J. Lee. They had 7 children:
          • Edward Cowan.
          • Penelope Cowan.
          • Thomas Cowan.
          • Robert Cowan.
          • Mark C. Cowan b.12-11-1882 d.4-19-1994 married Florence Kinney.
          • Nora Cowan.
          • Hazel Cowan.
        • Samuel B. Cowan b.10-20-1859 d.5-15-1862.
        • James F. Cowan b.10-8-1865 d.xxxx married Eva Parker. They had 5 children:
          • Zella Cowan b.4-20-1889 d.5-14-1955 married Mr. Howard.
          • Mattie Jackson Cowan b.2-7-1892 d.xxxx.
          • Allen Cowan b.8-28-1893 d.12-6-1943.
          • Guy Ingram Cowan b.7-20-1903 d.xxxx.
          • James Coy Cowan b.6-17-1906 d.10-31-1906.
    1. Nancy Cowan b.4-19-1817 d.10-4-1836.
    2. Eleanor Cowan b.8-24-1819 d.xxxx married Gid Hail.
    3. Caroline Cowan b.1-25-1822 d.3-29-1837.
    4. Samuel Dysart Cowan b.1-25-1825 d.9-25-1903 married Elizabeth Langford. They had 5 children:
        • Henry Cowan.
        • Clarence Cowan.
        • Ella Cowan.
        • Nan Cowan.
        • Frances Cowan.
    1. Frances Cowan b.12-14-1827 d.7-11-1844.
  1. Johnston 'John' Dysart b.2-22-1787 d.8-5-1826 married Polly 'Mary Ann' Cowan. They had 5 children:
    1. James Dysart b.12-21-1817 d.1-8-1895 married first Louisa Elvira Harris. They had 6 children:
        • Sarah Jane Dysart b.2-10-1845 d.9-24-1942 married Charles Scarlet Raffington.
        • Mary Helen Dysart b.9-28-1847 d.8-2-1922 married John F. Fogg.
        • Nancy Virginia Dysart b.3-25-1850 d.3-4-1936 married William Landon Thompson.
        • Elizabeth Joplin Dysart b.5-8-1852 d.5-30-1942 married Joseph E. Fogg.
        • Anne Eliza Dysart b.1-16-1856 d.7-8-1931.
        • Louisa A Marion Dysart b.5-8-1858 d.9-15-1945 married John Kit Jones and they had 2 children:
          • Gordon Fowler Jones b.5-30-1891 d.xxxx.
          • Morris Dysart Jones b.7-17-1894 d.xxxx married Mary Martin.

              James Dysart married secondly Kate Martin and they had 8 children.

            • Maud Dysart b.7-23-1864 d.4-9-1946 married ?? Grove.
            • Gertrude Dysart b.7-7-1866 d.xxxx married ?? Ewing.
            • Dora Dysart b.9-17-1868 d.11-23-1970 married Sterling Price Smith b.12-26-1889 d.xxxx. They had 4 children:
              • Romulus Culver Smith b.10-12-1890 d.6-3-1923.
              • Kate Dysart Smith b.5-16-1892 d.2-27-1979 married Pierre Raymond Mahaffey Sr.
              • Pose Nixon Smith b.7-18-1894 d.4-1971.
              • Todd 'Henry Foster' Smith b.4-4-1899 d.1988 married Elizabeth 'Betty' Miriam Taylor.
            • Emma Wyatt Dysart b.5-12-1870 d.~1983 married George B. Wilson Jr.
            • Julia Dysart b.10-16-1872 d.1-26-1952 married Rev. Eugene Bell.
            • Daisy Dysart b.9-23-1874 d.xxxx married Dr.William Wallace Shafer. They had 2 children:
              • William Wallace Shafer Jr.
              • Dorothy 'Dot' Shafer b.4-22-1907 d.3-1992 married Harry Lathrop Morris.
            • Samuel Cowan Dysart b.10-25-1876 d.xxxx.
            • James Dysart b.3-5-1879 d.xxxx.
        • Louisa A. Marion Dysart b.11-26-1819 d.1-19-1902 married William C. Carson b.11-15-1816 d.xxxx.
        • Andrew Dysart b.11-24-1821 d.4-6-1903.
        • Agnes Dysart b.10-3-1823 d.xxxx.
        • Samuel Dysart III b.12-3-1825 d.xxxx.
  1. Elizabeth Dysart b.12-11-1791 d.3-29-1879 married Charles Campbell Carson. They had 5 children:
    1. Nancy Carson b.1-17-1815 d.xxxx.
    2. William C. Carson b.11-15-1816 d.xxxx married Louisa A. Marion Dysart b.11-26-1819 d.1-19-1902.
    3. Eliza Ellen Carson.
    4. James Carson.
    5. Johnston Carson b.5-17-1822 d.xxxx.

Dysart Crest


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Original 8/18/97
Last updated 4/11/2007
Page by F. L. Preston