Lewis J. Green, Sr.
Lewis J. Green Sr. was born about (1710)1724 in Prince George County, Virginia. He died in October, 1784, in Blue Spring Road, near Glasgow, Kentucky (then Virginia). Lewis married Elizabeth Lauderdale, daughter of William Lauderdale, about 1750 in Culpepper County, Virginia. Elizabeth was born about 1730 in Augusta County, Virginia. She died about 1805.
At age 30, Lewis Green enlisted in Captain Robert McKenzie's Company from Dinwiddie County, Virginia at the rank of private. He fought in the French and Indian War and also served in the Revolutionary War in Virginia.
A story about Lewis Green, Sr. supposed to have been told by Daniel Boone:
Lewis and a brother-in-law, who resided near Blackmore's on the Clinch River about fifteen miles below Captain Gass's place, where Boone was sojourning, went out some considerable distance among the mountains to hunt. They selected a good hunting range, erected a cabin, and laid in some jerked bear meat.
One day when Green’s companion was on the chase, a large bear made his appearance near camp. Green shot and wounded the animal when it happened to be in a sort of sink-hole at the base of a hill. While circling to get above the bear, Green's feet slipped from under him, there being a slight snow upon the ground, and in spite of all his efforts to stop himself, Green partly slid and partly rolled down until he found himself in the sink-hole with the wounded bear. Enraged by its pain, the bear flew at poor Green and tore and mangled his body in a shocking manner, totally destroying one of his eyes. After gnawing his unresisting victim, the bear suddenly departed, leaving the unfortunate hunter in a helpless and deplorable condition, all exposed, with his clothing torn in tatters, to the severity of the season.
His comrade, at length returning, found and took him to camp. After awhile, thinking it impossible for Green to recover, his companion went out on pretense of hunting for fresh meat and unfeelingly abandoned poor Green to his fate, reporting in the settlements that he had been killed by a bear. Green’s little fire soon died away from his inability to provide fuel. Digging, with his knife, he made a hole or nest beside himself in the dirt floor of his cabin. He managed to reach some wild turkey feathers which had been saved, and with them lined the hole and made himself quite a comfortable bed. With the knife fastened to the end of a stick, he cut down, from time to time, bits of dried bear meat hanging over head, and upon this he sparingly subsisted.
Recovering slowly, he could at length manage to get about. When spring opened, a party went from Blackmore's settlement to bury Green's remains. With the brute of a brother-in-law for a guide; and to their utter astonishment, they met Green plodding his way towards home, and learned the sad story of his sufferings and desertion. The party was so indignant that they could scarcely refrain from laying violent hands on a wretch guilty of so much inhumanity to a helpless companion. Green though greatly disfigured lived many years.
Lewis and Elizabeth had 11 children, the oldest being Lewis J. Green, Jr.
Lewis J. Green, Jr.
Lewis was born on May 5, 1751 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. He died June 10, 1853, in Harlan County, Kentucky and was buried in Kirby Cemetery, Bell County, Kentucky.
Lewis married Esther Kilgore, daughter of Robert Kilgore Sr. and Winifred Clayton, about 1780 in Washington County, Virginia. Esther was born about 1762 in Russell County, Virginia. She died about 1825 in Harlan County, Kentucky and was buried in Kirby Cemetery, Callaway, Bell County, Kentucky.
Lewis, Jr. was a Revolutionary War Veteran from Virginia. He was one of the first settlers on the Cumberland River, living in what is now Calloway, Bell County, Kentucky. He was buried at what used to be Old Meeting House Branch, now Callaway. During US119 construction in 1960, his grave was relocated on land that belonged to John Matt Pursiful, just outside of the private cemetery known as Newt Creek Cemetery. He had been in Kentucky with some of Daniel Boone's scouting parties, and returned there as a surveyor. He acquired the property from the top of Pine Mountain to the Cumberland River. Tan Yard Hill was part of his property and got its name from the tanning vats used in curing animal skins. He was an Indian spy and Scout.
"DECLARATION
In order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress of the 7th of June 1832-State of Kentucky, county of Harlan, on this 4th of November 1833, personally appeared before the undersigned and acting Justice of the Peace for Harlan County, Lewis Green a resident of the Cumberland River; in the County of Harlan, and the State of Kentucky, age 82 years the 5th of May last, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make this following declaration, in order to benefit of the promissory made by the act of Congress..June 7, 1832, that I enlisted in the spring of 1776, as well as I remember, in the county of Russell and state of Virginia on the Clinch River, about nine miles from the county seat, for and during the Revolutionary War, under John Blakeman, William Moore; Lieutenant Joseph Moore; brother of William Ensign, Isaac Shelby.
I was forted at Blakeman's Fort on the Clinch River. Afterwards I was forted at Duncan's Fort also, about ten miles higher up on the Clinch River.
Our constant business was to guard the frontier from the Indians. I can give no distinct history of my service for it was one continual employment from these forts to scout the surrounding country, and spy out the hiding places of the Indians, and keep them from annoying the frontier settlement. I served seven years, and was discharged when the war was over, which was in 1783.
I have no record of my age as I have lost my discharge. I need a written discharge for my services in the Revolutionary War, signed by Shelby.
I never was in a general battle, but many of the times, when in the discharge of my duties as a spy in reconnorting the surrounding country, that my fellow soldiers, when least expecting it, fell by my side.
I do not know of any soldiers by whom I could prove my service. If Congress had passed this law a few years earlier, I could have found witnesses aplenty, but now, if any with whom I served are living, it is unknown to me.
After my enlistment, I served under different captains, but I remember none other than Shelby.
I was living in Russell County, Virginia when I enlisted in the Revolutionary War.
I am known to Rev. James Hall, Jacob Saylor, Parker Howard, William Howard, and many others who would testify to my character for veracity and their belief of my services as a soldier of the Revolutionary War.
I hereby relinquish my claim to a pension or assuming accept the payment, and declare that my name is not on the pension roll or agency of any state --- I further declare that from old age and bodily infirmity, I am not able to travel to the court house, a distance of seventeen miles, from where I live.
Sworn to and submitted the day and year aforesaid. (Signed) Lewis Green”
“We James Hall a clergyman residing in Harlan County, Kentucky, about two miles from the above applicant and William D. Green, residing in the same county and state hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Lewis Green, having known him twenty-one years, who has submitted and sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be eighty two years of age-that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides; to have been a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and that we concede in that opinion.
Signed and sworn to this day and year above written before.
James Hall
William D. Green
And I do hereby declare my opinion, that after the investigation of the matter and after putting this interrogation prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary War soldier, and served as he states, and that from bodily infirmity, he is unable to attend court, being a distance of seventeen miles--and further certify that James Hall who has signed the foregoing certificate is a clergyman of my own knowledge, and that he together with William Green (Article ends)"
Lewis and Esther had ten children, our ancestor was the ninth, Lewis Green III.
Lewis was born on April 3, 1803 in Knox County, Kentucky and died before 1880 in Bell County, Kentucky. Lewis married Telitha Letitia “Letty” Arnett, daughter of Elias Arnett and Elizabeth Miles, on January 26, 1826, in Harlan County. Telitha was born in 1806 in Kentucky. She died after 1880 in Bell County. Telitha is listed as 75 in the 1880 Bell County census, living with son, Daniel, my great grandfather.
Lewis and Telitha had twelve children; Barnett ca.1828, Elizabeth ca. 1832, Robert ca. 1834, William P. ca.1836, Elias ca. 1839, Wilkinson ca. 1842, Malinda ca.1844, Daniel ca. 1856, Lavena Green ca 1849, and Esther ca. 1853. Daniel, the tenth child, is our ancestor.
Daniel Green
Daniel was born about 1846 in Harlan County, Kentucky. He married Caroline Hoskins, daughter of James B. Hoskins and Nancy Catherine Green on September 12, 1867, in Harlan County. Caroline was born in 1845 in Harlan County. (Daniel’s mother-in-law, Nancy Catherine Green, was also his cousin.)
Daniel and Caroline had five children, Sara, born about 1867, John, born about 1870, James, born about 1873, Lewis, born about 1875, and Talitha Cecil, born February 2, 1879.
Telitha Cecile married James Henderson Bobbitt.
Their daughter was Pauline Bobbitt Hansen, my mother.
The lineage of Arlene Hansen...
William Bobbitt & Joanna Sturdivant - VA
William Bobbitt & Mary Green - VA
James Bobbitt & Elizabeth Dalton Bennett - VA
Captain William Bobbitt & Elizabeth McKenzie - VA
James Levi Bobbitt & Rebecca Day - VA to KY
James L. Bobbitt Jr. & Jane Hubble - Pulaski Co KY
William Levi Bobbitt & Alice Jane McHargue - Pulaski Co KY
James Henderson Bobbitt & Talitha Cecil Greene - Pulaski Co KY
Alice Pauline Bobbitt & Richard Hansen - Weston Co WY
Arlene Hansen (me)