Our Guest lineage is likely English. Some claim it is Dutch based on an inference that Van Guyest was the earliest form of the name. Both are possible with a Van Guyest immigrant to England somewhere in our history. Another common spelling variation of the name is Guess. [1]
I can only prove my GUEST [2] lineage to the Revolutionary War soldier Captain Moses Guest. He was my mother's Patriot ancestor for her entry into the D.A.R.
I found records compiled by several different researchers [3] over the years but the parents of Moses are still not confirmed. According to Bill L. Guest and Alta Louise Biggs Martin, who both did extensive research on our Guest line, Moses was the son of William Guest and Susannah (lnu) and he was born in Prince William County, VA on January 5, 1750. His family later moved to Rowan County (now Wilkes), NC in 1769. He was a soldier from Wilkes County during the Revolutionary War and his war service is confirmed on his pension application as well as the pension application of his brother William as well as pay vouchers. At this time, I have not detailed the records for any of Moses' brothers here due to time constraints but I have included links at the bottom of this page where you can download the research of Ms. Martin and Mr. Guest. To my knowledge, the graves of his parents and his brothers have not been located.
Our Guest family may be related to the Gist family that were the first settlers of the Yadkin River area of NC in 1760. In the Land of Wilkes book by Johnson Hayes (1962), there is information about Christopher Gist who was the first white European settler. [4] According to Hayes, Christopher's grandfather was also named Christopher who was the son of Richard Gist who laid out the town of Baltimore, MD. Also, according to Hayes, the grandson Christopher "piloted" George Washington to the French Forts on Lake Erie and he also showed Daniel Boone the way to Kentucky. Grandson Christopher Gist had a son named Nathaniel Gist who is said to have fathered the famous Indian named Sequoyah by an Indian woman named Wurtech who was a sister of the great Indian Chiefs Old Tassel and Doublehead.
In this same book, our ancestor Moses Guest and his likely father William are listed in the Minute Book of Wilkes County for 1776 to lay a road from "Robert Patrick's to Warrior Gap". Hayes states that Moses and the rest of the jurors listed all lived on the Yadkin River above the mouth of Lewis Fork. (Note: Today, this appears to be the mountainous region SE of Boone, north of Lenoir and west of Wilkesboro.) Moses is also listed as tax assessor in 1777. Moses is living in Captain Elijah Isaac's District. Elijah Isaac is a famous North Carolinian. He not only was a Revolutionary War soldier, he supposedly built Fort Defiance.[5] Fort Defiance is a definitive landmark located in the same area as Lewis Fork. It is located near Highway 268 just NE of Lenior. Another famous North Carolinian on this list is the Revolutionary War soldier Benjamin Cleveland - he is a Captain at this time. Moses served with Benjamin for much of his Revolutionary War service, most notably at the Battle of Kings Mountain. Benjamin Cleveland, Moses Guest and William Guest can all be found living in Pendleton District, SC by the time the 1790 census was taken.
I found a Surry County, NC document dated 1776 where Moses Guest is shown as the Deputy Sheriff in charge of the estate sale of David Barton.[6] Buyers included William and Moses Guest, James Blair and Elijah Isaacs. Note that Wilkes County was created from Surry County was created in 1771 from a part of Wilkes County. An Elijah Isaacs also made his way to Pendleton District, SC and Franklin County, Georgia - his 1799 Will can be found in the Anderson County, SC records. This Elijah Isaacs may be the same man as Col. Elijah Isaacs who was in the Wilkes County Militia. In the pension files of Moses' brother William, William's widow claimed to have been married in the house of John Keese (Keyes?) by John Barton (Esq., and lawful Magistrate). Note that John Keyes and John Barton were also soldiers in the Wilkes County Militia and there was a John Barton whose land adjoined Moses' land in Pendleton District, SC and Franklin County, GA (See land plats below) who might be related. We also know that Moses married the sister of James Blair and James also can be found living in Pendleton District, SC, Franklin County, GA and Habersham County, GA. Click here for more on James Blair.
According to Ms. Martin, Moses' parents moved to Pendleton District, SC where they died in the late 1700s. In the book, Traditions and History of Anderson County, SC by Louise Vandiver, William (Moses' father) settled on land near Big Beaverdam and the Tugaloo River acquiring almost 900 acres of land in 1787. It is more likely that the parents followed their sons who were awarded land for their Revolutionary War service.
Moses later moved across the Tugaloo River to Franklin County, Georgia as did two of his brothers. At some point he lived along Leatherwood Creek which is where his grave is located along with several of his family members. In addition to being a large landowner, Moses was the Sheriff and a Justice of the Peace for Franklin County, GA.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR SERVICE
Moses' records can be found in several places: GA, NC and SC State Archives, Fold3.com, Ancestry.com and Familysearch.com. Also, a Google or Bing search will return numerous "hits".
Moses had a very distinguished service record, most notably he was Captain of Horse at the Battle of Kings Mountain. He served with Colonel Benjamin Cleveland and most likely it was his friendship and history as a fellow soldier with Benjamin that brought him to Pendleton District after the war.
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NC Pay Voucher 1781
"This may certify that by the upper Board of Auditors for the District of Salisbury, Capt. Moses Guest was allowed Three hundred & fifty pounds seventeen shillings specia for services done by him & Company of horse - Militia of Wilkes Regiment. Which he is to receive agreeable to an act of assembly passed at Wake in June 1781"
(Familysearch.org)
NC Pay Voucher 1781
"This certifies, that by the Upper board of auditors for Salisbury district, Moses Guest was allowed one pound specie, agreeable to Act of Assembly passed at Wake? in June 1781"
(Familysearch.org)
(Note that he was a Captain earlier so he likely resigned and then was reappointed)
NC Pay Voucher 1781-1782
"This may certify that by the upper Board of Auditors for the District of Salisbury Capt. Moses Guest was allowed ninety two pounds specia for services done by him & Company of Horse Militia of Wilkes County Regiment agreeable to an act of assembly passed at Wake in June 1781"
(Familysearch.org)
NC Pay Voucher 1786
"101 pounds, 10 shillings and 9 pence? and 452 pounds, 7 shillings and 9 pence? Presented on the 30th day of September 1791 on loan to the United States and since Rejected." "Captain Moses Guest, Indent, 350 pounds, 17 shillings?"
(Familysearch.org)
The amount of money Moses received is very interesting since it is such a large sum. I looked up the vouchers for Col. Benjamin Cleveland and I did not find amounts remotely close to this for him but the pay records may not be complete or accurate. [7]
Note the name Alexander Erwin that signed several of these vouchers. Alexander Erwin was from Bucks County, PA and he moved to NC with his parents shortly before the American Revolution. He was a Lieutenant under Capt. David Vance and he was a participant at the Kings Mountain battle. His hatred of Tories is legendary.
Note that Moses is clearly shown as a Captain on all of these vouchers. We know that he was a key participant at the Battle of Kings Mountain and the transcribed copy of his pension application (reproduced below) indicates that he was the only Captain of Horse at that Battle. Note that from what I have read, the Kings Mountain Battle was more of a mountainous guerilla battle where most men were on foot and horses were not used like they normally would have been used in a battle/skirmish of this era (like Camden, Cowpens, etc.). However, a Captain was an officer and a Captain of Horse was an even higher stature officer during these times. He would have possessed very strong leadership and he would have been fearless - A true warrior. His total pay of over 3000 pounds (US$750,000 today) in 1779 was an indication of his key role in the American Revolution.[7]
The Wilkes County Regiment of Militia was commanded by Col. Benjamin Cleveland, Col. Elijah Isaacs and Col. Benjamin Herndon. This unit is known to have participated in almost all of the major battles in South and North Carolina and Georgia including Stono, Siege of Savannah, Siege of Charleston, Ramseur's, Camden, Fishing Creek, Musgrove's, Kings Mountain, Cowpens, Cowan's Ford, Haw River, Guilford Court House, Siege of Ninety Six and Eutaw, among others. It is not known if Moses participated in all of these battles but given the amount of money and land that he received, he most likely was a key participant in most of these battles. Among the other soldiers whose names are of interest that were a part of this unit were Larkin Cleveland, John Barton, David Witherspoon, John Stonecypher, Godfrey Isbell, Pendleton Isbell, Absalom Cleveland, John Cleveland, Robert Cleveland, William Cleveland, Benjamin Guest and William Guest. Famous North Carolinians of this unit include Major John Brevard (probably the son of John Brevard II ), Major William Lenoir, and Col. Benjamin Herndon.
I have copied a transcription of his pension application (W11072) done by Will Graves of www.revwarapps.org below. One should also view the pension applications of fellow Patriot soldiers John Stonecypher (S16539) and Moses' younger brothers Benjamin (S32283) and William (W21239).
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On this third day of
September in the year 1832 personally appeared before the Inferior Court of
the County and State aforesaid for ordinary purposes, Captain Moses Guest, a
resident of Captain Mangrum's District of the County and State aforesaid,
aged Eighty one years, who being duly sworn according to law doth on his oath
make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of
Congress passed June 7, 1832. Was commissioned as a Captain
of the North Carolina Militia by the Governor of that State on or about the
year 1775. And served a tour of more than two months against the Cherokee
Indians under Colonel Armstrong and General Rutherford [Griffith Rutherford].
After he was marched as Captain of a Horse Company under Colonel Cleveland [Benjamin
Cleveland] to Ramsour's Mill [June 20, 1780] but arrived too late for the
Battle. From Ramsour's was marched home to Wilkes County. Was marched from Wilkes under
Colonel Cleveland through Burke to Rutherford and by the Cowpens after the
Tories & met them at King's Mountain [October 7, 1780] where we defeated
them. He was the only commander of the Horse at that battle. After the battle
of King's Mountain [he] was sent as a Guard with about 700 prisoners to
Moravian town North Carolina. From thence was marched home to Wilkes.
Afterwards he was continually out with his Minute Men, on scouting parties
against the British & Tories until nearly the End of the War. In the Battle of King's
Mountain he commanded a Horse Company of about 50 men & was in command of
a Horse Company immediately after the Indian campaign first above recital
[sic] until just before the close of the War when he was again put in command
of a Foot Company. Was in service during the
whole War, and does not think he had one year's rest during the War. 1. Was born in January 1750 in Faquher [Fauquier]
County Virginia. 2. His father had a record of his age, but does not
know where it is now in the family or destroyed. 3. When he entered the service he lived in Wilkes
County North Carolina, removed from there to Pendleton South Carolina about
45 years since, & about 32 years since he removed to his present
residence. 4. Does not recollect the names of Continental
officers other than those mentioned above & Colonels Shelby [Isaac Shelby],
Sevier [John Sevier], Campbell [William Campbell], Williams [James Williams]
& Cleveland at King's Mountain. 5. He had three commissions as Captain of different
dates. Thinks Governor Martin signed one of them, the others does not
recollect. He can procure the last one, but it is dated just before the close
of the War. 6. Is known to Thompson Epperson1 &
Henry Parks2 who saw him and knew him in the service & also John
Stonecypher.3 He is also known to Dozier Thornton a preacher of the
Gospel all of whom will testify to his character and veracity & to their
knowledge and belief of his having been a Captain in the revolutionary war. He hereby relinquishes every
claim whatever to a pension except the present, and declares that his name is
not on the Pension roll of any agency of any State within his knowledge or
belief. Sworn to and subscribed in
open court the day and year first above written. S/ Thomas King, clerk S/ Moses Guest [Dozier Thornton, a
clergyman, gave the standard supporting affidavit.] We Thompson Epposon, Henry
Parks and John Stonecypher & William Glover4 residing in the
County and State first aforesaid Hereby certify that we are well acquainted
with Moses Guest who has subscribed and sworn to the above Declaration That
we believe him to be 81 years of age and that we saw him & knew him
acting as a Captain in the Militia of North Carolina in the Service of the
United States in the Revolutionary War. Test: S/ Thos. King, Clk S/
William Glover, X his mark S/ Henry Parks S/ Thompson Epposon, X his
mark S/ John Stonecypher, X his
mark State of Georgia, County of
Franklin On this 6th day
of May 1833 personally appeared before the Inferior Court for the County and
State aforesaid now sitting for ordinary purposes Moses Guest who has
heretofore subscribed and sworn to the original Declaration to which this is
attached & who being duly sworn according to law – on his oath makes the
following addition & amendment to said Declaration. “That by reason of old age
and the Consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively as to the
precise length of his service but according to the best of his recollection
he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following
grades, For two months he served under
Colonel Armstrong as a Captain against the Cherokee Indians in 1775. In 1776 – 77 – 78 -- &
1779 he served twenty-two months as a Captain under Colonel Cleveland. In June 1780 until December,
same year he served as a Captain under Colonel Cleveland five months. In November 1780 he was
ordered as Captain by Colonel Cleveland, to march with his minute men
whenever he heard of Tories in any direction and he did serve as Captain in
this duty, actively engaged until the end of the War (without more rest than
2 months including all the rest days) and served on this duty as Captain 10
months. His service and '76 – '77 –
'78 & '79 was against the Tories in different parts of North Carolina; He
served as a Commissioned Regular Captain 3 years altogether he is certain
& was regularly ordered out by Competent authority, and for that time was
not employed in any civil pursuit. His commissions are all lost except the
last one, which was received after the War & under which he did not
serve. Can prove his service as Captain by Thompson Epperson, & Henry
Parks & for such service I claim a pension.[”] Sworn to and Subscribed in
open Court the day and year first above written. S/ Thos. King, CCC S/ Moses
Guest We Thompson Epperson and
Henry Parks do further Certify that we knew the above named Moses Guest as a
Captain in the Revolutionary War and believe he was a Regularly Commissioned
officer, and he was treated and acknowledged as such by Colonel Campbell and
Colonel Shelby & Colonel Sevier & all the other officers in the Army,
And said Epperson knew him to serve as Captain for 6 months, and heard of his
being so much & serving for 2 or 3 years during the War as such H. Parks
only new that he served one tour of his own knowledge. Sworn to & subscribed in
open Court the day and year first above S/ Thos. King, CCC S/
Thompson Epperson, X his mark S/ Henry Parks State of Georgia, Franklin County Personally appeared before me
the undersigned an Acting Justice of the Peace in and for said County Moses
Guest, to whose original & amended Declaration this is attached and who
being sworn sayeth That he has stated in said amendment his several services
as fully as he can from Memory except that from papers since discovered he
served as Captain but does not recollect whether he had a commission or not
in writing, But he knows he was fully authorized to Act as such in 1777 he
held and Ensign's Commission in the Infantry but does not recollect that he
served under it, he held at the time a Captain's Commission which is lost or
so misplaced that he cannot possibly obtain it. He has written to the
Secretary of State in North Carolina to find if his name is not enrolled
there & if any proof is obtained will afford it herewith. He also
forwards the affidavit of Colonel Blair late a Senator from the adjoining
County of Habersham & also annexes an additional List of Light Horsemen
who were under his command in the War, also his Ensign's Commission & a
Captain's commission dated in January 1782 for a Captain of a Foot Company
which was at home & not in Service. He further states that both the
Ensign's & Captain's Commissions annexed were for Foot Companies, while
the Commission he has lost and the service he performed was in a Horse
Company. Sworn to and subscribed
before made this 11th day of September 1833. S/ Christopher Addison, JP S/ Moses Guest State of Georgia, County of
Franklin Personally
appeared before the undersigned and Acting Justice of the Peace in and for
the County Colonel James Blair5 of Habersham County in the State
aforesaid, who being duly sworn deposeth and saith that he has been well
acquainted with the aforesaid Moses Guest for about 60 years. That deponent
knew said Guest in the Revolutionary War at several different periods of the
war, when he was always acting as a Captain of Horse and was obeyed and
respected as such. Deponent saw said Guest presiding as Captain upon Courts
Martial and Courts of Inquiry, both before and after the Battle of King's
Mountain in which battle Deponent was & so was Guest Commanding his Horse
Company Deponent further saith upon looking over the annexed list of Captain
Guest's Troops at King's Mountain, that he knew all the Men named as
belonging to Captain Guest's Company in the first column of said List except
John Snody and that they were serving at that battle under Guest. Deponent
saith that Guest was then and is now a very Respectable and truthful Man and
he is as certain as he can be of any thing that he must have held a Regular
Captains Commission at the time he states. Sworn to & Subscribed before
me this 11 th day of
September 1833. S/ James Blair S/ C. Addison,
JP [On
March 23 1853, in Lumpkin County Georgia, Eleanor Guest, 64, filed for a
widows pension stating that she was the widow of Moses Guest a pensioner of
the United States at the rate of $280 per annum; that she married him on May
8, 1829; and that he died October 1 1838. She signed her application with her
mark.] [facts in
file: Eleanor's maiden name was Eleanor York; they married in Franklin
County, Ga.; veteran's first wife (not named) died in 1827; Eleanor died May
24, 1866 in Dawson County, Ga.; veteran had several children by his first
wife, but the only one named in the file is Sandford Guest who lived in
Flintsville, Franklin County, Ga. in 1857; veteran and Eleanor York Guest had
only one child, Joseph, born Sept. 1 or 3, 1830.] State of
Georgia, Franklin County Personally appeared
before me Alfred E. Whitten one of the Justices of the Inferior Court of said
County, William Guest – a resident of Pickens District, in the State of South
Carolina, who has heretofore made an affidavit and the amended Declaration of
Captain Moses Guest of Franklin County Georgia for a pension under the Act of
Congress of the 7th of June 1832 – the amendment dated the 8th November 1833
who being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, in addition to what he then stated,
that, he served under Captain Moses Guest all the tours of duty as set forth
in his said amended Declaration, except, the first Tour when he served as
Ensign, and from January 1781 until June 1781 – when he deponent was nursing
a wounded soldier, and knows that the statement of Captain Moses Guest, is
correct, he deponent was one of his Company at the battle of King's Mountain,
and that the names of the first part of the role of the company attached to
the said Declaration, are the names of the same men that actually did belong
to said Company at the said Battle of Kings Mountain, and the said Moses
Guest did command said company during said Battle, and this deponent further
states that he always understood from the said Moses Guest that he had a
commission, and carried it with him, fastened to a string around his neck, so
that the commission could be in his bosom, & safe at all times, And this
deponent further states that the said Moses Guest was in actual service in
the Army of the United States – except the 2 or 3 months this deponent was
absent from the Company, and during the balance of the time, the said Moses
Guest was either in the field or in garrisoning, as stated in his said
Amended Declaration, and was not employed in any Civil pursuit – Sworn to and
Subscribed this 31st day of October 1834 before. S/ A. Whitten,
JIC S/ William Guest, X his mark Georgia,
Franklin County Personally appeared before me
A. E. Whitten one of the Justices of the Inferior Court of Law, Captain
Thompson Epperson who being duly sworn deposeth and saith that he has been
well acquainted with Captain Moses Guest, and that time, and ever since the
Revolutionary War, he was one of Captain Guest's Company at the Battle of
Kings Mountain, which was a company of Horse, & upon looking over the
annexed list of Captain Guest's Troops at King's Mountain, that he knew all
the men named to belonged to Captain Guest's Company, in the first column of
said list annexed, Deponent further states that he served under Captain Guest
for 6 months, & was with him at Ramsour's Mill, Deponent saw said Guest
presiding at Courts Martial and Courts of Inquiry. He never saw said Guest's
Commission, but always understood that he was a commissioned officer – and
knows that he was respected & obeyed as such, and was a very brave and
truthful man – and believes that Captain Guest performed all the service as
stated in his last amended declaration. Sworn to and subscribed
before me the 3rd day of November 1834 S/ A. E. Whitten, JIC S/
Thompson Epperson, X his mark NC
Comptroller's certificates of payments to Moses Guest. Captain's commission
signed by Gov. Alex. Martin dated Jan. 25, 1782 Ensign's commission
signed by Gov. R. Caswell, dated Augt. 6, 1777 [Veteran was initially pensioned at the rate of $280 per annum later increased to $385 per annum for his service as an Ensign & Captain of Infantry & cavalry in the North Carolina service. His widow was pensioned in a like amount.] |
Of the numerous names of interest on his pension application, the name James Blair is the most important to the descendants of Moses because James Blair's sister Mary became the wife of Moses and mothered most of his children.
LAND
At the time of his death, it appears that Moses lived along Leatherwood Creek in Franklin County, Georgia. His grave is located on this property or on property that he formerly owned but was owned by his children when he died. At some point, he also owned land farther north along the Tugaloo and land in Pendleton District of South Carolina. Some of this land was awarded to him for his Revolutionary War service.
On November 7, 1785, the Franklin County, Georgia surveyor (John Gorham) was given orders to lay out 200 acres of land to Moses and on July 16, 1787, the land was officially granted along the Tugaloo River in Franklin County, Georgia. John and Benjamin Barton are adjoining landowners.
I found another 200 acre plat along the Tugaloo that appears to be different than the land granted to Moses in 1787. This plat also has Benjamin and John Barton as adjoining landowners but it appears that he purchased the land from Larkin Cleveland - Captain Larkin Cleveland [8], the nephew of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland.
It is possible that Moses' land spanned both sides of the Tugaloo River: 200 acres in Georgia and 200 in South Carolina. Due to the creation of Lake Hartwell in the 1960s, it is probably not currently possible to determine where these plats were located but I suspect they were just south of present day Highway 123 near Benjamin Cleveland's lands along the Tugaloo. The Currahee Golf Club may be located near these plats.
I also found a plat for 200 acres along the Keowee River in South Carolina.
On one of my visits to Franklin County, I was told that the old house that is almost directly across Highway 106 from Moses' grave, is known as the Guest house. When the house was built and its history is not known to me. I have seen late model cars in the yard at various times over the years so it appears to have been recently occupied.
Lastly, while on the land grants, we also have a Franklin County headright grant to a Sarah Guest dated May of 1785 signed by Larkin Cleveland - who is this Sarah? Is she the widow of Moses' father?
FAMILY AND DESCENDANTS
Moses Guest was married twice and fathered at least 17 children. His first wife was Mary Blair, the sister of Colonel James Blair - neighbors in Wilkes County, NC and fellow Revolutionary War soldiers. Moses had several children with Mary. Mary died in 1827 and Moses appears to have cohabitated with Eleanor/Eleandor York and possibly had illegitimate children with him. She claimed to have been his wife and received his pension. In 1857, Moses' son Sandford (my line) filed an affidavit describing this history. The affidavit is hard to read but it appears that Sandford is challenging the pension payments to her based on his opinion that the payments should flow to Moses' legitimate children since Moses and Eleandor were never married and she treated him badly and left him helpless in his old age.
Moses can be found on the 1790 & 1800 censuses for Pendleton District, SC. He then can be found on numerous Franklin County GA Tax Digests up to the time of his death in 1837. Censuses and Tax Digests can be found on Ancestry.com and familysearch.org so I will not duplicate all of these readily available documents. On the 1790 census, notice that he is shown living near David Guest, William Guest, John Cleveland, Godfrey Isbell and Thomas Harrison - names discussed elsewhere in this blog. This Thomas Harrison is likely another maternal ancestor. (Captain) Godfrey Isbell was a Revolutionary War soldier who also fought at Kings Mountain. His brother was (Captain) Pendleton Isbell who was in George Washington's elite "Life Guards" (my paternal ancestor Shadrach Pinkston served in the same Life Guard's unit as Pendleton). Pendleton is shown living close to Moses on the 1800 census for Pendleton District. This John Cleveland may have been the brother or son of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland.
There is a record dated November 20, 1796, where Moses sold a part of his land in Pendleton District to a David Humphries. This land was part of the tract noted above that was granted to him by the Governor of Georgia. This document lists this land being bordered by a Samuel Guest and the document was witnessed by Richard Hooper and Morgan Guest. Note that this Richard Hooper was a Revolutionary War soldier (Sgt.) and he was the 3rd husband of Adenia Mayson - daughter of Colonel James Mayson. Richard Hooper's brother James Hooper, who was also a Revolutionary War soldier and he is buried in a present day suburb of Atlanta (Sandy Springs). I have not researched Samuel Guest but he likely is the son of Moses' brothers William or Benjamin; Or, it could be a transcription error in the spelling of Moses' son Sanford on the original document.
1800 Census, Pendleton District, SCThe early censuses for Georgia are destroyed so we have to rely on the tax digests and Moses is shown on the various 1803-1837 tax digests for Franklin County, GA. I have not studied all of these tax digests so he may have owned land in more than one location. It is safe to assume that he moved across the Tugaloo River from Pendleton District, SC into Franklin County, Georgia about 1803.
- An 1802 tax digest indicates that he was a non-resident and he paid a poll for 285 acres on "Tugaloo and Leatherwood" with Echols and Barton as adjoining landowners.
- On an 1803 tax digest, he is shown paying tax on 180 acres on Leatherwood Creek.
- On a 1807 tax digest, Captain Purcell's District, he is shown paying a tax for 220 acres on Leatherwood Creek with "R. Crump" as an adjoining property owner.
- An 1819 tax digest shows the same land as 1807, same district, same adjacent landowner last name.
- An 1820 tax digest shows tax paid for 420 acres on Leatherwood Creek
. - An 1827 tax digest shows "no poll" for 20 acres on Leatherwood Creek
- There are several tax digests for a Moses Guest in the 1830s but it is difficult to determine if they are for Moses Sr or Moses Jr. He is referred to as Moses Sr on several tax polls so there might have been a Moses Jr. I suspect that he sold most of his land or gave it to his children in the late 1820s. By 1830 he was already 80 years old so he might have not had a need for a large amount of land.
The Bible of Moses Guest was held by the Georgia Archives for a period of time but I contacted them and all they have now is a microfilm copy. The Bible may be in the possession of the descendants of Luther Burton Guest of Athens, Georgia. This Bible lists all of the children of Moses. The microfilm copy is extremely difficult to read (mostly illegible). About 17-18 names are listed. Among the names that are legible are the following: Bethel, Sandford, Christopher, Clark, Mary Ann, Colbert, William, Mary Catherine, James and Warren. The naming of one of his grandsons "Christopher" is of interest: See Wilkes County history above where Christopher Gist was one of the earliest settlers of the area that is now Wilkes County, NC.
Since we have no Will for Moses or his wife, we do have the Bible record above and of course we have a lot of family associations that we can use for inferring many of the children not listed in the Bible. I have compiled a partial descendant chart below for Moses Guest and Mary Blair through their son Sandford/Sanford Guest (my ancestor).
SANFORD GUEST
My line is through his son Sanford Guest who left a Will in 1878. His Will did not name all of his children but there are several estate documents that can be used to infer the rest of his children. His Will specifically mentions a wife named Caroline so it is likely that he remarried following the death of his first wife Elizabeth Addison in 1860. According to Ms. Martin, the maiden name of his 2nd wife was Kelly, and they were married on May 19, 1864.
Sandford Guest's Will & Estate
Wife-Caroline Kelly
- Susannah Purcell, wife of William O. Purcell (from Will)
- Daughter Elizabeth and husband (from Will)
- Son Morgan Guest (from Will)
- Daughter Anne/Anna Verner (estate docs)
- Son Posey Guest (estate docs)
- Son John Guest (estate docs)
- Daughter Elizabeth Guest (minor) (estate docs)
- Daughter Mary Ayers (estate docs)
- Daughter Cynthia Keeling (estate docs)
- Unnamed child that possibly married a Mize (estate docs)
- Unnamed child that possibly married a Tucker (estate docs)
Other researchers claim the children of Sandford are as follows:
- Sandford, married Frances Stone
- Anna/Anne/Annie, married George Edwin Verner
- Cynthia
- Lucy
- Morgan
- James
- Amanda "Polly"
- Posey
- Wilburn
- Floyd
- Susan
Since my ancestor, Anne Guest Verner, is listed in his Will, I have not done any in depth research to reconcile the other children of Sanford/Sandford due to limitations of time available.
The 1835 Tax Digest for Franklin County, GA that lists Sanford Guest shows several interesting names including the notation of Leatherwood Creek:
- Robert Crump, son of Robert Green Crump, was the father of Richard Lane Crump whose daughter married Samuel Miller. Samuel Miller was the great-grandson of Colonel James Mayson of Revolutionary War fame. The Guest line is my maternal grandfather's ancestry; The Crump line is my maternal grandmother's ancestry. Sanford was one of the appraisers for the estate of James Miller, father of Samuel and husband of Adenia Mayson.
- George Verner, married Sandford's daughter Anne/Annie Guest who married George Edwin Verner.
- Robert Verner, father of George Verner.
- Benjamin Guest, probably the brother of Moses or a nephew of Moses.
Although he likely was too old to be a soldier, Sanford signed the Reconstruction Oaths in 1867.
OTHER GUESTS OF NOTE
The Hollywood actor, Deforest Kelley, is a descendant of Moses Guest. His great-grandmother was Harriett Guest who is probably [9] the daughter of Moses' son Colbert Guest. Deforest was born in the Mize Community of Franklin County, Georgia. Deforest's father was the Baptist minister Rev. Ernest David Kelley (1883-1966). The small New Hope Baptist church cemetery where many of his ancestors are buried is only about 1 mile from Sunshine Methodist Church (where many of my ancestors are buried). There were numerous marriages in his family between Kelleys and Paynes, Ayers, Vandivers and Mizes. Interestingly, Deforest later lived in Decatur, Georgia and went to Decatur Boy's High (now Decatur High School). Decatur is where my mother and father decided to raise their family and all of us kids went to Decatur High School. I do not recall my grandmother talking about the Kelley family like she did about the Guests, Crumps, Cashes, Ayers and Mizes but I am sure that she knew the family well since they all lived within a few miles of one another. And of course, when I was in high school we all knew that Deforest Kelly was from Decatur due to the popularity of the Star Trek tv show.
There is a musical band from Texas named MOSES GUEST. Some of the men who formed this band are descendants of Moses. One of founding members attended one of the graveside ceremonies held for Moses in Franklin County as a boy and he remembered the name and thought it would be a great name for his band. His family left Franklin County in the 1950s and moved to Texas.
There was also a Captain Moses Guest from New Brunswick, New Jersey that also fought in the American Revolution with decorated service. His father was Henry Guest. Henry is said to have been friends with Thomas Paine and John Adams. Henry's home is still standing and is owned by the city of New Brunswick. It appears that Henry Guest owned most of the land that makes up the present day downtown area of the city of New Brunswick. The home was captured by the British during the American Revolution who were using it as a headquarters. Moses recaptured the house from them. Years later, he was living in the house at the time of his father's death.
From the Facebook page of the historical society:
"Captain Moses Guest was born and raised in New Brunswick, NJ. He served in the Revolutionary War, gaining fame when he led the raid that captured British General John Simcoe in 1779. He was also well known as a poet, nicknamed the Bard of New Brunswick. The short poem below is from his published collection titled “Poems on Several Occasions to which are Annexed Extracts from a Journal” from 1823. In this poem, he is basically calling out his critics as angry biting flies. Read his entire book of poems online through the link below. His portrait hangs in the Henry Guest House, affiliated with the New Brunswick Free Public Library. Henry Guest was Moses’ father."
Probably the childhood home of Moses Guest
FOR MORE RESEARCH
Guest-Guess, History and Lineage in America, by Mrs. C. A. Martin (Alta Louise Biggs) (This book can be found at the UGA Main Library, 2nd floor)
Research by Bill L. Guest (Also available for download via the Familysearch.org website)
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[1] My mother worked for a Judge Marion Guess at the DeKalb County Courthouse (GA) for many years but she was unable to track his ancestry back to our own.
[2] The Guest name can be found spelled in several ways in the records: Guess, Gist, Gest, Guefs, etc.
[3] Lynnie Guest, Alta Louise Biggs Martin, and Bill L. Guest. According to Lynnie Guest (a descendant of Moses), Moses was the son of William; William was the son of John; and John was the son of Isaac.
[4] If Mr. Hayes is correct, he would have lived in the area only a few years after the county of Rowan was created.
[5] The military for Fort Defiance appears to have been built under Isaac's leadership but it later became the property of General William Lenoir who built his home on or near the Fort's original location. The old home has recently been restored. See Caldwell History here.
[6] David Barton may be related to Captain David Barton who served with Moses during the Revolutionary War. Also, note the adjoining Barton landowners to Moses when he lived in Franklin County, GA.
[7] I am not familiar with the typical amount of money a soldier would have received for his service but this certainly seems to be an extremely large amount so I am not certain that it is correct, or if it was correct, that it was ever paid. Perhaps someone that is more familiar with the Revolutionary War and the monetary system at the time would be able to confirm this.
[8] Captain Larkin Cleveland's grave is likely under the waters of Lake Hartwell. A memorial marker for him is located on the hill behind the SC Welcome Center on I-85 as you enter SC from GA. Another memorial marker that is located at this same location is that of Captain Pendleton Isbell.
[9] I found no records that definitively indicate Colbert as Harriett's father. It is almost a certainty that she was a granddaughter of Moses but we do not know which of his sons was her father.
(This page was created on 8/7/2023; Modified on 11/5/2023)