John Eddins/Edins/Eddings was born about 1750 in VA (?) and died about 1795 (?) in Orangeburg, later Lexington County, SC. He may have served in the Revolutionary War. He married at least once, maybe twice; the wife who survived him was Zilpha/Zylpha/Zelpha/Sylvia/Selvia, who died in 1831. They sold and deeded land. There were at least 10, probably 11, children. Here are their names and estimated birth dates:
- Fereby, who married Samuel Hendrix, 1770 - 1780
- Blakely, born about 1780
- John S., born 1 August 1782
- Ephriam, born about 1786
- Catherine ?, born about 1789 ?
- Obedience, born October 13, 1789
- William D., born about 1791 ?
- James A. (likely "Albert"), born 1792 or 1793
- Martha
- Elizabeth, who married a Brown
- Mary, who married George Turner
That's it. That's all.
Only six sources that I've found list credible information about John: the 1790 US Census for SC; an 1828 ad in the South Carolina State Gazette; a set of payroll pages from the National Archives; land transaction books for SC; Bob Eddings, who moderates Genforum.com/Eddins; and a Rootsweb column. Below I've listed the sources and my evaluation of their reliability.
Here's the documentary evidence from the 1790 US Census for SC (Reliable):
1. In the 1790 US census for SC, John Edings is living in Orangeburgh District. There is one male 16 + (John), three males under 16 (Blakely, John S. & Ephraim), and six free white females (Zilpha & five others, possibly Elizabeth & others). Neighbors: Geiger, Busbee, Liphart, Kennerly, Gossett, Bookman, Weisinger, Corley, Price, Cummerland, Clark, Clark, Hydle, Busby, Hellman, Beard.
2. The ad that Zilpha ran in Lexington's South Carolina State Gazette in 1828 mentions these children living out of state (reliable):
Mary, wife of George Turner
Elizabeth Brown
Fereby, wife of Samuel Hendrix
John
Martha
Blakely
Obedience, wife of Edom Moon
James A.
William D.
3. There is a John Edins who served as a private in Col. Thompson's 3rd SC Militia during the Revolutionary War. at Fold3.com. There's no way at this point to tell if it's our John Edins, so I'm listing it here as "interesting; needs more research."
4. Land transaction books that list John & Zilpha's business dealings are located in the Birmingham Public Library (reliable). I remember seeing them, but as it was in the beginning of my research, didn't record all the info. Bad girl. Guess where I'm going next time I'm in AL???
5. Another source, as mentioned, is Bob Eddings. I have always found Bob's information to be correct. He may not have found everything that I have found (for example, the marriage of Zilpha Eleanor Edins and William Pope, or Nancy Ann Hendricks's final home in Lee County, AL), but I have never caught him in a mistake. I'd like to thank him here for generosity in sharing his research.
For example, here is Bob's entry from July 16, 2000, that outlines the life of John Eddins:
"...I dont know anything about James' wife Mary, but I'll give you some background on James. The earliest Eddings/Eddins I have found in that line is John Eddins, born ca 1750 (where? Va?) and died in Lexington Co., S.C. ca 1795. His wife was Zilpha (might have been his 2nd wife) and they had 11 kids, including James A., born 1793 and died 1/27/1858 in Tallapoosa Co., Ala. He married Nancy Ann Hendricks ca 1817 in Lexington Co.. They had 9 kids, including Blakely A., born 11/2/1822 in Lexington Co. and died 6/14/1885 in Jefferson Co., Ala. Blakely married Elizabeth Hilton (Helton?) 2/7/1847 in Tallapoosa Co. I understand they had 10 kids, including your James. I guess you know the rest of the story. Bob."
And this from 14 Oct 2003:
"John and Zilpha Eddins --- I have never been able to tie John in
to the Virginia Eddins, but I estimate he was born circa 1750 and died circa 1795. His kids were all born in Orangeburgh District (later became Lexington Co.), S.C. As far as I know, here were his kids: Blakely, born ca 1780, died ca 1838 in Pulaski Co., Ga, ; John , born ca 1784, died 10/1839 in Lexington Co., S.C. ; Ephriam, born ca 1786, died 1826 (or '28?) in Richland Co., S.C.; William D., born ca 1791, died after 1850 probably in Pulaski Co., Ga. ; James A., born 1792 or 93, died 1858 in Tallapoosa Co., Ala. In addition, there were 6 daughters born , whose names I have never heard....Hope this helps. Bob"
6. Finally, this entry from the Rootsweb Archiver in 2007 (probably reliable). This is the quote that everyone puts in their public trees but never credits. The quote refers to the above mentioned land transactions. (Bad girl!) The web address is:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SCLEXING/2007-10/1191887181
"The single Eddins family with records in Lexington Co by 1800 was headed by a John, not a William. John Eddins purchased 102 acre south of the Saluda River on 19 Dec 1798, adjacent to lands owned by Benjamin Wingart and Daniel Wingart. John Eddins was not necessarily the father-in-law of Benjamin Wingart, but his children were of the right generation. In 1800, the household in the same land location (Twelve Mile Creek of the Saluda) was headed by widow Silvia [sic: Zelpha] Eddins. The children in her household included two sons and two daughters born 1784<1790, and two sons and a daughter born 1790<1800. In 1816, Zelpha/Zilpha (recorded both ways) Eddins deeded Saluda property to sons named James A. and William D. Eddins. She stated that she had already given equal shares of land to the older children (not named). The John S. Eddins who lived in the same Twelve Mile Creek region in 1810 and 1820, purchased land from William Wingard in 1818, was presumably one of her older sons. His census age groups indicate a birth year of ~1784. John S. Eddins married Louisa Swearingen. The Eddins and Swearingen families of Edgefield Co. were both involved in the early history of Horn's Creek Baptist Church. John and Zilpha Eddins of Lexington Co were probably closely-related to the large Eddins family resident mainly in Edgefield Co, but the precise relationship is not documented."
And that's all I know. So there. Bleah....
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