Re: John Killen married to Betsy Stack
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In reply to:
Re: John Killen married to Betsy Stack
11/28/00
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for the reply. My personal feeling is that Wilbern's memoirs are not correct. Especially in respect to William Killen who married Jane Collins. Wise Co VA marriage records state that the William Killen who married Jane Collins was Alfred & Lucy Whitaker Killen's son. There was a William Killen in Alleghany Co NC ( Taken from Ashe Co in 1859) who died in the Confederate Army. William left one daughter and his wife Sylvia remarried a Todd.
While Wilbern's memoirs are a treasure of information, I personally feelmuch of it is in error. He seemed to be recounting what he had been told as a child.
While I can't prove it, I believe that John Killen was a descendant of the Robert Killen who arrived in this country. The Killens in old Surry-Stokes counties of NC are known to be from the DelMarVa area. Delaware is where I personally feel John Killen was from and he was born in this country, perhaps his father was the immigrant. Perhaps the legend of John coming with friend Robert Fleming is correct, just in the wrong generation as it is more probable that a father or grandfather of John Killen immigrated from Ireland. This is why we cannot find John & Robert in immigration records. There was a migration of families from Delaware into NC at the period just before the Revolution, and it isthen that I think John Killen came to NC from DelMarVa.
Please contact me directly and I will share what I know for sure.
Thanks,
Carolyn