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ARCHELAUS TANNER & SARAH MORTON, of VA and Clark Co., KY
by Charles Ward
Archelaus Tanner was born probably in Chesterfield County, Virginia about 1740/45. He was married probably about 1770 to Sarah Morton, with whom he can be found in deed records in Amelia County, Virginia. She is identified as "Sarah Tanner" in the will of her father, Richard Morton (Clark Co., KY Wills), dated 4 Dec 1804, proven 27 Feb 1815.
Sarah (Morton) Tanner is found as the head of her own household in the 1810 Federal Census, in Clark County, Kentucky. She left a will (Clark Co., KY Wills), dated 31 Oct 1818, proven 25 Jan 1819.
Speculation has arisen regarding the parentage of Archelaus Tanner. The records indicate he was the son of Joseph Tanner and his unidentified wife. This conclusion can be arrived at relatively easily.
First, Archelaus was identified as a grandson of Thomas Tanner (c1685-1765), of Amelia Co., VA, in his will (Amelia Co., VA Will Book 2, page 101). Although Thomas Tanner identified Archelaus Tanner as his grandson, the will doesn't state the name of his father. The will also mentions Thomas Tanner's three sons, Joseph, Nathaniel, and Joel, so we can deduce the high probability that Archelaus Tanner was the child of one of these three sons. Fortunately, we have wills for two of the three sons.
The will of Nathaniel Tanner may be found in Bedford Co., VA Will Book 1, page 423. It was dated 15 June 1781 and recorded 26 Nov 1781. It names five sons: Nathaniel, Seth, Joel, Nathan, and Benjamin. So, we may eliminate Nathaniel as being the father of Archelaus Tanner.
The will of Joel Tanner may be found in Nottoway Co., VA Will Book 1, pp. 542-3. It was dated 31 Jul 1802, proven 2 Dec 1802. The will names his sons: Thomas Tanner, David Tanner, and Joseph Tanner. So, we may eliminate Joel Tanner as being the father of Archelaus Tanner. Interestingly, the name Joel may be found among many descendants of Thomas Tanner (c1685-1765), of Amelia Co., VA, perhaps attesting to the high esteem in which this gentleman was held.
We therefore may conclude with a decent degree of certainty, although the records do not explicitly state he is his father, but conclude deductively that Joseph Tanner (b.ca 1710) was the father of Archelaus Tanner. The same Joseph Tanner is largely absent from Virginia county records and no will has been found for him, but I make note of some facts regarding this gentleman in another posting I made, posting number 3724 at the Tanner GenForum site.
It is significant to note that Archelaus and Sarah Tanner bought land from Joseph Tanner in 1769, land which they in turn sold to Gideon Winfree in 1777.
Archelaus Tanner, also known variously as "Arch Tanner" and "Archer Tanner," may be added to Joseph Tanner's list of children, along with a daughter, Susannah Tanner, who married John Stewart, this couple being discussed in my previously cited online article.
Among the descendants of Archelaus Tanner may be counted his grandson, the noted sculptor, Joel Tanner Hart (1810-1877), the son of Archelaus Tanner's daughter, Judith (Tanner) Hart, wife of Josiah Hart, who are discussed in Carrie Williams Berry's biography of the sculptor, "Joel Tanner Hart," pages 7-8.
To date, Susannah (Tanner) Stewart and Archelaus Tanner are the only children of Joseph Tanner who can be identified with any degree of certainty. It should also be stated that the wife of Joseph Tanner has in no way been identified. Frequently she is identified as being a certain "Lucy Creed," apparently based on nothing factual, but appears instead be a theorized individual for whom no contemporary records can be found.
I would welcome input regarding this family group.
Charles Ward
CMW12635@aol.com
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