• John Andrews
  • Mary Cheek

John Andrews
& Mary Cheek

John Andrews (Anders), son of William ANDREWS, Sr., & Mary LLOYD(?), was born abt. 1770 in Orange Co., NC, and died Mar. 28, 1860, in Grayson Co., VA. He married Mary "Polly" Cheek, daughter of Robert CHEEK & Ann COCKE, Nov. 30, 1801, in Orange Co., NC. She was born abt. 1782 and died 1866 in Grayson Co., VA. John and Mary Andrews (Anders) are reportedly buried at either the Adam Wagoner Cemetery or the Osborne R. Anders Cemetery, both located near Independence, VA.

Children of John Andrews & Mary Cheek:

  1. +Mary "Polly" Andrews, b. abt. 1796, Orange Co., NC (from birth date, maybe a daughter of a prior marriage?); d. aft. 1880 in Grayson Co., VA; m. John Allen WAGONER, son of Adam WAGONER, Sr., & Nancy HOLLOWAY (b. abt. 1793; d. 1860).
  2. +James Carr Andrews (Anders), b. Dec. 24, 1802, Orange Co., NC; d. Oct. 2, 1893, Alleghany Co., NC; m. Elizabeth CROUSE, daughter of Jacob CROUSE & Sarah EDWARDS (b. Apr. 29, 1809; d. May 14, 1887); bur. James Andrews Cemetery, Rd. 1428, Alleghany Co., NC.
  3. +Sarah Andrews, b. abt. 1807, Orange Co., NC; d. aft. 1880, Alleghany Co., NC; m. Adam WAGONER, Jr., son of Adam WAGONER, Sr., & Nancy HOLLOWAY, abt. 1829 (b. abt. 1809; d. 1870-1880).
  4. Henry Andrews (Anders), b. abt. 1808; d. in Tennessee.
  5. Abi (Aby) Andrews, b. 1811, Orange Co., NC; d. 1905, Alleghany Co., NC; m. John IRWIN, son of Elijah IRWIN & Elizabeth GOODMAN of Wilkes Co., NC (b. 1815; d. 1902); bur. Wagoner & Duncan Cemetery, Rd. 1421, Alleghany Co., NC. Child: Elijah Irwin (c.1843).
  6. Martha "Patsy" Andrews, b. 1813; d. 1897; m. Charles CROUSE, son of Jacob CROUSE & Sarah EDWARDS. No known children. On Aug. 14, 1893, Patsy CROUSE & Berry ANDERS deeded 200 acres of land in Cherry Lane Township to Berry's sons John R. ANDERS & James ANDERS; the deed describes "the lands which Charles CROUSE died seized & possessed of & which he willed to his wife for life and to his brother-in-law Berry ANDERS." (Alleghany DB 9:294.)
  7. +Margaret "Peggy" Andrews, b. Jan. 8, 1816, Orange Co., NC; d. Mar. 24, 1908, Alleghany Co., NC; m. Jacob WAGONER, son of Adam WAGONER, Sr., & Nancy HOLLOWAY, abt. 1838 (b. Oct. 22, 1807; d. Aug. 19, 1882); bur. Wagoner & Duncan Cemetery, Rd. 1421, Alleghany Co., NC.
  8. +Berry Andrews (Anders), b. 1822, Orange Co., NC; May 18, 1895, Grayson Co., VA; m. Catherine POOLE, daughter of Jonathan POOLE & Anna Betsy CONNOY, abt. 1852 (b. 1825; d. Apr. 11, 1898); bur. Berry Anders Cemetery, Graystone Road, Grayson Co., VA.  John & Mary Anders are listed with Berry Anders in the 1850 census.
  9. Nancy Andrews, b. abt. 1823, d. June 5, 1889, Alleghany Co., NC; m. William M. IRWIN, son of Elijah IRWIN & Elizabeth GOODMAN of Wilkes Co., NC (b. Aug. 2, 1817; d. Aug. 27, 1906); bur. Absher & Irwin Cemetery, Rd. 1170 off Hwy 221, Alleghany Co., NC. Children: Squire Jackson Irwin (1847) m. Caroline ANDREWS, David Franklin Irwin (1852), Martha Ann Irwin (1862), Joseph Ephraim Irwin (1865), Alice Irwin (1868).

Notes

John "Andress" and Polley Cheek married on Nov. 30, 1801, in Orange Co., NC, according to their marriage bond.  Mary "Polly" Cheek is believed to be the daughter of Robert & Ann (Cocke) Cheek of Orange County.  The Cheeks and the Andrews seem to have been close neighbors in Orange County.  Both families owned land in the upper branches of New Hope Creek, in the vicinity of Morgan Creek.  Four children of William Andrews married four children or grandchildren of Robert Cheek:

  1. John Andrews and Mary "Polly" Cheek in 1801.
  2. Robert "Robin" Cheek and Martha "Patsy" Andrews in 1798.
  3. Richard Cheek and Jane "Jennie" Andrews in 1805.
  4. William Andrews, Jr., and Abi Cheek in 1810 (granddaughter of Robert Cheek).

John and Mary (Cheek) Andrews moved to Ashe County, NC, soon after 1820.  Several of their relatives were probably already living there, including John's brother William Andrews, Jr., and Mary's brother Richard Cheek.  John Andrews is not listed in the 1830 census (although there is a James Andrews in Ashe County who might be his son James Carr Andrews).  John Andrews and his family first appear in the 1840 census of Ashe County, NC.  In 1850 they were living in neighboring Grayson County, VA.  John died in Grayson County in 1860 at the age of 84, according to the county death register; the death was reported by his son-in-law Allen "WAGNER" (this proves that John Andrews was the father of Mary Andrews who married John Allen Wagoner).

There is an LDS ancestry file that identifies John Andrews' wife as Mary MCCRACKEN, not Mary Cheek, but this information may be in error.  The McCrackens of Orange County were Quakers, and it is possible that the person who compiled the LDS file confused the Andrews of Orange County with an unrelated Quaker family named ANDREW (no "s").  There is a Mary McCracken who married Robert ANDREW in 1786, according to the minutes of the Cane Creek Monthly Meeting.  (Hinshaw, Ency. of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. 1.)

According to the book The Anders and Andrews Families of Orange, Ashe, and Alleghany Counties in NC and Grayson County VA, by Clifford Rector (self-published), John and Mary Anders or Andrews migrated to Ashe County, NC, in 1831 where they settled on the Little River near John's brother William Andrews, Jr.  In 1844 they moved to Grayson Co., VA.  Rector states that John and Mary had nine children and are buried in the Adam Wagoner Cemetery "three miles southeast of Independence, VA."  However, another sources states they are buried at the Osborne R. Anders Cemetery which is also near Independence.  Apparently their gravestones can no longer be identified at either cemetery.

Identifying the children of John and Mary Andrews is a challenge.  Only three of the children are verified that I know of: (1) Berry Andrews, who was living with his parents John and Mary Andrews in the 1850 census; (2) Mary "Polly" Andrews who married John Allen WAGONER, proven by the Grayson County death register which states that John Andrews' death was reported by his son-in-law Allen "WAGNER" (see above), and (3) Martha "Patsy" Andrews who married Charles CROUSE, proven by a deed that she executed with her brother Berry Anders in 1893 (Alleghany DB 9:294).

Clifford Rector states that John and Mary Andrews had nine children, but he only lists eight: (1) James Andrews (b. 1802) m. Elizabeth CROUSE, (2) Sally Andrews (b. 1805) m. "Ats" WAGONER, (3) Henry Andrews (b. 1808), (4) Abiah (Abi) Andrews (b. 1811) m. John IRWIN, (5) Patsy Andrews (b. 1813) m. Charles CROUSE, (6) Margaret (Peggy) Andrews (b. 1816) m. Jacob WAGONER, (7) Mary Ann Andrews (b. 1820) m. Adam WAGONER [actually census records indicate Mary was born abt. 1796], and (8) Berry Andrews (b. 1822) m. Catherine POOLE.

The genealogist and local historian Jeff Weaver states in The Annotated 1870 Census of Grayson Co., VA" (Elk Creek District), entry for Berry Anders, HH# 589, that John Andrews and Mary Cheek had sons named William (b. abt. 1803), Thomas (1816), Sandy (1820), Berry (1825), John (1829), and Carson (1832).  However, I am not sure this list is correct.  William Anders (1804-1877) of Alleghany County may have been a son of John's brother Rev. Mark Andrews, reportedly documented by the record of William's second marriage to Mrs. Lydia Caudill Hill on Aug. 12, 1870 (see G.H. Latham, Alleghany County Marriages (Heritage Books, 1996).)  Other sources state that Thomas (1816) and Sandy (1820) were sons of John's brother Starling Andrews.  Finally, Carson Earl (E.C.) ANDIS (1833-1905) was probably not related to the Andrews family.

Records

Nov. 30, 1801. Orange Co., NC. John ANDRESS and Polley CHEEK posted a marriage bond; bondsman: Jesse CATE.

1810 Census: not listed.

Feb. 15, 1820. Orange Co., NC. John ANDREWS is named in his father William ANDREWS' will. (Orange Co., NC, Will Book E, p.47).

1820 Census, Orange Co., NC, p.314: JOHN ANDREWS
3 w/m under 10 1 w/f under 10
1 w/m 26-45 1 w/f 16-25
1 slave  

1830 Census: not listed. They probably moved to Ashe Co., NC, prior to 1830, but for some reason they were left out of the census.  There was a John ANDREWS in Orange Co., NC, in 1830, but at age 30-39, he is too young to be the John ANDREWS who was born abt. 1770 and would have been about 60 years old in 1830. This younger John Andrews was probably the son of Laban Andrews.

Dec. 29, 1840. State of NC to Jno. ANDREWS, 100 acres in Ashe County on Little River adj. Jno. O. JOHNSON & Jesse TOLLIVER. Entered Dec. 5, 1836. (NC Archives Land Warrants & Plats, File No. 2909, Folder No. 12.14.28.2919, Grant No. 2809, Book 147:73.)

1840 Census, Ashe Co., NC, p.29: JOHN ANDERS
1 w/m 15-19 1 w/f 10-14
1 w/m 60-69 1 w/f 20-29
  1 w/f 50-59

Dec. 29, 1844. State of NC to Jno. ANDRESS, 100 acres on Big Pine beg. near Saddle Mountain. Entered July 18, 1842. (NC Archives Land Warrants & Plats, File No. 3242, Folder No. 12.14.28.3254, Grant No. 4044, Book 150:98.)

1850 Census, Grayson Co., VA, 19th Dist., p.228 (HH#951):
BERRY ANDREWS, age 27, farmer, born in NC
-- John, 80, NC
-- Mary, 90 (70?), NC
(Their ages in the 1850 census appear to be rough estimates at best.)

Dec. 13, 1852. State of NC to John ANDERS, 50 acres in Ashe County on Big Pine Creek. Entered Mar. 14, 1850. (NC Archives Land Warrants & Plats, File No. 4294, Folder No. 12.14.28.4261, Grant No. 5043, Book 156:305.)

March 28, 1860. Grayson Co., VA. John ANDERS, age 84, born in NC, farmer, died of "dropsy" after illness of months. Informant: son-in-law Allen WAGNER. (Grayson Co., VA, Death Register.)

Mary appears to be listed twice in the 1860 census: she was living with her son Berry Andrews in Grayson Co., VA, and also with her daughter Abi IRWIN (wife of John Irwin) in Alleghany Co., NC.

1860 Census, Alleghany Co., NC, Gap Civil P.O., p.200 (HH#395) [census taken July 18, 1860]:
JOHN IRWIN, 45, farmer, $600, $600, NC
-- Abi, 45, NC
-- Elizah, 19, m, laborer, NC
ANDERS, Polly, 71, NC
(Note: they are listed next to Polly's other daughter Sarah who married Adam WAGONER.)

--and--

1860 Census, Grayson Co., VA, Independence P.O., .103 (HH#789) [census taken Aug. 23, 1860]:
BERRY ANDREWS, 38, farmer, $1000, $210, VA
-- Cath, 38, VA
-- M.A., 6, f, VA
-- Preston, 4, VA
-- James, 2, VA
-- Wiley, 4 mos., VA
ANDREWS, Mary, 78, NC

Note: This is the last time that Mary "Polly" Andrews/Anders appears in the census. She probably died between 1860 and 1870.

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