Individual Details
(Jan 7, 1811 - Mar 7, 1891)
Also Known As:<_AKA> Folkner BIOGRAPHY: Owen County Early Settlers , Historical and Biogaphical Sketches. David Folkner was born Januar y 7, 1811, in Wythe co unty, Virginia where I resided with my parent s until 10 years of age, when I re moved to Sullivan County, East Tenn essee. After remaining there two years my p arents bought land in Sco tt County, Virginia and moved upon it. I lived with th em until I wa s 23 years old; when I took a notion to marry, and on the 12th of Sept ember, 1833, was married to Celia Ann Grizzle. As the parents of bot h were opposed to the match, we eloped, she taking no clothing excep t what she had on . After purchasing her a new calico dress and procu ring the license we went to a Methodist preacher who was about movin g to Illinois, were married, and went with him as members of his famil y, having at that time but $12 with which to be gin life. Came throug h Spencer, which at that time was a small village, and wh en as far ou t as Coles County, Illinois, were compelled to stop on account of t h e severe cold weather. The minister here rented a cabin which was s o small th at we had to strike out for ourselves. We rented a littl e cabin three-quarters of a mile north of Charleston, bought a blanke t, some tow linen to make a bed tick, a skillet, coffee pot, half a se t of knives, tea cups and plates, and wen t to keeping house. Staye d there until spring, catching rabbits and prairie ch ickens, when a m an got me to move on his farm half a mile east of town. I had everyth ing furnished, and tended the farm giving one-third of the crop as ren t. I made considerable that year, and in 1834 William Grizzle (fathe r of Celia A nn) and myself leased thirty acres, cut and hauled logs a nd built houses for ou rselves, made rails and fenced our land, and go t ten acres broke and planted. In July we took the ague and had it al l summer, when we became discouraged havi ng shaken nearly everythin g we had into the doctor's hands, and sold what littl e we had left fo r an old mare and an old one-horse carriage, and all started ba ck t o Virginia. We came as far as Spencer, where we had to stop for wan t of me ans. We met with old Joseph Withem here (Spencer, Indiana), an d stayed with him till spring, when we sold our horse and carriage fo r $12 in trade, and went to what is known as Flinn's spring, and loca ted on Congress land. I cut logs, an d (William) Grizzle and myself c arried them and built each of us a house. Duri ng the day we would ma ke rails for people at 25 cents per hundred; and at night we would cl ear land for ourselves. We cleared about two acres apiece and rais e d corn on it one year. I bought him out in the fall, and in Decembe r a man en tered me out, and never said pay, nor hasn't yet. This mad e me a little mad, a nd I resolved that the next Congress land I wen t to would be my own, so in Marc h, I hired a yoke of oxen, and move d up into town 11, to old Mr. Allen's who wa s sheriff of the county a t the time. I moved into a cabin out in the woods, an d stayed ther e until the fall, working some for Mr. Allen at 30 cents per day, an d some for old Mr. Freeland clearing land in the green woods: and woul d somet imes leave my wife and two children for a week at a time and w ork for Mr. Samue l W. Dunn getting out timbers for a house on his far m above town. I also worke d for Mr. Dunn in harvest, for 50 cents pe r day and that year laid up $30 besid es supporting my family. I wa s determined to make my word good and own a house of my own but lacke d $20 of having money enough to enter 40 acres of land, so in Septembe r I went to Mr. Allen and asked him to loan me what I lacked. He ma d e me no reply, but went to his bed and got a stocking about as long a s my arm, which was full of silver, and counted me the money tellin g me to send by mail and enter the land, and when I got able I could p ay him. I thanked him and did as he said. I came to Spencer (Indian a) and got George Dignan to send my mone y, and I entered a homestead . I had to build a h
Events
| Birth | Jan 7, 1811 | Wythe County, Virginia | | | |
| Marriage | Sep 12, 1833 | Scott County, Virginia - Celia Ann Grizzle | | | |
| Marriage | Feb 8, 1857 | Owen County, Indiana, USA - Mary Ann Clark | |  | |
| Death | Mar 7, 1891 | Blanket, Brown County, Texas | | | |
| Burial | | Routh-Faulkner Cemetery, Blanket, Brown County, Texas | | | |
Families
Endnotes