Individual Details

May have been Richard West
Tradition claims that Richard West was married to a Susanna Fike - that both died and Susanna's maiden sister Lucy Fike, raised their younger children, coming with them to Kentucky. That there was a close relationship between West and Fike in North Carolina seems certain. However, there seems to be no direct proof that Susanna and Lucy were actually children of John Fike Sr., nor that Lucy was a spinster (she could have been a Fike wife, married to one of the sons of John Fike Sr.)

http://news.rootsweb.com/th/read/NCGRANVI/1999-08/0935365955
From: Ben West
Subject: [NCGRANVI] Richard West
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 1999
I am seeking information regarding the relatives and the identity of
Richard West of Granville, Orange, and Chatham Counties, North Carolina.
I and several of my correspondents have performed extensive research
on the West family in these particular counties, in an effort to establish
the parentage of Leonard West (1760-1842) and Amos West (1766-1819).
Leonard West was born on August 12, 1760 in Granville County, North Carolina,
according to his court testimony when he applied for a pension.

1760 tax and tithable lists for
Granville County, North Carolina, and discovered the following Wests:
Thomas West
Thomas West
his son, Thomas West, Jr.
Richard West
John West

The 1755 tax list indicated that the Richard West that I am researching
is the son of Thomas West and the elder brother of Thomas West, Jr.
My family tradition indicates that Leonard and Amos West were reared
by a maiden aunt, Miss Lucy Fike, in Orange County, North Carolina. Residing
near Richard and Thomas West during the 1750's, 1760's, and
1770's were the following Fikes:
John Fike, Sr.
his son, John Fike, Jr.
(John Fike, Sr.'s son) Malachi Fike
Nathan Fike

- November 6, 1760 - Granville County Court is held - John Murdock vs. Richard
West. (Granville County, North Carolina Court Minutes.)
- July 27, 1761 - Grant to Richard West for 500 acres on both sides of Bear
Swamp, joining Laniers corner, Richards line, Bells line, Halls line, and
Fikes line OR: /s/ Richard West. Witnesses: Thomas
Bell, Charleet Kimball. Surveyed April 23, 1761. SCC: Malachi Fike, Richard
West. Thomas Person - Surveyor. (Hofmann Deed Abstracts 99)
- December 5, 1761 - Survey for Richard West by John Bowie for 700 acres on
Black River and Haw River, includes Thomas North, Cornelius Roe, and William
Hookers improvements. (Granville County, North Carolina Deed Book)
- November 26, 1762 - Richard West of Orange County, North Carolina to William
Williamson for 50 pounds, 500 acres in Granville County, North Carolina at
Laniers line and Richards line. (Orange County Deed Book) (Richard West has
moved to Orange County.)
- December 30, 1762 - Richard West, planter, for 10 shillings, on Haw River,
beginning at an ash on the bank of river, S 17 ch. To a red oak, W 40 ch. To a
black oak, N 35 ch. To a hickory, W 60 ch. To a stake on river bank, down river
to first station 576 acres, twenty-three shillings, half penny rent per year.
Witnesses: James Watson, Matthew Brown. Examined by Thomas Blount and W.
Churton. Surveyed May 26, 1762*. SCC: Malachi Fike, Richard West. Thomas
Person - Surveyor. (Hofmann Deed Abstracts)
- 1764 - Richard West sold 288 acres of land to Malachi Fike in Granville
County, North Carolina. (Granville County, North Carolina Order Book)
- October 23, 1770 - John Fike of Orange County, North Carolina, to Malachi
Fike of the county aforesaid - 25 pounds - 100 acres - adjoining Richard West
and John Fike. (Chatham County Deeds)
Witnesses: John Morphus John Fike, Senr.
Mary (X) Carter
Sarah (X) Fike
- January 20, 1772 - Malachi Fike to Michael Lopes - 50 pounds - 100
acres - joins Richard West.
Witnesses: Simon Fooshe Malachi Fike
Joseph Fooshe Ann Fike


-- MERGED NOTE ------------

Richard West was in the first tax list for Logan Co, 1793. He was taxed on 100 acres.
In 1794, he was shown with 2 males over 21 and 1 male age 16-21.
1795, Richard declared 3 white males [2 were over 21]
1796, Richard has 2 white males over 21 and James West appeared for the first time, with three horses and no other property
1797, Richard West had 148 acres on the Red River, entered, surveyed & patented by him. James West had 100 acres on the Red River. He is shown in Logan Co Survey Book A, p.172 as having a survey for 148 acres on the "far fork of the the Red River"
The 1798 tax records are missing
By 1799, Richard still had the 148 acres on the Red River and had patented an additional 200 acres. James had added another 200 acres to his lands as well - entered and surveyed for Able Fike.

The 1800 Tax list which serves as the "Second Census of Kentucky" shows the following Wests living in Logan Co: Amos, James, Leonard, Richard, and William.

Survey Book C, p.99. Richard West, survey for 140 acres on the Red River, dated 6 Jul 1804

Kentucky Land Grants, Jillson
148 acres, surveyed 2 Aug 1796, "Fur" Fk Red River, Logan Co; Book 2, p.40
200 acres, surveyed 2 Oct 1799, N Fork Red River, Logan Co; Book 2, p.38
140 acres, surveyed 6 Jul 1804, Red River, Logan Co, Book 16, p.171

1810 Census, Logan Co KY
p. 789 [same page with Leonard West]
Richard West: 2m under 10, 1m 16-26. 1f under 10, 1f 10-16, 1f 16-26, 1f 26-45
p.768
Richard West, ?Jr 1m under 10, 1m 16-26, 1m 26-45; 2f under 10, 1f 10-16, 1f 26-45
[John West listed next, also age 26-45]
p.792
Richard West: 1m 10-16, 2m 16-26, 1m 26-45, 1m over 45; 2f 10-16, 1f 16-26, 1f 26-45 [probably the elder Richard]
Note: None of these Richards young enough to be the Richard son of Amos, born about 1800. One is likely a son of Richard - the other possibly a son of William?

No Richard Wests were listed in Logan Co in 1820, although there was an older couple in the household of John West, that could have been the elder Richard in 1810.

Descendants of this family are convinced that the parents of John West were NOT Richard & Susannah but a William West who married Angeline Clendennen. The above records make plain this is incorrect. The following discussion was posted on FamilySearch.com:
Kay and other West/Howard Researchers,

I am a descendant of William West (b. 1775), highly probable son of Richard West, who married Mary Howard.

Thanks for posting the above. John West is indeed a PROVEN son of Richard West. I have email between Ben West and myself in which he explains the proof. It is a very long and detailed email which shows and compares the metes and bounds of both the deeds of gift and the deeds of sale by John and Lavina.

The proof that John was a son of Richard is further supported by the fact that John West has two daughters and grandchild with the unusual middle name Quine. Richard's wife, Susanna, was, according to family tradition, the daughter of William Ditto and Jane Quine. William Ditto lived near Richard West in Granville Co NC and records show they both were in Orange Co NC, Chatham Co, NC, and Burke Co, NC. Also, Susanna made her mark on deeds in Logan Co, KY with the letter "D".

James West was also a son of Richard. However, his "proof" is not as outright as John's. Nonetheless we still consider him as an "all but proven" son of Richard. The Tax records of Logan Co, KY, show that a child born in 1772 was living with Richard West. In 1793 the listing for Richard West shows two males 16-21 (We contend these children are William West b. 1775 and James West b. 1772). In 1794 the listing for Richard West shows 2 males over 21 and 1 male 16-21. (We contend the two over 21 are Richard and James, who just turned 22 in 1794.). In 1796 the listing for Richard West shows only one male over 21 (this would be Richard). In this year James West appears for the first time on the Tax List of Logan Co living on land that borders Richard West. In that year, there are only two other West men living in Logan Co: Leonard West and Amos West. Neither were old enough to have been the father of James West. Both are considered by some as being older children of Richard West.

If a person follows this James West by virtue of his land holdings shown on the Logan Co Tax Lists, they can prove that this is the same James West that sold land holdings with his wife Mourning later.

Additional information supporting the Tax Records is a biography of Tillman H. West which can be found on the USGenWeb Archives for Clay Co, MO. In the biography Tillman West stated, "My father, James West, was born in Chatham county, N.C., and came with his parents to Kentucky, in the fall of 1790, then aged 18 years, and improved and settled a place on Red River, Logan county, where he died in 1844." At that time the only West individual West individual old enough to have fathered James West who lived in the area was Richard West.

William West (b. 1752), who people have erroneously claimed as being the father of this James West, did not appear in Logan County records until 1807. Another James West appeared in Logan County records in 1807 at the same time of William West. This, James West Jr (as he was referred to in records), was born after the original James West (b 1772) and died in Logan Co in late 1809 or early 1810. He was married to Susanna Morgan. William West (b. 1752) was a purchaser of items from his estate sale as well as Susannah West (James West Jr’s wife), and Matthew West (probable brother to James West Jr). This James West Jr is the James West that we think was the son of William West (b. 1752).

Researchers have obviously confused the several James Wests and William Wests that appear in Logan County. However, it can be determined which is which by examination of the detail such as the land that they owned as showed in the tax lists.

I hope this clears up any questions about the parentage of John and James West. I will be happy to answer any questions that remain. Also, I will be glad to send the records I have mentioned above (some actual images, some transcriptions) if you are interested.

Ronny Roy
jronaldroy@gmail.com

More from Mr. Roy:
Hi Kay.

Richard West, (the father of James, William, Richard Jr, and John; and who married Susanna) is a proven son of Thomas West, Sr of Chatham Co, NC. This proof comes from the fact that Richard appeared with Thomas West on several Granville Co, NC, Tax Lists (the first of which was 1755) showing "Thomas West and son Richard". See my Time Line for Richard West in the MEMORIES tab for Richard West. Richard West's wife was named Susanna. We believe, but not absolutely positive, that she was a daughter of William Ditto. William Ditto's mother was Jane Quine (probably pronounced "Quinn"). Several of John and Lavina Howard West's descendants were given the middle name of Quine. See the document under Susanna's MEMORIES for more detail.

Thomas West may have had more than one wife, but many researchers show him with a wife name Katherine Rebecca Eastin. While this is not proven (originally from family tradition) it is also likely as the name Eastin, or different variations, appear in several different lines of descendants of Thomas West. Also, early deed records shows a Thomas West married to a "Caty" in Spotsylvania and Stafford Co, VA. We believe this to be the same Thomas as he witness a will for John West whose descendants have the same Y-DNA as our Thomas.

Richard probably also had a daughter, Jemima, who married Charles Irby in Logan Co, KY, in 1804. She had a son named Easton and granddaughter named Katherine Rebecca Irby. Irby descendants/researchers show that Jemima's father was Thomas West and Katherine Rebecca Easting. However, that is highly improbable considering Thomas' age and that he never made the trip to Logan Co, KY. She was more likely Richard's daughter and perhaps Thomas' granddaughter.

Please don't hesitate to ask questions. If I need to add more information to make these points more clear, I will. It is very confusing where to put these documents when you have more than one group of parents. I have hundreds and will be happy to share with anyone willing to listen.

Ronny

Birth	Abt 1739
Death	Aft 1820
Marriage		Susannah Ditto

Child	Leonard West (1760 - 1842)
Child	Agness West (1762 - 1848)
Child	Amos West (1765 - 1819)

Spouse	Susannah Ditto ( - 1820)
Child	James West (1772 - 1844)
Child	William West (1775 - 1859)
Child	John West (1784 - 1859)
Child	Jemima West (1788 - )
Child	Richard West Jr. (1788 - 1860)

Father

Living