Individual Details
Nancy "Anny" Phelps
( - )
Norman Warnell, an Edmonson Co. historian ,
wrote the following history:
According to Jones family researchers, old Philip Jones who came to Edmonson County from SC was married to Martin Webb's daughter, Nancy Webb. After Martin Webb's wife Judith died, he married Nancy Phelps Vansant in Warren Co. in 1806 (that part which became Edmonson Co., the first farm below the Mammoth Cave ferry).
Nancy Phelps Vansant brought two daughters with her into the Webb household. They were Polly (married Samuel Stewart) and Rebecca (married John Strange). This marriage to Martin Webb made Nancy the step mother and step grandmother to the entire Jones and Webb families in Edmonson Co. These family units were always protective of Nancy and her two daughters—in fact too protective because M.H. Webb (Martin's grandson) committed adultery with Nancy's granddaughter, Rebecca Stewart. Rebecca had been married two months to Squire Gilbert and they were living in the Forks section on M.H. Webbs farm as sharecroppers. Rebecca soon ran off to her "uncle's" house. This was probably John Strange as he was the only uncle she had that we know of. Polly sent for her and it seems evident that Polly was living on Martin Jones place at that time since he testified on behalf of Rebecca.
I have been told by some of the older Gilberts that Greenville Gilbert, Rebecca's son, was actually a Jones. Last week during one of the rainy days I went to the court house and started going through some of the Jones court cases in hopes of getting some additional clue on this family. One case in particular that I found was in 1826 where a lawyer named Samuel Brents was suing Philip F. Jones for unpaid lawyer fees for a case involving a "Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Stewart" dating back to April 1824 when he consented to take the case which was to be tried in Hart County. Philip F. Jones was old Philip Jones' son. Yesterday while looking at some old sheriff's returns I found where Mary/Polly Stewart had filed suit for unpaid court cost against Moses Guess dating back to June 1824. This would have been in Hart Co. because there was no Edmonson Co. at that time. Also it wasn't in Warren Co. because their cases are all on file. Here is what I have found pertaining to this matter.
After Martin Webb's death in 1816, his widow, Nancy continued to live on the farm below Mammoth Cave and pay taxes on it until her daughter, Rebecca, married John Strange in 1821. Then from all appearances she moved in with her other daughter Polly Stewart. Both women were living as sharecroppers on land in the "Forks" section which was north of Green River and consequently Hart Co. until 1825 when it became Edmonson. Polly had a house full of children and no husband. This left the two women in a destitute condition.
About this time these two women made some sort of attempt to claim a piece of land for themselves and probably paid someone for it, and whoever this individual was, held their note. Then old man Gregory Doyle bought the Robert Smith 5400 acre tract of land and called everyone into court that lived on Smiths survey, to prove the title to their land. Smith's large survey lay north of Green River adjoining the large 30,000 acre Hart survey. People from everywhere squatted on these surveys because the owners lived up East and didn't know what was going on down in the hills. In 1896 M.M. Logan bought the remainder of the old Hart Survey and called all the people of the "Forks" into court to prove their deeds, which many couldn't. They had deeds which they had bought from others but the deeds were faulty.
Polly and Nancy did not have money to contest their land suit, which from all appearances would be lost anyway because of Robert Smith's prior claim. Philip F. Jones came to their rescue and paid attorney Samuel Brents a note for $30 to defend Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Stewart in the case in Hart County which was pending in court. This note was dated April 26, 1824. This date is significant. The deal was that if Brents was successful in his defense then he kept the entire $30 but if he lost the case he only got $10. When the case came up for trial, the court commissioners of Hart Co. disposed of the case without a trail, thus Nancy and Polly lost the suit. Brents didn't actually loose the suit for them, it was just kicked out of court by the commissioners.
In 1826, in the newly formed Edmonson County, Brents filed suit against Jones for the entire $30 which Jones had stubbornly refused to pay. Much to his dismay, Jones lost the case.
William Rountree and Moses Guess had something to do with the land that Nancy and Polly had tried to claim, and one or both of these men owed some court cost in Hart Co. that had been charged to Nancy and Polly. It may be that they sold them the land which had a faulty title.
These debts of Guess' drug on until Oct 28, 1830, when Polly Stewart filed a suit against Moses Guess, principal and William Rountree his security, in the Edmonson Co. court to recover these costs. Written on the bottom of the court return by the sheriff was as follows....."The cause of action herein accrued since 1st June 1824 and no security of any kind to be taken".
On the 19th of January 1832, a fee was levied on Guess in the amount of five head of cattle to be sold at the house of Guess (Temple Hill vicinity) on the 30th January 1832. Polly was paid $7.66 (17 ½ cents sheriff's half commission and 50 cents for writing the bond) leaving her $6.98 ½ . This represented her half of the court cost of the Hart Co. suit in 1824.
Polly or Nancy never owned any land of their own. They continued to live among their people until they died. Polly was apparently dead by 1850 because no mention is made in the Census of her.
The last account we have of Nancy Webb, mother of Polly and Rebecca, was in Grayson Co. when she was 81 years old in 1833. She appeared and gave deposition for her brother John Phelps for his Revolutionary War Pension. At that time she gave her age and his age, he being a year and five months older than her.
There is an odd account in the Edmonson Co. order books for Oct. 1849 and 1850 in which the court allowed Rev. John Jones (step grandson of Nancy), $10 per year for taking care of "Mrs Webb" (no first name). If this was Nancy, then she died before the census taker came around that year and would have been 97 years old. Neither, Polly or Rebecca, lived to be that old nor did any of their children of the next generation. Actually they all died at about 50 years which seemed to be a trend in both families for a couple of generations or so.
wrote the following history:
According to Jones family researchers, old Philip Jones who came to Edmonson County from SC was married to Martin Webb's daughter, Nancy Webb. After Martin Webb's wife Judith died, he married Nancy Phelps Vansant in Warren Co. in 1806 (that part which became Edmonson Co., the first farm below the Mammoth Cave ferry).
Nancy Phelps Vansant brought two daughters with her into the Webb household. They were Polly (married Samuel Stewart) and Rebecca (married John Strange). This marriage to Martin Webb made Nancy the step mother and step grandmother to the entire Jones and Webb families in Edmonson Co. These family units were always protective of Nancy and her two daughters—in fact too protective because M.H. Webb (Martin's grandson) committed adultery with Nancy's granddaughter, Rebecca Stewart. Rebecca had been married two months to Squire Gilbert and they were living in the Forks section on M.H. Webbs farm as sharecroppers. Rebecca soon ran off to her "uncle's" house. This was probably John Strange as he was the only uncle she had that we know of. Polly sent for her and it seems evident that Polly was living on Martin Jones place at that time since he testified on behalf of Rebecca.
I have been told by some of the older Gilberts that Greenville Gilbert, Rebecca's son, was actually a Jones. Last week during one of the rainy days I went to the court house and started going through some of the Jones court cases in hopes of getting some additional clue on this family. One case in particular that I found was in 1826 where a lawyer named Samuel Brents was suing Philip F. Jones for unpaid lawyer fees for a case involving a "Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Stewart" dating back to April 1824 when he consented to take the case which was to be tried in Hart County. Philip F. Jones was old Philip Jones' son. Yesterday while looking at some old sheriff's returns I found where Mary/Polly Stewart had filed suit for unpaid court cost against Moses Guess dating back to June 1824. This would have been in Hart Co. because there was no Edmonson Co. at that time. Also it wasn't in Warren Co. because their cases are all on file. Here is what I have found pertaining to this matter.
After Martin Webb's death in 1816, his widow, Nancy continued to live on the farm below Mammoth Cave and pay taxes on it until her daughter, Rebecca, married John Strange in 1821. Then from all appearances she moved in with her other daughter Polly Stewart. Both women were living as sharecroppers on land in the "Forks" section which was north of Green River and consequently Hart Co. until 1825 when it became Edmonson. Polly had a house full of children and no husband. This left the two women in a destitute condition.
About this time these two women made some sort of attempt to claim a piece of land for themselves and probably paid someone for it, and whoever this individual was, held their note. Then old man Gregory Doyle bought the Robert Smith 5400 acre tract of land and called everyone into court that lived on Smiths survey, to prove the title to their land. Smith's large survey lay north of Green River adjoining the large 30,000 acre Hart survey. People from everywhere squatted on these surveys because the owners lived up East and didn't know what was going on down in the hills. In 1896 M.M. Logan bought the remainder of the old Hart Survey and called all the people of the "Forks" into court to prove their deeds, which many couldn't. They had deeds which they had bought from others but the deeds were faulty.
Polly and Nancy did not have money to contest their land suit, which from all appearances would be lost anyway because of Robert Smith's prior claim. Philip F. Jones came to their rescue and paid attorney Samuel Brents a note for $30 to defend Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Stewart in the case in Hart County which was pending in court. This note was dated April 26, 1824. This date is significant. The deal was that if Brents was successful in his defense then he kept the entire $30 but if he lost the case he only got $10. When the case came up for trial, the court commissioners of Hart Co. disposed of the case without a trail, thus Nancy and Polly lost the suit. Brents didn't actually loose the suit for them, it was just kicked out of court by the commissioners.
In 1826, in the newly formed Edmonson County, Brents filed suit against Jones for the entire $30 which Jones had stubbornly refused to pay. Much to his dismay, Jones lost the case.
William Rountree and Moses Guess had something to do with the land that Nancy and Polly had tried to claim, and one or both of these men owed some court cost in Hart Co. that had been charged to Nancy and Polly. It may be that they sold them the land which had a faulty title.
These debts of Guess' drug on until Oct 28, 1830, when Polly Stewart filed a suit against Moses Guess, principal and William Rountree his security, in the Edmonson Co. court to recover these costs. Written on the bottom of the court return by the sheriff was as follows....."The cause of action herein accrued since 1st June 1824 and no security of any kind to be taken".
On the 19th of January 1832, a fee was levied on Guess in the amount of five head of cattle to be sold at the house of Guess (Temple Hill vicinity) on the 30th January 1832. Polly was paid $7.66 (17 ½ cents sheriff's half commission and 50 cents for writing the bond) leaving her $6.98 ½ . This represented her half of the court cost of the Hart Co. suit in 1824.
Polly or Nancy never owned any land of their own. They continued to live among their people until they died. Polly was apparently dead by 1850 because no mention is made in the Census of her.
The last account we have of Nancy Webb, mother of Polly and Rebecca, was in Grayson Co. when she was 81 years old in 1833. She appeared and gave deposition for her brother John Phelps for his Revolutionary War Pension. At that time she gave her age and his age, he being a year and five months older than her.
There is an odd account in the Edmonson Co. order books for Oct. 1849 and 1850 in which the court allowed Rev. John Jones (step grandson of Nancy), $10 per year for taking care of "Mrs Webb" (no first name). If this was Nancy, then she died before the census taker came around that year and would have been 97 years old. Neither, Polly or Rebecca, lived to be that old nor did any of their children of the next generation. Actually they all died at about 50 years which seemed to be a trend in both families for a couple of generations or so.
Events
| Marriage | 1806 | (that part which became Edmonson Co.), Warren, Kentucky, United States - Martin Webb |  | ||
| Census | 1820 | Martinsville, Warren, Kentucky, United States |  | | |
| Marriage | VanZant |
Families
| Spouse | Martin Webb (1740 - 1816) |
| Spouse | VanZant ( - 1806) |
| Father | William Phelps ( - ) |
| Sibling | John Phelps ( - ) |
Notes
Census
Nancy Webb 000000001011 woman 16-26
1 woman 45+, Nancy
Endnotes
1. Whitaker, Winnie Webb, "Webb genealogy," e-mail messages from <WinnieWhitaker@yahoo.com> to Nancy Prouty, 2004-2008..
2. U.S. Census images. Heritage Quest Online. Subscription database through the Sonoma County Public Library. (ProQuest LLC, 2009.), 1820 > KENTUCKY > WARREN > MARTINSVILLE Series: M33 Roll: 28 Page: 60.