52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES, No. 51: Leanah SNEED, Virginia to Illinois

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog based on Themes, although it seems not always relevant for me to use! We're so close to finishing another year of one ancestor/week, all year long. This week, I head into the LEWIS-RICE lines for another early ancestor, Leanah SNEED/SNEAD.

Once more, we have a wife about whom I know very very little.  Leanah SNEED is mentioned as the wife of John VINEYARD/VINYARD, they had at least 7 children, and on down several more generations to Martha Jane VINEYARD mother of Reba RICE, in the LEWIS-RICE lines of my ex-husband. So, Leanah is my children's 4th great-grandmother. Much of my information comes from details posted on myFamily for the VINYARD group; myFamily was "retired" in 2014, when Ancestry cancelled support. 

Leanah is described as being from Virginia, as was John VINEYARD, and her birthdate estimated to be about 1767, with her age listed on 1850 & 1860 censuses.  We know nothing about her parents. There are Sneed/Snead individuals living in Virginia in the mid-late 1700s, but I have yet to find the clue to identifying her family, e.g., naming patterns, church records, probates, etc.

I can estimate a likely marriage for John and Leanah of about 1795ish, as the children show birth years within 2 years later, b. in Tennessee. Note, Tennessee became a state entity in 1796.  All their children appear to have been born in Tennessee, according to the research I've been able to do to date. And then the family ends up in the Indian Creek area of White County, in the southeast corner of Illinois.

Looking at maps, it seems to be a relatively straight westward-heading line from Virginia --> Tennessee --> Illinois (southeast), from one new territory to another. Perhaps this quick west-ward travel was as a result of new land becoming available, possibly even from military land grants of their parents.

Leanah SNEED & John VINEYARD had the following children, all born in Tennessee. It is possible they had children before Joshua, marrying earlier than I postulate, but I have no records to show this. I have not researched the younger children and their families as yet.

1. Joshua, b. abt 1797
2. John Jr., b. abt 1799
3. William, b. abt 1801
4. Emily Ann, b. abt 1804
5. Jeremiah, b. abt 1806
6. Margaret, b. abt 1808
7. Thomas Milligan [ancestor], b. 12 Apr 1811; m.1 on 16 Aug 1830 IL to Priscilla POOLE, 10 children; m.2 on 30 Jan 1858 to Samantha Garrett, 4 children; m.3 on 19 Jan 1868 to widow Martha J. Thompson; no children. 

Leanah is shown living with her husband and their youngest son, Thomas M. Vineyard, his wife and family on the 1850 Census, White County, IL, as seen below.

After her husband died after the 1850 Census in Norris, White, Illinois, Leanah is seen on the 1860 census, widowed, still living with youngest son, Thomas, his 2nd wife, and the children still at home.  They are living right next door to Thomas' eldest son, Phillip Wesley Vineyard, 26 yrs old.  

A detailed biography has been added to the FindAGrave memorial page for son Thomas M. Vineyard, buried in Union Cemetery, Norris City, White, Illinois.  Nothing is said on this memorial page about Thomas' mother, Leanah, however.  In fact, I could not find a FindAGrave listing for either Leanah or her husband John. Where could they be?  As far as I know they were living in White county IL before 1830, until their deaths, and there were children and grandchildren there.

If you know anything more about any of the above individuals, I would be so pleased for more details. And if you wish more information on them, I'm also happy to share. Contact me at my address at the bottom of the page or, in the Comments section.

Sometimes my Blogger account seems not to allow me to "reply" to your comments. Do know that I value your comments immensely.  You make my day! Thanks for stopping by to read my personal genealogy posts.

Now, back to research in Virginia-Tennessee-Illinois areas for SNEED/SNEAD families, as well as the VINEYARD/VINYARD families...