THE DESCENDENTS OF

"CHEROKEE TOM" AND ELIZABETH PHARISS MANTOOTH


Compiled by Brenda Sherrill Schwall (Ninth Draft, July 1997)




MANTOOTHS


These records are taken from censuses from 1830-1920, Jefferson County, Tennessee Court records, Polk County wills, Bibles, family recollections, 1787 Virginia Tax Lists, Shenandoah County, VA, Marriage Records, and the Minutes of the Big Pigeon Primitive Baptist Church of Cocke County. I would also like to thank Jim Mantooth of Ball Ground, Georgia, and Raymond Estep of Norman, Oklahoma, for their previous manuscripts which I have compiled here into outline form. I have made an attempt to place children according to the 1850-60-and 70 census, but I make no claim to perfection. Since the census information is seldom accurate, I have done the best I could. If there is a month and year given, most likely it came from the 1900 census. If there is a more complete date, it came from a tombstone or Bible. When more than one year is given, those came from different censuses. Please help clarify this information if possible.--Brenda Schwall

OUR FIRST MANTOOTHS


The nickname "Cherokee Tom" came from the 1907 "Indian Application" of two of the great-grandchildren and will be used to indicate Thomas Mantooth, Sr. Thomas "Cherokee Tom" and Elizabeth Phariss Mantooth were married under the name Mantiuths in Shenandoah County, Virginia, in 1785 (bond dated Sept. 3, 1785, bondsman: Samuel Phariss). Thomas Mantooth appeared in the 1787 Virginia Tax List for Shenandoah County. Thomas Mantooth joined the Big Pigeon Primitive Baptist Church in December 1792 by letter. "Cherokee Tom" (Thomas Mantooth) appeared in the Jefferson County, Tennessee, Court records in 1793. Their presumed daughter, Mary Mantooth Burke, says she was born in Virginia in 1788 and their presumed son, John Mantooth, claims to have been born in Virginia in 1789. I presume that they moved to Cocke County in 1791/92. They could even have had another child born in Virginia. Neither of the sons, Thomas Jr. and probably Robert, appear in the 1850 census to give us a clue. Thomas Jr. died by Oct 3 1856 according to the Jefferson County suit against the heirs. A payment on the land was also owed from 1835, so he might have been dead by then. The William Mantooth (1803) and James Mantooth (1807) are also ascribed to them as well as two other daughters, Letty Virginia Mantooth (1795) and Elizabeth Mantooth? Frazier by reason of their ages. Elizabeth Phariss Mantooth (age 86) was living with Elizabeth Frazier and her husband Benjamin in the 1850 census; we presumed the elder Elizabeth was her mother.

I have cut off the list of children for "Cherokee Tom" and Elizabeth at 1807, although there could be others born after that date; Elizabeth was only 43. If so, they were probably girls, for the males who appear in the 1840 and 50 censuses begin the repetition of the names of the "original" children.

The list of children of Thomas Jr. and Letitia Dillon as given in the suit against the heirs of Thomas Jr. does not list a Robert but another male is listed in the 1830 census. In their application for Indian Lands, two granddaughters of theirs list a Robert, whom they said moved to Polk County and died there around 1900. The Robert Mantooth who married Hetty Mantooth, daughter of Samuel and Leitha Pharris Mantooth died in Polk County in 1898. There was included an affidavit from a Robert Mantooth of Polk County who was 73 in 1895. This is the Robert they probably referred to, although some of the information he gave is incorrect as was the information their father, James Wilson Ford, (age 85 in 1895), swore to. Both claimed that Thomas Jr. and Thomas Sr. lived until the 1850's. We know that is not correct from the suit and the 1839 tax lists and the census records.

If we accept the fact that "Cherokee Tom" died one year after his son, Thomas Jr., as stated in the Indian Applications, then the years of death would be about 1835 and 1836. This discrepancy is noted in the Indian Applications. I think that the information is based partly upon ramblings because neither man could have known the Thomas Sr. and Jr. for over 20 years. Robert, either as a son of Thomas Jr. or a nephew, was born around 1822 and would have been around 13/14 when both Thomases died. James Ford grew up in Haywood County, N.C. His older brother, Tipton Ford, married there in 1825 and moved to Cocke County where he appears on the 1830 census. James does not appear on the census of 1830, but he should have married around that time. The birth year of his eldest child, Letitia Ford, is given as 1830 and 1833. Based upon the ages of the rest of the children, the 1833 is probably closer to correct. Their next child was born in 1836.



These are the proposed children of "Cherokee Tom" and Elizabeth Phariss Mantooth and their offspring: 

  I. Margaret Mantooth (1786-?)
     m. Stephen Lee (Lee Family Tradition)

 II. Mary Mantooth (1788 {VA}-after 1856
     m. Joseph Burke (1763 {VA}-1856) Rev. War Pensioner

III. John Mantooth (1789 {VA})-after 1860 census)
     m. 1. Elizabeth Burke "Betsy" died before 1843
        2. Margaret Penland (1805-after 1860)

 IV. Thomas Mantooth, Jr. (1790/1800-1835)
     m. Letitia Dillon

  V. Robert Mantooth?  (1790/1800-after 1830)

 VI. Letty (Letitia?) Virginia (Jenny) Mantooth (1796-after 1850)
     m. William Hall

VII. Elizabeth Mantooth? (1796/7-after 1860 or 70)
     m. Benjamin Frazier

VIII. Samuel Mantooth (1799-After 1870)
     m. Leitha Pharris (1800-1880)
        In Rhea County in 1819
        Moved to Polk County, TN

 IX.William Mantooth (1803-After 1860)
     m. Nancy Lee (1811/12-after 1870)
     He was a shoemaker and blacksmith

  X. James Mantooth (1807-after 1860)
     m. Mary Burke? (1811-?)  (Burke Family Tradition)








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Kevin Mantooth