Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of John Officer

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Descendants of John Officer

Generation No. 1

1. JOHN⁴ OFFICER (JAMES³, THOMAS², JAMES¹) was born 1782 in Sadsbury Twp., Lancaster, PA, and died February 1847 in Tennga, Murray Co., GA. He married ZILLA LEDBETTER Abt. 1800 in White Co., Tennessee, daughter of ARTHUR LEDBETTER and FRANCES BROOKS. She was born Abt. 1786.

Notes for JOHN OFFICER:
This Family lived around Cookeville, Tennessee untill the time of the Civil War. Then some headed west,

DEATH: "Jack's father, John, died in 1847 he was 65, just after Jack's indictment
(for counterfeiting). He drowned at the Easley Ford in the Conasauga
River near the Bradley Co. TN-GA line. He is buried at the Calvary
Baptist Church Cemetery, Route 74, Tennga, Murray Co., GA. It was
rumored John's engraving plates were in his clothes when he fell off his
horse, causing him to drown."

This whole little story of Jack's counterfeiting is pretty interesting

from Lesley Wischmann
LWisch@trib.com
Visit the Oregon-California Trails Association website at:
http://www.OCTA-trails.org

!FAMILY HISTORY: George H. Rutledge, DESCENDANTS OF JAMES OFFICER;
1690-1980; compiled 1 Nov 1982 by George Rutledge, 221 George Street,
Hanover, PA 17331; p. 3 and p. 27. MARRIAGE: LDS IGI; 1600-1910; 1993
edn, TN. Also, FAMILY_HISTORY: Oliver Donald Pugh, JAMES OFFICER,
DESCENDANTS FAMILY ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER; 1740-1980; Vol. 1, No. 1,
June 1983; p. 2. And family group sheet of Helen M. OFFICER, 99 Dellwood
Drive, Fairborn, OH 45324, received from Yates Publishing of
Stevensville, MT.
RESIDENCES: From OFFICER FAMILY NEWSLETTER, "My second great
grandfather...lived with his father and mother on their land one mile
east of Jack's uncle, Alexander Officers' place. Alexander's house was
an Ordinary or Inn and was known as 'Officers Stand.' It was on the
Overton County side (north) of the Old Walton or Cumberland Road, 1 1/2
miles east of Standing Stone. Jack was an adult when his father wanted
to go to Bradley County. He was dating Zilla Elams. She was the daughter
of Edward Elams and Elizabeth Williams. He proposed to Zilla, she
accepted, so they were married 2 Oct 1842. They lived in the house of
Jack's father. John the father went to Bradley County. Their house was
in Overton County on the Emory Road about 3/4 mile east of the
intersection of the Emory Road and Old Walton Road. The Emory Road was
originally owned by Alexander Officer, William Marchbanks, Benjamin
Hagler, William Walls and Thomas Butler. Robert Officer, a brother of
Alexander..., had acquired Alex's interest in the road since Alexander's
murder in 1819-20. He must have also acquired Jacks stand and his land
because John Henry (Jack) Officer's land was described as being next to
Robert Officer's land." Also, "Jack was a huge man with blue eyes and
fair complexion. He had enormous hands. He measured the corn for
grinding in his two cupped hands, held together, which
was a quart. ...He was a kind and considerate man. Once upon a time,
when his neighbors were losing cattle to a killer panther, Jack took his
pack of hunting dogs to track it down. Before long the dogs treed the
large panther in a big oak tree. Jack saw the panther crouching on a
large limb. He climbed the tree, crawled out on a limb, and as the
snarling beast attacked, he hit it so hard with his huge fist, that the
cat fell to the ground in such an addled condition that the dogs killed
it without getting a scratch." OCCUPATION: Farmed 160 acres and ran a
steam powered gristmill by the side of Old Emory Road. Also probably
collected toll, for his uncle, from the eastbound travelers on this
heavily traveled road which was known as Marchbanks Pike or Officers
Turnpike. COURT: "Jack Officer was indicted Feb 1847 in Overton Co. for
passing a counterfeit three dollar bill, on the Northern Bank of KY to
one Arthur Ledbetter. He was also accused of having fifty piece of these
fabricated, fraudulent and counterfeit bills in the denomination of
three dollars in his possession and of having them concealed." True bill
of indictment returned 24 Feb 1847. Many delays before case finally came
to trial in the special term of 1850. Found not guilty. The witnesses --
Arthur Ledbetter, Martha Ledbetter, Sarah Ledbetter and Washington
Ledbetter -- apparently did not appear to testify against Jack Officer.
On 25 Feb 1853, they were ordered to pay court
costs. LAND: Sept. 1847, sold the land on which he was living to his
brother, Jefferson Brooks Officer. "This was apparently an effort on his
part to protect his assets, pending the outcome of the trial. He was
still living on the land in 1870..." CONFLICT: Marriage date is also
given as 10 Feb 1842 by Helen OFFICER.

The Ledbetters referred to are related to Zillah Ledbetter, who was
married to John Officer and was Jack's mother.

***********************************
Info from
http://www.familysearch.org/

Submitter(s):
GWENDOLYN MC CUISTION BROWN Microfilm: 1394289
2201 HILLVIEW DRIVE Submission:
LAGUNA BEACH CA
USA 92651

More About JOHN OFFICER:
Burial: Calvery Baptist Church Cemetery,Tennga, Murray Co.,GA
LDS File: AFN: CD1Z-PW

Notes for ZILLA LEDBETTER:
Source Information: LDS files

Batch number: Dates Source Call No. Type Printout Call No. Type
F847807 - 1395857 Film NONE
Sheet: 46

********************************
Submitter(s):
GWENDOLYN MC CUISTION BROWN Microfilm: 1394289
2201 HILLVIEW DRIVE Submission:
LAGUNA BEACH CA
USA 92651

More About ZILLA LEDBETTER:
LDS File: AFN: CD1Z-Q3

Children of JOHN OFFICER and ZILLA LEDBETTER are:

2.	i.		JAMES CALVIN⁵ OFFICER, b. January 16, 1802, Overton Co., TN; d. February 20, 1879.
	ii.		SAMUAL WALLACE OFFICER, b. Abt. 1804; m. ELIZABETH JAMES.

More About SAMUAL WALLACE OFFICER:
Census: 1830, MCMINN COUNTY, TENNESEE

3.	iii.	JEFFERSON BROOKS OFFICER, b. September 01, 1804, Nuckollsville District, Lumpkin Co., Georgia; d. Tennessee.
	iv.	NANCY OFFICER, b. Abt. 1807.
4.	v.	WILLIAM D OFFICER, b. 1808, Tennessee; d. Abt. 1855.
5.	vi.	JOHN HENRY JACK OFFICER, b. January 25, 1818, Warren County, TN; d. June 06, 1894, Putnam County, TN.

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