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The History of the Jetton Family |
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Zebulon Jetton Zebulon Jetton was born in Mecklenburg Co., North Carolina in September of 1779. He was the only son of Isaac Jetton and Esther Oliphant, daughter of John Oliphant and Jane. Zebulon, who was most likely named after his great uncle Zebulon Brevard, was only about seven years old when his father Isaac died in 1786. Zebulon's mother Esther remarried James Gillespie who was appointed guardian of young Zebulon in 1792. Isaac Jetton apparently died intestate but it seems reasonable to assume that Zebulon inherited some land from his father. We know that he inherited 40 acres that adjoined Isaac's land from his grandfather John Jetton in 1787. Like a lot of other young men of his time, Zebulon had a wandering soul and moved on to Tennessee with some of his uncles and cousins around 1800 when he was about 21. According to the Rutherford Historical Society, Zebulon Jetton, John Jetton and Isaac Jetton were among those who purchased land in the Black Fox Spring area between 1803 and 1810. Zebulon appears on the 1812 and 1813 tax lists for Rutherford Co., TN and married Mary "Polly" in 1812 or early 1813. His first child Isaac was born there in October of 1813. Although he had a substitute serve for him at some point, which was common practice then, Zebulon served as a Private in Capt. Alexander McKeen's Troop of Col. John Coffee's Regt. of Cav., West TN Vol. during the war of 1812. By 1815, Zebulon is 36 years old, married and has one child. He owns 140 acres and lives near relatives and probably good friends. Nevertheless, Zebulon sold his 140 acres, he cleared $40 on his initial purchase price, and moved to Caldwell Co., Kentucky. Land records do not clearly establish when Zebulon moved to Caldwell Co., Kentucky but his second child, Eviline, was born there in August of 1815. The 1820 census for Caldwell Co. shows Zebulon [26-45], Mary [26-45], two males under 10 [Isaac and James] and one female under 10 [Eveline]. Caldwell County Ky. land records show that Zebulon settled on the Tradewater River where he purchased 193 acres for $360 from Buel Clayton and his wife Judy on 2 January 1827. On December 7, 1832 he sold 104 acres of what appears to be part of the original 193 acres to Francis Clayton for $70. On October 6, 1832 he purchased 200 acres on the Tradewater River from Adolphus Ammon for $200. On February 14, 1835 he purchased 150 acres on the South Branch of the Tradewater River from Fleming Gatewood for $400 and on the same date purchased 50 acres from William G. Dillingham for $100. The 150 acres from Fleming Gatewood and the 50 acres from William G. Dillingham plus the 200 acres from Adolphus Ammon were part of a 400 acres land grant originally granted to William G. Dillingham. On September 2, 1836 Zebulon sold 200 acres on both sides of the Tradewater River to his son Isaac Jetton for $300. On December 11, 1838, Zebulon sold 200 acres on the Tradewater River to Francis Clayton for an unknown sum. At this point in time Zebulon owns 89 acres of the original 193 acres he purchased in 1827. On September 5, 1837 his son Isaac sold the 200 acres he purchased from his father but was still in Kentucky during the 1850 census. According to the 1850 census, Zebulon was still living in Caldwell County Ky., but his wife Mary is not on the census so it is assumed that she died prior to 1850. Sometime between 1850 and the 1860 census he moved to Lawrence County Missouri and then between 1860 and 1864 he moved to Johnson County Arkansas where he remained until his death on January 29, 1865. According to Zebulon's great-grandson, Robert J. Jetton, "his great grandfather brought his family from Missouri to Clarksville and settled out on the old Wire Road shortly before the tragedy occurred". As might be expected, some of the details involving Zebulon's death are not clear but at the age of 85, he was shot to death by "Yankee Jayhawkers" on January 29, 1865, along with another gentleman and his 15 year old son, and he was buried where he fell by his daughter Emily Jetton. The family later added a stone with the epitaph; "Innocently murdered by his political enemies for claiming his southern principals". The area where he was buried is now under water due to the Dardanelle Dam but In 1962, prior to the completion of the dam, the government removed Zebulon's remains, [a small piece of skull, a few bones, some buttons and the fatal bullet], in the presence of members of the Jetton family and he was reburied in the South Bend Cemetery. The other individuals killed with Zebulon were Daniel Farmer and his 15 year old son Jim. According to an affidavit signed by Daniel Farmer's grandson, W. S. Jett, and certified by Mr. Farmer's granddaughter M. E. Reese and Zebulon's grandson William Zebulon Jetton, " there were 10 or 15 Federal soldiers that belonged to the 2nd Arkansas Regiment stationed at Clarksville who took an old man, Daniel Farmer and his son about 15 years of age, and old man Jetton who was eighty-five years old, down near the Arkansas river, one and a half miles south of where Knoxville is now, and killed them". According to accounts handed down in the Jetton family, Zebulon's sons Robert and Thomas were serving in the Confederate Army at the time and Zeb's sympathies were obviously with the south even though he also had grandsons serving in the Union Army. In any event, Zebulon, Daniel Farmer and his son Jim heard there were Jayhawkers in the area and, for whatever reason, decided to scout around in the Knoxville area. Exactly what they were doing is not clear but they were caught by the Jayhawkers who shot and killed all three of them. Just before he was shot, Zeb reportedly told the Jayhawkers "you won't beat me out of many days". When the bodies were found, members of the Farmer family, an old negro woman named Lucy and others, including Zeb's daughter Emily who brought quilts to line the grave and body with, dug a grave and buried Zebulon on the spot were he was killed. Mrs. Cal Farmer, a daughter-in-law of Daniel Farmer and others, including three young boys who drove a wagon pulled by oxen, carried the bodies of Daniel Farmer and his son Jim to Clarksville where they were buried in the Clarksville Cemetery. Why Zebulon's body was buried on the spot he was killed and not taken back to the Clarksville Cemetery with the others is not clear. One reason given in the affidavit by W. S. Jett is that "it was impossible to get a coffin or even to have one made" but that would also pertain to the other bodies. My guess is that, for whatever reason, Zeb's daughter Miss Emily Jetton made the decision to bury him there. War itself is a tragedy at best, but the civil war had more than its share of, for lack of a better word, "tragedies" such as the ones told here; and to the point where it is sometimes hard to tell the good guys from the bad. When that happens, one can easily argue that there were no good guys. The ruthless killing of these three individuals in this case was nothing short of murder although to be fair, one could make the case that they were shot as spies under the rules of war. I might consider this argument except for what the Jayhawkers did after killing them which, quite simply would be incomprehensible to any civilized people. [click on Affidavit to read the whole story]
Children of Zebulon Jetton and Mary
2. Emeline Jetton
3. Emily Jetton
4. James Jetton
5. Thomas Jetton
6. Robert Jetton
7. Mary Ann Jetton
8. Zebulon Jetton
9. Lucy Jetton
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