Samuel Looney Blevins was born in Rhea County (now Meigs County), Tennessee, in February of 1832, the third child and second son of Hugh Torbett Blevins and Anna Burton Looney.  Samuel was named after his grandfather, Samuel Looney.  Family legend has it that Samuel Looney was a full blood Cherokee Indian, although no positive proof has been found at the time of this writing.¹

Childhood

Samuel’s father, Hugh, was a constable in Rhea County, Tennessee.  At this time in history, being constable was rarely a full time profession.  It is likely that Hugh was also a farmer, as were most residents of Rhea County.   The Blevins family lived in that part of Rhea County which became part of the newly-formed Meigs County, in 1836.   As a result, Hugh immediately became a Meigs County constable, in accordance with the act which bought Meigs county into existence on January 20, 1836.

“SECTION 3. BE IT ENACTED, That all officers, civil and military in said county of Meigs, shall continue to hold their offices, and exercise all the powers thereof, until others are elected under the provisions of the amended constitution and the laws made in pursuance thereof; and the said county of Meigs shall elect for others, civil and military, under the amended constitution, at the same time, and under the same rules and restrictions, and in the same manner that may be provided for the electing of officers in other counties in this state;…”

Family legend holds that Hugh was “killed his first day on the job as constable”, while breaking up a moonshine operation.   Knowing that Hugh was a constable in Rhea County first, we interpret this legend to mean that Hugh was killed his first day as a Meigs County constable.   At the time of his untimely death, at the age of 32, Hugh and Anna had five children: Rodney, age 7, Mellissa, age 6, Samuel, age 4, Hugh, age 3, and John, age 1.   Hugh’s widow, Anna B Blevins appeared before the Meigs County Court on August 1, 1836 to begin the process of administering Hugh’s estate.  Her father, Samuel Looney, was one of the bondsmen.

In the census of 1840, Anna was still living in Meigs County with her five children.  Anna was obviously blessed during this time, having a support system nearby from an abundance of Blevins family members, as well as her father.   In the census records of 1850, our subject, Samuel Looney Blevins, is listed as a farmer, still living with his mother and family, at the age of 18.

As a Young Adult

Sometime between 1850 and 1860, Samuel became a blacksmith apprentice for John B Murphy.  On September 7, 1854, Samuel married John’s daughter, Melinde E Murphy, in Rhea County.  In the census of 1860, Samuel and Melinde and their children, Lucy A and John M,²  were living with Melinde’s parents, John B and Lucy R Murphy

Samuel and his brothers, Rodney and Hugh, joined the Confederate Army at the start of the war. Samuel and Hugh served under the command of Captain W. T. Gass, 1^st Tennessee Cavalry, Company "D", and were mustered in August 5th, 1861.  Samuel’s oldest brother Rodney was killed in Tunnel Hill, Georgia, on May 6, 1864, as his Company engaged General Sherman’s troops during their march from Chattanooga to Atlanta.

Samuel’s mother, Anna Burton Looney Blevins died in October, 1861.  At the time, she was living with her widowed father, Samuel Looney, as his housekeeper.

After the War

In 1869, Samuel, and his brother Hugh, moved their families to Round Prairie, in Benton County, Arkansas.  There had been a large migration of related Blevins families from Tennessee to Arkansas starting shortly after the War.  By the census of 1870, Samuel’s family is shown in Benton County, with children Lucy, John, Hugh, Gustavus, William, and Frank, all born in Tennessee.   Samuel’s occupation is Farmer.   Hugh and his family lived on the farm next to Sam’s.

Return to Tennessee

The family moved back to Tennessee and settled in Bledsoe County sometime before the birth of my Great-Grandmother, Susie Mae Blevins on February 19, 1872.  By the census of 1880, son Thomas Russell Blevins was also born.  Samuel’s occupation was farmer and tanner.  According his granddaughter, Myrtle Ellen Clifton, Samuel’s skills as a blacksmith and tanner kept the family well off, (by Bledsoe County standards).  

Samuel’s brother, Hugh Torbett Vernon Blevins, stayed in Arkansas after Sam and Melinde headed back to Tennessee.  He wrote the following letter to Samuel in 1873.

Maysville, (Benton County, AR)

March, 18th, 1873

Sam. L. Blevins

Dear Brother  I received your kind letter which found us all well. Hoping these few lines may reach & find you all enjoying the same health. Sam when your letter came I was not at home.  I started the 22 of Jan down South to buy furs.  Bill Caywood and my self and was gone 7 weeks.  Bought 2 wagonloads as much as each one could fill.    Sam I have no news to write.  Time is harder than ever we saw before. No money  Sam I want you to give me all the news and I send you my picture and I want you to have yours taken and send to me fail not to do so.   

Your brother, 

H.T.V.Blevins

P.S.  Sam write to me if you have got any thing from Grandfathers Estate.  John Cox told me that you had.  I am goin to sell the land again if he don't pay that estate of right away. They land stands good for the purchases money it was wrote in the deed.  Sam, fail not to write.

HTV  Blevins

The “Grandfather’s Estate” referred to by Hugh was the estate of Samuel Looney, who had died sometime in the previous year.  Hugh’s concern for his share of the estate reinforces our belief that Samuel Looney was wealthy, or at least, of some means.   Hugh left Arkansas for Kansas and eventually settled in Arizona.  Hugh died in Globe, Arizona, in 1926.  His obituary references another family legend:

"Globe,Arizona - Hugh T. Blevins, 93, a descendant of Pocahontas, Lieutenant in the Confederate army during the Civil War and a survivor of the battle of Lookout Mountain, died here today.  He was a native of Decatur, Tennessee."

Added information provided by Gary L Blevins:  Funeral cost $256.00. He lived at 207 E.Oak, Fredericks House, Globe, Arizona. Place of funeral: Jones Chapel, Rev. Brewster presiding. Buried in the Globe Masonic Cemetery, Fredericks Plot. Farmer in later years. Lived to be 93 years old. Lived in Globe, AZ for 41 years. Father's name on death certificate is Hugh T. Blevins of Decatur, TN and Ann Looney of TN.

No evidence of a relation to Pocahontas has been found to date.

By 1900, Samuel and Melinde had left Bledsoe County for Rhea County, where many of the extended Blevins clan still resided.  Sons Frank (widowed), age 31, and Thomas, age 22, are living with them.  Samuel’s occupation, at age 68 is listed as day laborer.  We assume he was still applying his blacksmith and tanning skills.   Frank and Thomas are both Coal Miners.

Confederate Pension

Samuel applied for a Confederate Soldiers Pension on July 30th of 1900.  He lists severe rheumatism which makes him “unable to perform usual labor”.  He states that he was not wounded in the war, but references a battle which signaled the start of his infirmary:  the Battle of Fishing Creek, where he was guarding Stigall’s Ferry, during which his forces had to fall back from Mill’s Spring.  He stated that he got out of the army in 1863, due to “being sick”.  He also states that he did not take the oath of allegiance to the United States Government.   He lists the ages of eight children, six boys and two girls:  45, 43, 41, 39, 37, 35, 33 and 21.

The Children

Lucy Ann Blevins b. 1855 (named for Melinde’s mother), married John Unknown

John M. F. Blevins b. 1857 (named for Melinde’s father)

Hugh Looney Blevins b. 1862, married Mabel S Thomas

Gustavus A Blevins b. 1863, married Hattie Sallie Swafford

William Blevins b. 1867, married Simarie Stout

Francis R (Frank) Blevins b. 1869, married Maggie Wyatt

Susie Mae Blevins b. 1872, married Charlie R Clifton (my great-grandparents)

Thomas Russell Blevins b. 1878, married May Denton

The Move to Oklahoma

Samuel and Melinde’s son, William, had left Bledsoe County in 1898 for Texas and eventually settled in Woodward, Haskew County, Oklahoma.  Due to declining health, Samuel and Melinde followed them there sometime before 1902, eventually settling in Lone Wolf, OK.

On March 29, 1908 Samuel wrote a letter from Lone Wolf, Oklahoma, to his friend Ben G McKenzie, the Notary Public that assisted him with his original Confederate Pension Application.  In the letter, Samuel asks for his assistance again in contacting his witnesses (apparently still in Tennessee) that were used for his application.  Samuel stated that he is going to New Mexico to claim 760 acres of land as a soldier.  The tone of the letter suggests that he was not successful in obtaining the pension applied for in 1900.

(more to come....)

James D Thompson, Jr.

Great-great grandson

Footnotes:

1. Great-granddaughter Melinda Adeline Blevins applied for Cherokee citizenship on the basis of Samuel Looney being full-blood Cherokee, but was denied due to lack of evidence.  Dawes Roll Application.
2. It is our belief that John and Lucy were named after their grandparents John B and Lucy R Murphy.