Descendants of James Swinney
(with emphasis on the family of Ballard and Mallie Vaughan)
The Swinney and Byrd families were some of the earliest settlers of Grayson County, Virginia, both families arriving prior to 1800. The Swinneys settled in Spring Valley near Stephens Knob, while the Byrd family established a homestead along Elk Creek. James F. Swinney (1785- 1861) and Elizabeth "Betsy" Byrd (1785- 1830) were married on November 5, 1807. James and "Betsy" Swinney had five children:
Lorintha "Patty" Swinney (1810-1860)
Malinda Swinney (1811-1880)
Anderson Swinney (1814-1882)
David Swinney (1820-1899)
Mahala Jane Swinney (1824-1875)
Anderson Swinney and his brothers remained on the original homestead and continued to farm the land in Spring Valley. Anderson did his part to preserve the Swinney name into the next generation: He was married three times and had a total of 20 children. Anderson's first wife was Zilphia (Cilpha) Byrd (1819-1850). Zilphia was the daughter of Samuel Byrd, Jr. and Permelia “Milly” Wheeler. She bore 7 children from this union:
Jasper N. Swinney (1839- 1900)
Christopher Columbus Swinney (1841-1862; killed in civil war)
Rosamond A. “Rosa” Swinney ( 1841- 1920 )
Matilda Swinney (1842-1915)
Lucinda Frances Swinney (b184
Lorinda J. Swinney (1846- 1862)
Amelia “Millie” Caroline Swinney (1847– 1934)
Zilphia Swinney died in 1850 (reason unknown) and Anderson then married Sarah “Sally” Shupe, daughter of John Shupe and Lucy Wright. Anderson and Sarah Swinney had six more children:
James C. Swinney (1853- 1862)
Martha “Mattie” Elizabeth Swinney (1855- 1936)
Amanda Evaline Swinney
John Easu Swinney (1859- 1950)
Sarah Jane Swinney (1861-1939)
Lucy Bell Swinney (1862-1951)
When Sarah Swinney died ca 1860, Anderson took Susan Emeline Moore as his third wife (married July 28, 1868). Susan Moore (1837- 1924) was the daughter of Riley Ptolony Moore and Sidney Elizabeth Boyles. Anderson and Susan Swinney had four more children:
Riley Anderson Swinney (1870- 1932)
Mary Jane (Sis) Swinney (1871- 1956)
Clark S. Swinney (1873 - 1947)
Flora A. Swinney (1877- 1952)
There may have been an additional three children, although this is unconfirmed:
Stephen M. “Steve” Swinney (?)
Terry Swinney (?)
Henry Swinney (?)
Mary Jane Swinney was the eldest daughter of Anderson and Susan Emeline Swinney. Mary Jane married Nicholas Dobson Vaughan on January 1, 1891 and they lived on the side of Iron Mountain just west of the Swinney Place. Nicholas Vaughan (1866-1945) was the son of Haywood Vaughan (1839-1913) and Nancy (Byrd) Vaughan (1842-1880). Nicholas and Mary Jane Vaughan had seven children:
Lelia Clara Vaughan (1891-1974)
Lethia Elsie Vaughan (1894-1966)
Ballard Clinton Vaughan (1896-1965)
Howard Lincoln Vaughan (1899-1901)
Bertie Vaughan (1902-1994)
Donna Pauline Vaughan (1910-1911)
Dessie Pearl Vaughan ()
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Ballard Clinton Vaughan 1928 |
Mallie May (Smith) Vaughan 1928
(with Iva and William Vaughan) |
Ballard Clinton Vaughan married Mallie Mae Smith on November 1, 1919. Mallie Mae Smith (1897-1988) was the daughter of Alexander Lafayette Smith (1861-1943) and Nannie Mae Roberts (1865-1950). Ballard and Mallie first lived on property adjoining Nicholas and Mary Jane Vaughan's place in Spring Valley (known as the 'Sprinkle Place'), moved briefly to Marion, Virginia after Ballard returned from serving in WWI, and then back to Spring Valley, joining the community surrounding Liberty Hill Church (Dell Community). Ballard and Mallie Vaughan had three children:
Iva Ruth Vaughan (1920-1996 )
William Vaughan (b1924 )
Ballard Clifton Vaughan (1928-1954)
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Samuel and Iva Landreth
1955 (with Jerry and Kenneth Landreth) |
Iva Ruth Vaughan married Samuel Fielder Landreth on June 28, 1941 in Fries, Virginia, where both had graduated from Fries High School and now worked in the Fries Cotton Mill. Samuel Landreth (b1922) is the son of William Lee Landreth (1877-1948) and Ida (Boyles) Landreth (1880-1963). From 1942-1945, Samuel Landreth served in the US Army 45th Division, 180th Infantry Medical Detachment in Italy, France, and Germany. After returning from the Army, he used the GI-Bill to enroll in the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN. In 1952, Samuel Landreth graduated from that institution as Valedictorian of his class and set up a practice as an optometrist in Marion, VA. Iva Landreth worked from 1952-1960 at the Marion Hosiery Mill. Samuel and Iva had three children:
Kenneth Samuel Landreth (b. Galax, VA -8/22/47)
Jerry Lee Landreth (b. Memphis, TN 2/23/50 - d. 12/1/08)
David Charles Landreth (b Marion, VA-1963)
Iva's brother William Vaughan married Martha Rita Bursch (b1923) on ____. William and Martha (Marty) Vaughan had 5 children:
Bonnie Marie Vaughan
Robert Vaughan
Allen Vaughan
Dahlgren Vaughan
Mary Ruth Vaughan
Iva's youngest brother, Ballard Clifton Vaughan, was killed in an automobile accident in 1954 while serving in the US Army in Germany. He was 26 years old and unmarried.
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