Shedrick, Meshack, & Abednego

The early Luallins were a nomadic lot, and moved around a good deal between VA, SC, NC, TN, KY, AR, and MO.  They seem to have dragged their inlaws with them when they migrated.  The Shaddy's were heavily imbedded in NC, prior to MO, for example.

This is just surmising what could have been, but feasible and interesting bits of history uncovered in my search for the early Luallin's, Llewellyn's, Luallens, and a dozen other spellings.  These extracts are just cut and paste stories and records from the internet provided to peak your interest as much as it has mine.

Shedrick claimed on a census that he was from Prussia.  Meshack moved out to MO, and it seems Lueling became his name.  Abednego, was said to be killed by indians in 1790.

Providence KY, is one of many such named cities in KY.  This one is on the Natchez Trace, in Webster County, near the Shawnee Forest.  A major hunting trail back in the early days.


Abednego Llewellyn settled northwest of the hamlet of Providence at an early day. He had come from Wales with Ellis Clark and Nancy Clark when he was a small boy. He married their daughter, Rebecca Clark. His land is still called Roy Field (Roi in French for king). Memoirs in his family strongly indicate that he was one of the royal family, Llewellyn, destroyed largely by the English victors at the time of the conquest of Wales.

His children were Arsenia, who married James Trader, and Leroy. Arsenia was the mother of Absalom Weir Trader, father of Justin Trader.



History of Providence, Ky.
    Part 1
    by Frances Bassett Price

    The glorious bit of terrain which we call Kentucky a little more than a century ago was literally "No Man's Land." From the Big Sandy to the Mississippi, from the Ohio to the Cumberland there were no roads, no homes, no ripening fields.

    Many tribes of Indians roamed over it as their hunting ground; none could hold it as a home. On white men's maps it was named Fincastle county, Virginia, then the District of Kentucky; then Kentucky county but neither Shawnee, Cherokee, or Virginian dared to linger there long. From time to time daring hunters or explorers, singly or in groups, had ventured into the unknown forest depths and followed the narrow trails of the buffalo and Indians.

    The ones so fortunate as to return told glowing stories to the eager listeners beyond the mountains; stories of danger and of hairbreadth escapes, stories of lofty forests and clear and countless streams, of open meadows, waving with tall cane and luxuriant grass, of salt springs where elk and deer and buffalo thronged to lick the earth.

    To all who heard these stories -- section torn -- plains over the mountains. Down the Ohio in flatboats or broad horns, down the Cumberland through the narrow Pine Mountain pass, or through the high swung gateway of Cumberland Gap they came, past the mountains, past the Knobs into the rolling upland of central Kentucky one of the garden spots of the world.

    When the Revolutionary War closed in 1783 there were approximately 12,000 inhabitants in Kentucky County. When, on June 1, 1792, after many delays and disappointments, Kentucky took her place amount the sisterhood of sovereign states her population was 100,000.

    Early Settlers

    In the mighty tide of immigration which continued to sweep westward among the early comers to what is now the Providence locality were John and Robert Doris, and William and Eleazar Given from near the Fort Nashboro settlement in Tennessee, and William Jenkins from Virginia. Turning west about 38 miles south of Red Banks (Henderson) as they came up the northwestward extension of the Old Natchez Trail, known to us as U. S. 41, they selected the rich plateau land nearby and homesteaded it. William Given's land was next to the old trail. Eleazar went west and south. The Dorris land lay to the north.

    -Torn - to be fact that William Jenkins was the first comer to the locality. He had been in charge of the arsenal at Yorktown, Virginia. No doubt he started soon after the surrender with a military land warrant for his Revolutionary services. Immediately after the Revolutionary War closed the state of Virginia by an act of her General Assembly, set apart all the district of Kentucky lying below Green River and declared the same to be held for bounty lands for her soldiers of the Continental line. The warrant issued Major General Baron Von Steuben in February 1783 for his services states that his survey shall be on the south fork of Tradewater River. Many other warrants state the same. So no doubt Jenkins was seeking the military land on Tradewater river when he came into what is now Webster county. At any rate he located near the hill now known as Old Baptist Hill. Some years later he built a cotton gin which is said to have done a thriving business in the days when most planters raised their own cotton.

    Steadily year by year, in groups usually, the tide of immigration flowed in and the population in "The Tradewater Country" increased. The rich river bottom land was admirably suited to the growth of rank dark tobacco. Factories were built on many farms for its housing and curing. The section was known throughout the state for its rich agricultural products.

From the Centennial Supplement of THE PROVIDENCE ENTERPRISE:
Published Every Thursday: Volume XXXVIII, Providence, Kentucky,
Thursday, July 18, 1940, Number 38

Used here with the permission of
The Providence-Journal Enterprise,
Providence, Kentucky

What follows is from census records for South Carolina on Shedrick Luallin:

This 1800 Federal Population Schedule (Census) for Union District, South Carolina is the "First" Census for the Union District.  The Union District was created from the larger "Ninety-Six" District in 1798. Even though no 1790 Census is listed for Union District, most of the people on pages 45 to 52 on NARS M-637, State Reel 11 were residing in the present-day Union Co., South Carolina. ..prs

Their are some 1,420 "Head of Household" (H/H) listed in this 1800 Census, starting on page 215 to 250

Many records have a series of numbers within the Family Group field. 
The meaning of these numbers is as follows.

       1800 Census Example:  01010-02210-06

       (Free white males   5 digits)-
       (Free white females 5 digits)-
       (all other free persons 1 digit) (except indians not Taxed)
       (Slaves 1 or 2 digits)

       5 Digits breakdown as follows
       (including heads of families)
       1st digit - number in household age under 10 yrs.
       2nd digit - number in household age 10 & under 16 yrs.
       3rd digit - number in household age 16 & under 26 yrs.
       4th digit - number in household age 26 & under 45 yrs.
       5th digit - number in household age 45 & upwards.

       The example would break down as follows:
       1 male age 10 to 15, born between 1785 - 1790
       1 male age 26 to 44, born between 1756 - 1774
       2 females ages 10 to 15, born between 1785 - 1790
       2 females ages 16 to 25, born between 1775 - 1784
       1 female age 26 to 44, born between 1756 - 1774
       6 slaves

The following is alphabetized by "Last Name" then first name
with the "National Archive Record Service" (NARS) number;
The State "Reel" number; The "Page" number on the micro-film,
and the "Family Group" members.
C400  COLE                John                1800 M-32  50  241  00000-00000-50
C400  COLE                Mary               1800 M-32  50  249  00010-12103-01
C400  COLE                Richard          1800 M-32  50  249  21010-31010-01
L500  LUALLIN         Shedrick          1800 M-32  50  229  00020-30110-00
The Cole families are listed only to attempt a tie in to Lucy Cole from NC.

So, Shedrick had 2 males age 26-45, and 3 girls under age 10, 1 girl 16-26, and 1 girl 26-45 years of age, and no slaves in 1800.  Thomas Matthew was likely born near the turn of the century.

The whole thing just kind of makes you say "Hmmm".