Sarah Conway
1st wife of Amos I. Goodman
Sarah Conway was probably b. bef 1880, and was of age when she married Amos I. Goodman in 1801 in Blount Co., TN, Surety was Thomas Conway.
They had a son Anselm Goodman, b. 1702 in Greene Co., TN, and at least one female child, name unknown. These two were living with Amos Goodman and his new wife, Mourning Jones, in the 1810 Barren Co., KY census. The birth of Anselm Goodman is recorded in the Anselm and Nancy Goodman bible family pages, ca 1826-1890s, photo copies of which are in my possession.
In the 1810 Barren Co. census, after Amos re-married, Amos's family included one male under 10 (Anselm), one male 26-45 (Amos), one female under 10 (unknown by name, but probably issue of Sarah Conway), one female 16-26 (2nd wife, Mourning Jones Goodman), and one female 45+ (possibly Epharilla, widowed mother of Amos, who married 2nd, and apparently after 1810, a man named Rice).
Sarah (Conway) Goodman is mentioned in the "Minute Book 1803-1841 of the United Baptist Church of Christ.", the register of the Green River Baptist Church of Barren Co., KY, ca. 1803-1809, excerpts graciously provided by its transcriber, Mr. J.P. Grady, currently of Hart Co.. She appears with Reynolds, Fuqua, and other relations, many of which are also mentioned in Bedford Co., VA records. Sarah Goodman was received as a member of the Church in late 1803 or early 1804. She was excluded as a member in January, 1809, for having joined the Methodists. This action coincides closely with the date of the marriage of Amos to Mourning Jones. Sarah Conway Goodman apparently died soon after 1809, or Amos Goodman and Sarah Conway Goodman divorced about that time, as she is no longer mentioned in any records, and Amos remarried in 1810 to Mourning Jones, and started another family. It is believed that she died, as in the 1810 Barren Co., KY census, the young children of Amos & Sarah Goodman are living with Amos and his new wife.
Ancestry of Sarah Conway
As noted previously, Thomas Conway was Surety at the marriage of Amos & Sarah. This is believed to be Thomas, son of Henry Conway. At this time, it is uncertain if Thomas was the father of Sarah, or if she was the daughter of Col. Henry Conway or one of his brothers, George or Joseph. In 1801, Henry and George Conway were in Greene Co., while Joseph, Thomas and Jesse Conway were in Blount Co. (Sisler, "Early Tennessee Tax Lists"). A number of nearby land transactions in the Lick Creek / Nolachucky River area of that part of TN also seem to indicate that Thomas Conway who provided bond for marriage of Amos Goodman and Sarah Conway was either a son or nephew of Henry Conway of Greene Co., TN. However, no source I or any other Conway or Goodman researcher can find lists a daughter of Henry Conway and Sarah (Hundley) Conway named Sarah, although that seemed to be the prevalent thing to do at the time. Since Sarah Conway Goodman died in Barren Co., KY before 1810, and Henry Conway d. in 1812, I can see why, if she was their daughter, she would not have been in his will, if there ever was one, or in Sarah Hundley Conway's later Rev War widow's pension application, on file in National Archives.
Henry Conway
The following are from my research at the National Archives in Philadelphia:
According to the Rev War widow's pension application of his wife in Washington Co., TN; W6719, (National Archives Microfilm Series M804, Roll 632): Capt. (later in TN, Col. and Gen.) Henry Conway, married wife Sarah Hundley on 25 July 1769 in Pittsylvania Co., VA. Therefore, he was probably b ca 1749 or before. Henry Conway died 10 Sep 1812. Mistakenly thinking his bees all dead, he kicked over a hive, and was stung to death.
Henry Conway served as Capt. in the 6th VA Regiment, and also in the 14th VA Regiment, under Col. Lewis, from 10 Mar 1777 through 12 Mar 1779, when he resigned. According to Sarah, and also testimonials of Rev. Elbert Sevier and James Sevier, they had children: Thomas, Nancy (wife of James Sevier), Elizabeth (wife of Maj. John Sevier), Susanah. All were b. before 1779, when Thomas was about 11. Thomas was therefore b. about 1769, and would therefore probably have been "in the oven" when Henry & Sarah married that same year. Given these dates, this Thomas Conway would have been only 31 in 1801 when Amos Goodman m. Sarah Conway, so it is unlikely that this Thomas was the father of Sarah, unless he married very young, and Sarah also married very young.
According to various records (National Archives Microfilm series M881 / M246 / M853) of the 14th VA Regiment, as of 28 April 1777, Col. Charles Lewis was in command. The general payroll of that date also lists Capt. Henry Conway £431.8, Lt. (later Capt.) John Overton £242.17, Lt Drury Oliver £100.16. Henry Conway appears on various payrolls and musters until October, 1778. The Regiment was at the Battle of Brandywine, 11 Sep 1777, and the Battle of Germantown, 4 Oct 1777. Capt. Henry Conway appears on the list (return) of wounded & killed, dated 29 Oct 1777. Other Regimental references of interest include: Pvt. James Conway, enlisted 2 Mar 1777, discharged 8 Feb 1778 and Ens./Lt. Joseph Conway.
Excerpt from "The Lost State of Franklin", 1927 by Samuel Cole Williams (former Justice of the Supreme Court of Tennessee)
The Franklinites, p.310-311
"HENRY CONWAY"
Henry Conway was born in Virginia, and removed to the lower part of the Nolachucky settlement before 1783, in August of which year he was appointed one of the tax-assessors of Greene county, and at the November term of court was on the grand jury.
He served as treasurer of the State of Franklin (1787) as one of the commissioners who signed the treaty of Coytoy (1786) and as speaker of the senate of 1786.
Two of the sons of Governor Sevier married his daughters. James Sevier's wife was Nancy Conway; Major John Sevier's first wife was Elizabeth Conway. A third daughter married John Sevier, son of Colonel Valentine Sevier, II, and became the mother of Senator Ambrose Hundley Sevier, of Arkansas. The wife of Henry Conway was Sarah Hundley of Virginia.
Through his son, Thomas, Henry Conway was progenitor of other grandsons who rose to eminence in the State of Arkansas. Henry W. Conway served with distinction under General Jackson in the War of 1812, and was member of Congress from Arkansas, from 1823 to 1827, when he was killed in a duel with Robert Crittenden. James Sevier Conway was founder of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, and first governor of that State, 1836-1840. Elias Nelson Conway was the fifth governor of Arkansas.
George Conway, a brother of Henry Conway, was of the commission that laid out the town of Greeneville. He served as colonel on the Cherokee expedition of 1793, and was first major-general of the State of Tennessee. [Editor Note: Mr. Williams is reported by some to be incorrect, in that George Conway, Maj. Gen., was actually George, son of Henry Conway's brother, William] Joseph Conway, another brother, served the State of Franklin.
Without doubt, the Conway family produced more men of ability than any other Greene county family.
Henry Conway remained throughout all vicissitudes firmly attached to the State of Franklin. Not until the February term, 1789, of the Greene county court did he take the oath of allegiance to the State of North Carolina.
There is more than a hint of record that Henry Conway was a man of full habits. He lived well, and extended a gracious hospitality. Bishop Ashury was his guest on one of his visits to Tennessee, and Governor Sevier made the Conway home a stopping place in his frequent journeying between Washington county and Knoxville."
Conways of Kentucky
From: http://www.starbase21.com/kybiog/butler/conway.jn.txt
Original Source: Kentucky: A History of the State, Battle, Perrin, & Kniffin,
2nd ed., 1885, Butler Co.
JOHN N. CONWAY, Butler County, was born January 6, 1841, on Big Reedy Creek, in
this county, where he grew to manhood and has always resided. In 1861, he
enlisted in Company G, Eleventh Kentucky (Federal) Infantry, and was slightly
wounded at the battle of Murfreesboro. He served three years and was
honorably discharged. His father, William Conway, a native of Barren
County, Kentucky, was born October 18, 1807, and is still living. He is
the son of Thomas Conway, a native of Virginia, a Baptist minister, who was
accidentally killed in the construction of the canal at Louisville, Ky., in
1829; his father was Thomas Conway, of Virginia, a celebrated Indian fighter.
William (subject's father) married Mary, daughter of Rev. Isaac Embry, of this
county, who was born in May, 1819. From this union sprang Melvina
(Miller), John N., James M. (deceased), Nancy (Miller), Martha (Willis), William
T. and Jane (Wilson). In youth John N. received a limited education but by
studious habits has acquired a fair business education. September 17,
1861, he was married to Miss Annie, daughter of J. A. and Nancy Jones of Butler
County (born July 23, 1847). To them have been born John W., Thomas L. C.,
Joseph W., William F., Otis A. B., Drusilla B. (deceased), Theodore H., Lula J.
and Catherine A. Mr. Conway served one term as magistrate, and member of
court of claims of Butler County. He is a farmer and owns 568 acres of
well improved and productive land. He is a member of the Masonic
fraternity, and for the past twelve years has been an elder in the Christian
Church.
Conway Embry Miller Willis Wilson Jones
=
Barren-KY VA Louisville-Jefferson-KY
=========================================
This family line appears to have the same basic naming pattern as the known
lines of Thomas Conway b. 1704 and Elizabeth Mauzey of Faquier, VA, parents of
Col. Henry Conway. Given the dates above, and the known dates and names in the
Faquier VA Conway line, the closest match for the Thomas Conway, "the famous
Indian fighter" mentioned above, appears to be the Thomas, son of Henry Conway's
brother, William, who also went to Greene Co., TN.
