beverlyohrer on Family Tree Circles

Casey Family of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennerssee and Indiana

Journal by Beverly Ohrer some of which was previously submitted with an old email address (tennesseebaby".

John Casey arrived in Norfolk VA about 1762. His wife was Jemimia and their children include John Casey Dempsey Casey, William Casey, Arthur Casey and Page. Dempsey Casey was from Pasquotank County, North Carolina, a preacher, and is well documented as are all of his children. The first wife of Dempsey, Sr. was Elizabeth Craft, daughter of Thomas Crafts and Catherine. One of their children was Dempsey Casey Jr. born 1789, whose first wife was Mary Chauncey (Edmond Chauncey line) They had 3 children, however, Mary and the two boys disappeared without a trace while supposedly living in Pasquotank County, North Carolina. No documents can be found of her death or of the children except for one girl. Sarah grew up and married in Indiana to John Eastes. Recently the parents of John Casey and Jemima have been documented

SEE BELOW A DESCIPTION OF THE INDIAN CHIEFS WHO WERE IN THE AREA AND JUST MIGHT BE OF THE SAME FAMILY AS DICY MARTIN CASEY: When Dicy and Dempsey named their sons they used many of the same names as were from the Indian Chiefs.

John Walker of Accomac County was in the Hero Galley, November 4, 1777,
Walker were snatching up land at the same times - 1794-1820 - same areas of Hiwasse, Tennessee District, where we found Caseys. Also found were a Jonathan Webster, Henry Reigle and John Marden in Hawkins County, Tennessee, then Reuben Marton in the Hiwasse District of Tennessee. An interesting name is Pleasant H Walker Davidson County, Tennessee 1835. Remember there was a Pleasant Casey. Alfred Ragle/Reigle married Minerva Almeda Casey, daughter of Dempsey Casey Jr.

Cherokees became aware that they would be soon compelled to vacate their lands, so for a consideration they proposed to cede to the United States and remove themselves to a reservation west of the Mississippi. However, a large part of the tribe, with John Ross as the leader and the principal Chief of the Nation, was strenuously opposed to that solution. Other leaders who were mixed blood were in favor of the cession, one of whom was John Walker Jr. They held a council at Red Clay. In August 1834 without sanction of Chief John Ross they made a treaty ceding the lands to the United States. This was considered an act of treason by the other factions and they resolved to put the leaders to death and finally carried it out.

The first victim was John Walker Jr. He was a well educated gentleman who in 1824, married Miss. Emily S. Meigs, a granddaughter of the famous Col. R.J. Meigs. John Walker Jr. was with Maj. R.C. Jackson returning to his home from the council meeting when he was fired on by two Indians in ambush and was fatally wounded. He managed to reach home and died there 19 days later.

The territory now included in McMinn County formed part of the Hiwasse District, which the Cherokee Indians ceded to the United States by a treaty, consummated at Washington, DC on February 27, 1819 (mentioned before), between John C. Calhoun, secretary of war, and the following Chiefs: Hicks, John Ross, Lewis Ross, John Martin, James Brown, George Lowry, Gideon Morgan Jr., Cobbin Smith, Sleeping Rabbit, Small Wood, John Walker, and Carrohee Dick.

The Athens, Tennessee territory, now included in McMinn county, formed a part of the Hiwasse District which the Cherokee Indians ceded to the United States in 1819. That treaty was between Secretary of War John C. Calhoun and the Chiefs Hicks, John Ross, Lewis Ross, John Martin, John Walker and others. The county court was organized at the home of Maj. John Walker at Calhoun. He was also a Justice in 1820.

After the Treaty of 1819 the land of the Cherokee Indians consisted of about twelve thousand square miles with the center at the Cherokee town of New Echota in northeastern Georgia. The United States led the Indians to believe they had a policy of "pacification" and "civilization," thus hoodwinking the five civilized tribes of the eastern United States, (Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks and Seminoles). Of the five tribes the Cherokee trusted the government policy the most and they took advantage of the help they were offered, like agricultural training and farm implements. The Cherokee did well, becoming more affluent and they were a proud people. However the United States policy changed between 1817 and 1830, to leaning toward having the Cherokee removed from their lands.

Then Dempsey Casey Jr. moved to TN where he was one of the first businessmen in the town of Athens, McMinn Co. TN. After moving to Athens, Dicy Martin turns up as his spouse. There are no records of a marriage for Dicy and Dempsey. When one of their children died there is only a small notice in the newspaper stating that Eliza Casey, daughter of D. Casey died. Thomas Crafts Casey, brother of Dempsey Casey Jr. lived in Davidson County Tennessee. Dicy was born in 1806 in the same time period as the Indian Chiefs were there. Dicy

In the 1830 census for McMinn County Tennessee we find ?Demsy Casey? - 1 male 30-40 yrs old; 2 females under 5 yrs; and 1 female 20-30. The ages in this story are taken from the 1850 census of Daviess County, Tennessee. The census was taken as of June first of that year. The birth dates are in accordance with the 1850 census. The ages in parenthesis are from the 1850 census of Indiana, taking into account whether it is before or after the date the census was taken. There is a family Bible someplace that has the original writings.

Children of Dempsey Casey and Dicy Martin:
1. Margaret Amanda Casey born 16 July 1830; (20 yrs); died 1893; married 1852 to Wm Chapman
2. Maria F. Casey born 5 May 1832; (18 yrs); married Reynard
3. Minerva Almeda Casey born 29 October,1833; (16 yrs), died 1903; married 13 January 1854 to Alfred Ragle
4. William G. Casey born 22 January 1836,(14 yrs) died 1 June 1883; married Malinda Catherine (Kate) Taylor 6 October 1861
5. Eliza Jane Casey born 8 October 1838, dead by 1839 - posted in obituary section of the Hiwasse Patriot and read: Thursday August 22, 1839 ?In this place, last evening, Eliza, infant daughter of D. Casey, age about 10 months?
6. Thomas Walker Casey born 16 October 1840; died 8 May 1899, (10 yrs); married 5 September 1865 to Delilah, J. Keeser, 2nd wife Mildred Hobbs
7. Amanda Jane Casey born 19 November 1842; ( 7 yrs); married Gunning
8. Ellen (Susan E.) Casey born 28 October 1844; ( 5 yrs); married Daniel Neidigh
9. Martin Ross Casey (a twin) born 1 February 1847,(3 yrs); died 10 September 1865
10. Emily Crafts Casey (a twin) born 1 February 1847m died soon after birth
11. Louisa Eastes Casey born 25 May 1849 (1 yr); married John Hawkins

Dempsey and Dicy Casey moved their family to Daviess County, Indiana and the town of Stanford (later named Raglesville). Dempsey Casey died in 1864 and there is a large headstone in the Raglesville cemetery for him and when Dicy died there is NO mention of her in any obituary and only a tiny stone which previously had the letters on it, "D C" but is invisable now.