tennesseebaby on Family Tree Circles

John Casey arrived in Norfolk VA about 1762. His wife was Jemimia and their children include 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.
Then Dempsey Casey Jr. moved to TN where he was one of the first businessmen in the town of Calhoun, 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.

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 October1861
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 NO headstone and NO record in the curitor of the cemetery. We have thoughts that Dicy may have been part Indian. We found they baptised a servant of Mr. Vick in the Marrowbone Church of Nashville, Davidson Co., TN whose name was Dicy. Later in the church records we see that there was a Black Dicey who was "turned out". these are just small items, but worth remembering.

One of the daughters of Dempsey Casey and Dicy Martin was Minerva Almeda Casey who married Alfred Ragle and also lived in Raglesville, Indiana. Alfred Ragle was a Civil war hero. There were other chldren of Dempsey and Dicy Casey who lived nearby, however, though we have many family records and documents, there is no mention of where Dicy was for a year after Dempsey Casey died in 1864. Dicy was bedridden and frail so she would have needed to be cared for, but there has been no mention of where or who took care of her and there is no mention of where she is buried. Looking in the cemetery it doesn't appear to be space for her beside Dempsey's grave. Dicy was a sweet little lady and would sing for people while lying in her bed.

My ancestors traveled across the old trails from the southern states into Indiana. The "Old Trace" that crossed the Ohio river at Louisville, Kentucky, was known to the white people as the Clarksville and Vincennes trace. It had been a main traveled way for years and was a most favored route, with 2/3 of all the early settlers who came to southern Indiana, west of Louisville, came from over the route. It was the most prominent early line of travel in southern Indiana and was also called the "Buffalo Trace, the "Kentucky Road", "Vincennes Trace", "Clarksville Trace", "Harrison's Road", "Lan-zo-mi-wi", and others.

Entering Indiana at the Falls of the Ohio,the Buffalo Trace passed in a northwesterly direction and left Indiana at Vincennes. On his second visit to Vincennes, IN, in 1786 and after his famous capture of that post, General Clsrk marched about 1,000 men over the Buffalo Trace, from the Falls of the Ohio to Vincennes. This was after he had conquered the great Northwest and given an empire to his country. The "Trace" was used by General Harrison and Indiana to locate a treaty line. ("Family Tree", Vol. VI, No. 3, June/July 1995) The Buffalo Trace was wide enough for two wagons to pass. It wasn't easy to travel in those days with all the dangers.

The trails were not straight because men and animals desired a firm footing on the windy trail. To locate a straight line for the treaty, it was necessary to survey the old "trace" first using a chain and compass. the survey of the Old Buffalo Trace was begun 11 July 1805 by William Rector.

Indians followed the trails because they were open and easy to travel and besides there was much game and vast herds of buffalo. In spring the buffalo moved north from the favorite winter salt licks called "Big Bone" and "Blue Licks" of Kentucky, avoiding the hills and swamps, making it easy for people to travel in their steps. The Indians of the Ohio River region told how the buffalo perished near the beginning of the last century by a winter of "great cold." The snow was deep on the ground for many months and there was no food for the animals. This continued until they all had died. (Indiana Historical Society Publication, 4, Vol 2, State Auditor's Office; Smith's Indiana; Vol. 1; Glasscock's Indiana' Indiana Plat Book 5, pp 6, 12 and 2; and John L. Ragle)

For twenty-five years after the Revolutionary War, the Ohio River was the primary destination of virtually all western migrations in the U.S. This is where the first public land sales were opened, unlike the South. Georgia did not cede its western lands until 1802, and these new public lands were encompassed into a new Mississippi Territory.

The boundaries of the states were changing constantly in the early days. People born in Virginia in 1728 or as late as 1850 were actually born in any part of Illinois (1781-1818); Kentucky (1775-1792); North Carolina (1728-1779); Tennessee (1760-1803); Indiana (1787-1816; Maryland (1775-1792); Ohio (1778-1803) or West Virginia (1769-1853). The Grandmother of my Dicy Ragle was said to be born in North Carolina. However there are records which show her to have possibly been born in Tennessee. Her name was Dicy Martin. The above information on the boundaries of the states came from a publication called "Family Tree", Vol. VI, No. 3, June/July 1995.