1752/1757 - 1841
Ireland/Virginia - Kentucky - Indiana
Terrance Connor, son of Terrance O'Connor, from Ireland, was born either in Ireland (Roscommon or Tipperary) or in Virginia, either in Prince William or Fairfax County. He was born either in 1752 or 1757. According to Harold Connor, who has done a lot of work on this family, he was born in 1752 in Ireland, and entered this country in 1757. According to Cecil Connor, who has also done a lot of work on this family, he was most likely born 1757 in Fairfax Co, VA.
We don't know who his mother was. He had two brothers, John (b ~1755) and Samuel (b ~1768). [The only information Helen Voorhees has about Samuel is that he was known as "Blackhawk Sam;" according to Cecil Connor's file, he disappeared and is assumed to have been captured by Indians. There was not, as far as I know, a tribe of Indians called Black Hawk, but there was a famous Sauk leader of that name - but how or if that connects to Samuel Conner I have no idea.]
He served for three years during the Revolutionary War. The Rev. War Abstracts Book has this on him:
Conner, Terrence or Terrence Connor, S35862, VA Line, sol enl in Prince William Cty VA, appl 25 May 1819 in Perry Cty IN aged 64 or 67, in 1821 sol had a wife aged 65 & a daughter Margaret aged 20 yrs.
Helen Vorhees's Rootsweb File has more information:
In GENEALOGY OF MEDA ESTELLE DODD LONG, p. 64, Tarrence Connor is reported to have "enlisted on November 3, 1776 in Captain Charles Gallahans Company of the 11th Virginia Regiment commanded by Daniel Morgan...He was transferred about June 1778 to Captain George Rice's Co. of the 11th and later 15th Regiment, commanded successively by Lieutenant Colenel John Cropper and Colonel Daniel Morgan. About December 1778, he was transferred to Captain Phillip Staughter's Co., also designated Lieutenant James Wright's Co., 7th Virginia Regiment commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Morgan. He was discharged at Bush encampment on North River by General Wood November 1,1779; this detailed information from enlistment to discharge is from a signed statement (Form 1469403) from the Adjutant General dated January 2, 1909. In reply to the request concerning the services of Tarrence Connor in the War of the Revolution, the records show that Tarrence Connor (Terrence Connor) enlisted for three years as a private and served in detail as given.
His name appears on the list of his Company in Saffell's Records of the Revolutionary War (Published in Baltimore, 1894, 1913) pages 257-264 as 'Tarrence Connor'."
Also included in the above referenced book: "The following is a statement from the Pension Department at Washington, D. C. dated January 19, 1931. 'You are advised that it appears from the papers of the Rev. War pension claim No. S35862 that Terrence Connor (Pensioned Conner) enlisted in Prince William County, Va. in 1776 and served three years and two months as a private in Capt. Gallahues Co. Col. Daniel Morgan Va. Regiment, and was in the battles of Brandywine, Monmouth and the storming of Stony Point. He was allowed a pension on his application executed May 25, 1819 while a resident of Perry County Indiana aged 64 or 67. In 1821 the soldier referred to his wife aged 65 years (her name not stated) and a daughter, Margaret, aged 20 yrs. The date of the soldiers marriage is not on file. The above history is that of the only soldier named Terrence Conner (Connor) found on the Rev. Records of this bureau. Yours truly, (Signed) E. W. Morgan, Acting Comm.'."
In the letter referred to below, in excerpts from ITEMS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST by Mable Louise Connor Murr, it is reported that: "He (Terrence Connor) received bounty land from the State of Virginia.....He drew a pension from May 25th, 1819 to the date of his death-- December 16th, 1841."
Shortly after he got out, he married Sarah Jane Speake (10 Aug 1761-16 Jun 1844), daughter of Robert Spekes and Lucretia Mason. Many online sources say they married about 1780 in Norfolk, Virginia. The Gunston Hall site (Gunston Hall was the home of George Mason, cousin of Sarah's mother Lucretia Mason, and "father of the Bill of Rights") says they married in 1779 in York County, South Carolina. I can't imagine how these two Virginians both happened to be in South Carolina at that time, and I can't help wondering if there wasn't a mistake, and York County, Virginia was meant. But that is what it says, so.
Together they had nine children (that I know of):
Dade Connor b: Abt 1780/1781 d: 21 Oct 1856
m. Sidney A. "Sadie" Huff (4 May 1790-11 Oct 1858)
Dade and many of his children moved to Crawford Co, Ind
- some moved back to (or spent some time in) Breckinridge Co, KY
- Dade & Sidney d in Breckinridge
Samuel Connor (15 May 1783 Fairfax Co, Va - 28 Jul 1863 Perry Co, Ind)
Most of Samuel's children stayed in Perry County; some moved to Spencer, some to Kentucky
- but there are some I have lost track of
m (1) Elizabeth Claycomb (9 Feb 1786 - 30 Oct 1820)
d/o Balser Claycomb (b 1745) & Catherine Rice
b. Breckenridge Co, Ky
One of their children, Samuel jr, had a daughter Nancy b ~1832 -
but this Nancy married Wm L Cart
m (2) Nancy Carr Hyde (27 Aug 1798 - Abt 25 Mar 1889)
OR b. 27 Sep 1817- d. 24 Mar 1889
d/o Ansel Hyde & Mary Miller
Samuel sr and Nancy had a daughter Nancy b. ~1831
John Connor (1784 - 1853)
John is pretty elusive, but he did spend many years in Warrick County
m Elizabeth Crist (~1790-1816)
m Mary Sinclair
(1800-1835)
m. Lucinda Crow (~1810-1882)
John had a granddaughter Nancy Jane -
but she was the one who married Larkin Smith
Terrance Connor jr. (~ 1785 - 13 Apr 1866)
Terrance seems to have lived most of his life in Kentucky - but he married (both times) in Perry County
m. Marilla Main (~1793 - before Jan 1849)
(History of Perry County says Marilla's last name was Crow.)
Terrance and Marilla had a daughter Nancy b. 1838
m. Susan Elizabeth Mock (~1798 - 9 Oct 1868)
Elizabeth Connor (~1787 - before 1795)
William "Will" Connor (1792 - 8 Dec 1881)
He moved back to Kentucky (Graves Co) and then to Massac Co, Illinois
m. Elizabeth Anna "Annie" Green (1797 - 1879)
Rachel Jane "Jennie" Connor (20 May 1794 - 20 Jun 1826)
m. Elijah Carr b: 24 Feb 1789 d: 18 Sep 1845
Rachel & Elijah & some of their children are in Connor Cemetery
Elizabeth Connor (~1795 - ~ 1870
m. Anthony Green (~1793 - 18 Sep 1845)
She lived in Graves Co, Ky.
Margaret Connor (27 Dec 1800 - 20 Dec 1876) b. Rome, Perry, Ind
???m William Carter
m. Samuel Frisbie (22 Mar 1784 (Plymouth, Lichtfield, Ct) - 24 May 1854)
Margaret and Samuel are buried in the Connor Cemetery, Perry Co.
After his service in the war, Terrance and Sarah settled first in Fairfax County, Virginia near Chesapeake Bay. There is no census for Virginia in 1790, but there is a census substitute (tax lists) - I am not entirely sure this is him, but the 1785 listing is a pretty good bet.
1782 - list of John Gibson - Fairfax Co - p. 18
Conner, Terrance 5 white, 0 black
Terrance, jr 3 white, 0 black
- list of Martin Cockburn - Fairfax Co
Speake, Robert 8 white, 0 black
1785 - list of John Gibson - Fairfax Co
Conner, Terrance 4 white, 0 dwellings, 0 blacks
- list of Richard Chichester
Conner, Terrance 4 white, 0 dwellings, 0 blacks
Speake, Robert 7 white, 1 dwelling, 0 black
Some time after this, Terrance and Sarah moved to Washington County, Kentucky. He had received a land warrant for his service in the Revolution:
Connor, Terrence 200 (acres) 3968 (warrant) 3 years soldier Virginia line 9-6-1785.
[Jillson, Williar Rouse. Old Kentucky Entries and Deeds, a complete index to all of the earliest land entries, military warrants, deeds and wills of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. (Filson Club Publications No 34) (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969) entry: Old Kentucky Entries and Deeds V. Military Warrants (1782-1793) p. 324]
This is from the Helen Voorhees file
. . . so I assume the warrant is the reason they moved to Kentucky, but that is just an assumption. He was on the tax list for Washington County for 1796 and 1797. Other Conners in the county were:
William in 1793
Bernard in 1796
George in 1797
and John in 1793,4,5 and 1799
John is possibly Terrance's brother, but I have no idea who the others were.
There was a Connor Graveyard in Washington County, with a couple of (later) Georges in it.
In about 1798 they moved to Breckenridge County, Kentucky. (Actually, it was Hardin County then - Breckinridge wasn't formed until 1799.) They settled on Sugar Tree Run Creek, about 5 miles from the Ohio River (according to Cecil Connor's file).
1800 Kentucky Census so called
Conner, Tarrence - Breckinridge 8-19-1800
He and his sons are often mentioned in the early records of Breckinridge.
1801- an odd transaction, recorded in the Commissioners’ Deed Book, in which Terrance sold a LOT of things to the young Arvits - Andrew, Nancy, Polly & Richard jr - for only 5 shillings - and these many many things he had just bought, the same day, from Richard Arvit sr.
1803 - 1807 mentioned in various connections in Court Order Book I -
NOTE - any of these might refer to one of the younger Terrances.
Terrance would have been 42-46; son Terrance would have been 19-23
once for not keeping a road in good repair
twice for profane swearing (fined 5 shillings)
19 times as member of a jury
once as a member of the Grand Jury
- and once for contempt of court in not attending the Grand Jury proceedings - this was in 1807, so he might have been in the midst of moving.
several times in connection with a problem with Daniel Barnes, Michael & John Miller, and John Coffman - Samuel & Terrance (it may have been the younger Terrance) accused them of assault & battery, trespass - they accused Samuel & Terrance right back. As far as I can tell, Sam & Terrance won, but didn’t get much out of it.
once he stood bond for Thomas Brown jr.
once summoned as a witness before the Grand Jury
Some time between 1807 and 1812, he moved across the river to Perry County, Indiana (it was Warrick County then - Perry County was formed 1814). Apparently son Samuel arrived first, buying a parcel of land near Rome in 1807:
Near the present site of Rome, in Section 3, Township 7, south; Range 3, west; on august 21, 1807, 182.3 acres were bought by Samuel Connor, who was a conspicuous figure in his generation. The son of a Revolutionary veteran, Terence Connor (or O'Connor), he was himself a captain during the War of 1812, and later a brigadier general of militia. Terence Connor entered land in 1812 . . .
(The quotation comes from p.18 of the History of Perry County by Thomas James de la Hunt (Indianapolis: The W. K. Stewart Company, 1916), which has a lot of information about the Connor family. It is available online as scanned images.)
In 1819, he and Sarah were among the founding members of the Methodist Church in Rome (Perry County, Indiana).
The Methodist Church at Rome was organized about the year 1819, among the earliest members being Terrence Conner and wife....It is thought that the class was organized at the Conner residence, and it is certain that as soon as the court house was finished meetings were held there.
History of Warrick, Spencer and Perry Counties, Indiana. (Chicago: Goodspeed, Bros. & Co., Publishers, 1885 (Unigraphic, Inc. reproduction, Evansville, IN 476711, 1977)) p. 724
Also in 1819, an act was passed in Congress, providing pensions for Revolutionary War veterans; Terrance "was placed upon the rolls September 10, 1819, some twelve years after his earliest recorded residence in Perry County." (p. 43 History of Perry County)
I think this is him on the 1820 Federal census for Perry County, Indiana:
Perry p. 227 Terrance 100001 00101
1m under 10 b. 1810-20
1f 16-26 b. 1794-1804 Margaret?
1m, 1f over 45 b. before 1775 Terrance and Sarah?
I am not sure who the younger people are. Daughter Margaret married Samuel Friskie in 1825, BUT a Margaret Connor married a William Carter in 1818 - so this could be a widowed Margaret & child.
And I think this is him in 1830, but I don't know why he is called jr - or who the other people are - I think I have found most of his children on the census by themselves. His son, Terrance, who might be expected to be called jr (with his aged Ps living with him) is listed separately, on the previous page (311a). [Update: maybe not - Terrance 3 was probably in Kentucky at this time!] [Since the sons are accounted for, I have been wondering if this might not be Margaret and her ?2nd husband and children?]
1830 Indiana Perry Tobin 312 - Terrance jr 0001001001 2001100001
2f under 5 Isabelle b 1828? unknown female
1m, 1f 15-20 Samuel's daughter Mary b 1820? Unkn male (the boy from 1820?)
1f 20-30 Margaret b 1800?
1m 40-50 Samuel Frisbie b 1784?
1m, 1f 70-80 Terrance sr, Sarah?
And this is almost certainly him in 1840:
1840 Indiana Perry p. 206 (403) (402)
Torrance 00000000001 0000000001 (p. 403) age 84 veteran
On December 16 1841 Terrence started down the Ohio River on his son Samuel's flat boat. He intended to spend the winter with his daughter Betsy who lived on the Tennessee River. However he died as the boat reached Troy, Indiana. - Connor GenForum Message #240 - Treva Bean - 10 April 1999
The History of Perry County agrees about the date, and says he was buried in the Connor Burying Ground in Rome, but Harold Connor, who has provided a reading of that cemetery, says the year was 1842. His tombstone reads: "A patriot and soldier of the Revolution and an associate of Washington and Lafayette."
Sarah died in 1844 (June 16), and is also buried in the Connor Cemetery.
Back to Conner Home Page
Back to Home
To wife Sarah Speakes (not much information, but a couple of links)
To brothers of (this) Terrance: John, Sam
To children of (this) Terrance - brief outlines - more in-depth info: Dade, Samuel, John, Terrance, Will
Questions, comments, additions, corrections? Contact me at: lee@leesgenes.com
Page last updated 25 Oct 2007