(1) Name: John CONWAY
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Misc. Notes
DESCENDANTS OF: John CONWAY & Elizabeth BRIDGEWATER [1]
(Captured in raid against Ruddles Station, KY - 1780)

John Conway Jr's Story:

This the deposition of John Conway found in Fayette County Circuit Court "Complete Record Book D" p.318-21.

Deposition of John Conoway taken at Paris, June 6, 1808, before Thomas Hughs): Deponent came to Kentucky in 1777 and lived at Boonesborough one an one half years. In the year 1779 I traveled with about 25 men the road from Boonesborough to the Lower Blue Licks. In the spring of 1779 deponent settled at Riddle's station and lived at said station until June 1780. I followed hunting in early times. I was taken [prisoner] at Riddle's station by the British and Indians in June 1780 and carried to Detroit and stayed there until the fall of 1784 and then returned back to Kentucky. At the time I went from Boonesborough to Lower Blue Lick I recollect we crossed Hingston fork and went into big buffalo road that led from Grant's station to the lower Blue Lick at the place known by the name of Ready Money Jack's. I recollect at this time that Colonel Richard Calloway, Colonel Daniel Boone, Cyrus Boone, Joseph Drake, Ephriam Drake, William Buckhammer, Flanders Calloway, Samuel Henderson, James Bell, George Linch, Wiliam Hancock, Jeremiah Price, Thomas Foote, James Mankins were with me on trip to Lower Blue Lick. We returned home on trace that crossed Hingston where Millersburg now stands, and where Grant's station now stands.

I'm working on photographing and transcribing the original. This is a short version. -Jon

The Conway family is also mentioned in the Draper Manuscripts 24S:169-176

John Conway's Rev War Pension Application
Jesse Conway's Rev War Pension Application

Transcription of the Conway Family Bibles
* John CONWAY m. Elizabeth BRIDGEWATER CONWAY
400 acres Virginia Grant on Hinkston Fk, Bk 6, p 369, 9-30-1784 Fayette.
1000 acres Virginia Grant on Hinkston Fk, Bk 8, p 313, 9-30-1784 Fayette.

. * Drusillear CONWAY

. * Mary CONWAY

. * Samuel CONWAY

. * John CONWAY (10 AUG 1758) -(15 JUN 1837)
m. (April 13/15, 1790) Ann SUTTON (ABT 1760-70?) - (?)

. . * Mary (Polly) CONWAY (30 MAR 1791) -(?)
m. (24 APR 1806) Henry OVERBEY (17 JUN 1777) -(?)
Mary Polly Conway Overby 1850 census - 60 years old living
w/William W. Barnett (Arnett?)

. . . * Richard OVERBEY (ABT 1813) - (BETWEEN 1870-80)
m. (ABT 1836?) Jane MULLIKIN OVERBEY (ABT 1820/23) - (ABT 1901)

. . . . * James OVERBEY (ABT 1838) -

. . . . * Henry C. OVERBEY (c.1839) - (AFT 1894)
. . . . * Esq. Oscar Perry OVERBEY (1843) - (1924)
m. (1869) Mariah E. WELLS OVERBEY (1852) - (1921)
. . . . * Elizabeth Angeline OVERBEY m. Christopher Columbus WELLS
. . . . * Mary OVERBEY (ABT 1846) -
. . . . * William W. OVERBEY (c.1849) -
. . . . * Laura B. OVERBEY (06 OCT 1856) - (AFT 1880 census)
. . . . * Francis R. OVERBEY (ABT 1859) - (AFT 1880)

. . * Anna CONWAY

. . * William CONWAY

. . * John CONWAY

. . * Elizabeth CONWAY

. . * Nathaniel Sutton CONWAY

. * Elizabeth CONWAY

. * Jesse CONWAY

. * Joseph CONWAY

. * Nancy CONWAY

. * Sarah/Sally CONWAY

. * Dulcinea CONWAY (?)

John Conway was born near Dublin, Ireland about 1710. He came to VA about 1730, maybe with a brother, . Elizabeth Bridgewater was born in England about 1735 and lived in Spottsylvania Co, VA. John and Elizabeth married in Henrico Co, VA about 1752. They had four sons and six daughters: Drusillear, Mary, Samuel, John, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joseph, Nancy and Dulcinea. [I have more details on the children, except Dulcinea. -Jon]

Source:Joseph Mann

"John Conway, W 8622, was born in Henrico County, VA, Aug. 10, 1758. He enlisted in the Revolutionary War in the County of Montgomery, VA April or May, 1776. He died June 15, 1837. He applied for a pension living in Nicholas County on May 12, 1834. He stated that he had lived in Nicholas County 34 years and before that in Bourbon County. He was married to Annie Sutton April 15, 1790 in Bourbon County. His children were Polly, Anna, William, John, Elizabeth and Nathaniel Sutton."

Source: "History of Nicholas County" (Joan Weissinger)

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Draper MSS, Volume 29, Series Jp18
Birds Expedition - Ruddles and Martins Forts Taken 1780
From Mrs. Rhoda Ground, Warren County, Kentucky.
Trans. Form 325393, October 1844, Icde.

Ruddles station taken June __ 1780 - The Indians first came and attacked the station, were repulsed. Sometime afterward they came again, with canon and attacked, with the canon. An old man Goodnight was killed - Simon Girth and Miajah Calloway were with the enemy. Capt. Ruddles family - John Longs family consisting of himself, wife and five children, John Conaway, wife and seven children -- one of the latter a small boy was scalped, John Denton, wife and one daughter, recollects and perhaps other children; also a family of Sellars.

*Simon Girty was born in Pa. in 1741. At the age of 15 he was captured by the Senecas and lived with them as a prisoner for three years. He was a loyalist and for some reason the Americans regarded him with greater detestation than for other of their foes, and he seems to have returend their feeling in full measure. I have yet to find who Miajah Calloway was.

Some of the prisoners were shortly after released: others were kept in captivity til Wayne's treaty of 1795.

Mrs. Ground, one of the children of J. W. Long, was a small girl when taken, and can give no further particulars.

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A fellow Conway researcher writes:

Joseph CONWAY (that moved VA to KY to MO) can be found in quite a lot of papers: "Heritage of the Creve Coeur Area" is a book that covers the general history of Creve Coeur, published for the nations Bicentennial by the City of Creve Coeur. It does mention Joseph CONWAY and family since he was such a big part of the area.

He is mentioned on pg 9 as follows:
In 1780, Joseph Conway was wounded and scalped by an Indian and taken to Detroit as a prisoner. He lived to a ripe old age bearing his scalp wound. His sister, who was captured at the same time, was sold to Indians further west and was not found by her family for many years. John F Darby, whose father and Captain Conway were neighbors in the Bon Homme region says in his "Personal Recollections": "Often, when I was a boy, Captain Conway would come into the house, would I, in my boyish curiosity, creep around his chair to get a good look at the back of his head to see where the Indians had taken off thhe scalp from his head". Captain Conway received one of the first land grants, in the area in 1798, where Conway Road bears his name.

pg 10 War of 1812. Captain Joseph Conway was the best known officer from this district. Records show that 45 mounted riflemen served under him, defending the area from attack.

pg12 Joseph Conway, Sr. was born in Virginia in 1763. While a boy, his family moved to Kentucky where he took an active part in Indian fighting. One day in 1780 Joseph Conway, then a youth of 17, was in a creek near his home when a sulking Indian shot, wounded and quickly scalped him. The redskin was a scout for a force of British Indians from Detroit. All of the settlers were abducted as prisoners and taken to Detroit. On the way, an elderly woman, Mrs. Wiseman, cared for Joseph's scalp wound. When the years of captivity were over he learned that one of his sisters had been sold to Indians further west; six years later, she was reunited with her family. Captain Conway received one of the first Spanish land grants in St. Louis County in 1798 from Zenon Trudeau. His grant was located in the area called "Bon Homme". Most of the early settlers under Spanish and French rule who received land grants were Protestant colonists from the east. These were men in search of more "elbow-room."

Also from that book: Conway Family Cemetery, Conway Road, west of Woods Mill, at Conway School. Captain Joseph Conway buried here with his numerous family.

Conway Road was named for Captain Joseph Conway, Sr. He owned 200 acres in Township #45 according to an 1862 map by Julius Hitawa.

"Church of the Pioneers" written by Frances Hurd Stadler is A History of Bonhomme Presbyterian Church. Joseph is mentioned in this book also but esp in Chapter IV. Joseph, Jr donated his fathers land to the church. There is a picture of Joseph Jr and his wife, Virginia Lanham CONWAY.

Under Sources Consulted, manuscripts, they have listed the CONWAY Family Papers, Missouri Historical Society Archives.

"History of St. Louis Co, MO", Vol I by Wm L Thomas, pg 258, 259 and 115 mention CONWAYs, mostly Conway Road on pg 258. Pg 115 lists First Baptist Churchyard, some burials, (John L CONWAY 1903-1969) and original church members, John & Alma CONWAY among others.

Some Conway papers in Virginia

James Madison (b. 1723) married Nelly Conway on 15 September 1749. They were the parents of President James Madison.


Spouses
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1: Elizabeth BRIDGEWATER

Sources
1. Taken by permission from Jon Hagee’s web site at: http://www.webpub.com/~jhagee/conway-j.html

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Last Modified: September 28, 2000
Created: March 2, 2003