Notes and Links

• m. Mary Cochran Pettigrew* (1738 - a1827) in about 1758, presumably in Lunenburg County VA.
• John and Mary had 11 children:
  • David Verner (1760-1852), who served in the Amer. Rev. David was born on Feb 20, 1760 at Lunenburg County, VA, and died Jun 10, 1852. He is buried at the Old Providence Methodist Church in Anderson County, SC.
    • m. Esther Turpin, and had at least 11 children, of which a few are listed below:
      • Mary Verner (1782-1860), m. John Ledbetter (1774-1831) and had 10 children.
      • A child who died as an infant.
      • David Verner, Jr. (1788-1857).
      • John W. Varner, an ancestor of Helen Watson, an e-mail correspondent. John may have been an attorney in GA.
      • Caleb Verner (1802-1864), m. Jane Hill and had 5 children.
  • James Verner; b. 1762 in Granville County, NC; Capt. in Rev. Army, died c1780 in British prison in Charleston SC of smallpox.
  • John Verner, Jr.* (1763-1853)
  • Samuel Verner (1764-___?), b. in Granville NC and migrated to TN in about 1783, and then (some say) to Colorado Terr. See link.
  • George Verner (1765-c1849), changed his name to George Varner. George served in the Amer. Rev.
    • m. Mary Dobson (1771-1853), and had at least 5 children, however, Gerald H. Varner's book (see below) suggests that there may have been another child, John W. Varner, who is listed by Helen Watson (a descendant) as a son of David Verner and Esther Turbin (see above).
  • Mary Verner; b. Keowee, Washington Dist., SC.
    • m. Caldwell Ewing; in 1786, and moved to Indiana Territory, and had many children.
  • Sarah Verner; b. 1768.
    • m. James Montgomery; in about 1790, and had 7 children.
  • Nancy Verner; b. 1770
  • Diannah Verner; b. 1772
    • m. William Henry Wakefield (1765-1817) See: Wakefield Genealogy Blog, and in particular see: William Henry Wakefield. The author of these web pages believes that the famous scientist and nutritionist,Elmer Verner McCollum (1879-1967), born in Ft. Scott, Bourbon County, Kansas, is descended from Diannah Verner. However, it remains to be proven.
    • Diannah and William settled in Illinois and had 9 children.
  • Charles Verner; b. c1773-4. This link provided by extensive research on the Verner/Varner genealogy, Chapter 6, by Foy Varner. Jr.
  • Jane "Jenny" Verner; b. 1776
    • m. Mr. Lorne; after 1798.

Brief Biography:

John Verner married Mary Cochran Pettigrew*, who was a daughter of James and Mary Pettigrew.

Conflicting information from various genealogies has cast much doubt upon where John Verner* was born, and whether or not he was born in America or emigrated to America. The current and prevailing belief is that he was born in America, or emigrated soon after he was born in Ireland in about 1725 to a settlement in what is now Lancaster County, PA. John Verner is most likely of Scots-Irish or Anglo-Irish descent, although there is a small possibility that he was descended from ancestors who may have been Quakers or Amish/Mennonites were were booted out or shunned from those sects. There is also a small possibility that he was descended from a colonial Virginia family.

There is also uncertainty as to who John's parents were, however, circumstantial evidence points to the probability that he was the only son of David Verner and his wife Sarah ___? of Lancaster County PA. David Verner is known to be a son of Samuel Verner who emigrated to the Pequea area of Chester County (now in Lancaster County) PA in about 1722.

Since John Verner's parents and place of birth are not proven, and are subject to inconsistent reports, a separate web page has been devoted to the on-going research and speculations concerning his origins. In particular, a time-line of more factual information about the origins of John Verner are provided on the link The search for the pedigree of John Verner, Sr., born ca1725, by Foy Varner, Jr. A putative extended but unproven genealogy, showing this author's best guesses as to the ancient European and American origin of John Verner is provided. It attempts to be inclusive of the many gleanings that Gerald Varner and Foy Varner (see references below) have uncovered in their extensive study of the Verner/Varner family history.

John Verner* married Mary Cochran Pettigrew*, a daughter of James Pettigrew* and Mary Cochran* in 1758 or 1759, presumably in Lunenburg County VA. However there is no record of this marriage, probably because it may have taken place at the Cub Run Presbyterian Church on the Caldwell Settlement in Lunenburg, VA, and the records of marriages there prior to about 1830 have been lost. Presbyterian marriages were not officially recognized in most of Colonial Virginia at that time. The only recognized marriages in colonial Virginia were those of the Anglican Church. This was a major issue in the Presbyterian Church at the time, and many Presbyterian Ministers were arrested and punished for performing marriages illegally in Colonial VA. Therefore, it is possible that John Verner and Mary C. Pettigrew may have traveled back to PA for their marriage; or were married illegally by a Presbyterian Minister, or were married in an Anglican Church in Lunenburg VA, or married in nearby North Carolina, or (unlikely) were married after having their first child and had moved to Granville County, North Carolina in 1761. Since no records of their marriage have been found elswhere the greatest probability is that they were married in the Caldwell Presbyterian Settlement, at the Cub Creek Church nearby where Presbyterian marriages were allowed by a special act of the Colonial Government.

John and Mary Cochran Pettigrew Verner moved to nearby Granville County, NC, in 1761.

John Verner's family moved to the 96 District (now Abbeville County), SC in 1774, presumably following James Pettigrew's family which moved to SC in 1768, 6 years before the Verners moved.

John Verner* rendered service to the American Revolution as a Private, along with three of his sons in 1777-1782. However, it is not certain whether John Verner had joined a Militia or whether he was in the Continental Army. Records of his service are found in the Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution, by Bobby Gilmer Moss, Limestone College, Published by the Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc. Balto, MD, 1983; and in Stub Entries to Indents issued in payment of Claims Against South Carolina Growing out of the Revolution. Books U-W, Edited by A. S. Bailey, Jr. printed for the The Historical Commission of South Carolina, 1918. Circumstantial evidence of his service is also provided by his land purchases in SC as mentioned in the paragraph below.

After the war, John Verner* acquired land in Pickens County and in Oconee County, SC, on the Rocky River, the Seneca River, and the Keowee River "up to their headlands". These lands were originally reserved for Cherokee Indian settlements by the pre-revolutionary colonial government of SC, but the State of South Carolina, under the new American government opened them up for settlement by revolutionary soldiers as a way of providing compensation to them for their service.

John Verner* died in 1798 or 1799. His will was written on Feb. 10 1798, and recorded on Jan. 24, 1799, indicating that he died at some time between those two dates.

References;

• The Will of John Verner, [Sr.], as copied by John Verner Stribling in 1921.
• Correspondence with Janice Palmer McLellan of Pensacola Florida.
• Varner families of the South, Vol. 1 and 2, by Gerald H. Varner, published by the author in 1996.
• Descendants of John Verner, Sr., by Cynthia Verner Eckert.
• The Verner Genealogy by Clara Verner Wallace
• Correspondence with Foy Varner, Jr., a descendant of John Verner (Sr.).
• The on-line Verner Family Genealogy, by Don Verner of Texas.
• The Verner/Wingfield Collection