Jesse Jones Stith Farm
Stith Valley, Meade County Kentucky

        These two deeds from 1844 deal with the settlement of the estate of Richard Stith, Jr. and shed some important light on the circumstances at the time and who were the descendents of Richard Stith, Jr.

Jesse and Lucinda a few years earlier.

From Jesse Jones Stith's photo album. Dec. 2002 jbs

Jesse J. Stith   b. Mar 14 1818 d. July 21 1895
Lucinda Cain  b. April 10, 1824 m. Jesse J. Stith  Oct, 6 1842   d. March 30, 1909
      graves at Big Spring United Methodist Church (dates from grave stones)
      Children raised by Jesse J. Stith:
             w 1.   Charles E. Lewis b. Dec. 1863  (b. date from Stith Bible per Frances S. Fast)
                                 ( named in JJStith will 1891) (Named in Ky History 1888)
             w 2.   Mary E. Atkisson b. Feb. 26, 1863 (b. date from Stith Bible per Frances S. Fast)
                                 (Adkison per JJStith will 1891) (Named in Ky History 1888)
                3.   Mary Lee Wright  b. Dec. 2, 1869 died (young?) (b. date from Stith Bible per Frances S. Fast)
                                 (Named in Ky History 1888)
            w 4.   Jessie (Stith?) m. William Shumate (named in JJ Stith will 1891) (Named in Ky History 1888)
                5.   George (Shumachker)  (Named in Ky History 1888)

Charles Lewis about 1885

Lady associated with C. Lewis in Lucinda Stith photo album. Probably wife of Charles Lewis who was sister to Isadore Whelan

also from 1850 Census Meade County, Kentucky
      Entry #259. Jesse J. Stith age 37 Farmer value of land $700 born in Ky
                         Lucinda age 26 born in Ky
                         John WALKER male age 11 going to school
                         Sarah WALKER female age 5

from 1880 Census Meade County, Kentucky District #6 Big Spring 1 June 1880
       Entry #23  Stith, Jesse J.           white male age 62, farmer, born in Ky, Mother and Father born in Va
                                 Lucinda          white female age 56, born in Ky, mother and father born in Ky
                        Adkisson, Mary E. white female age 17 foster daughter born in Ky
                        Lewis, Charles       white male   age 16 foster son/farm worker born on Ky, mother born in Ky

Jesse and Lucinda sheltered other children besides the ones "adopted" or "raised".  Here is an indenture paper for Thomas N. Miller courtesy of his descendent Shirley Unruh.  Here is indenture paper releasing Thomas N. Miller from Jesse Stith.

Thomas N. Miller

Amanda Adkisson m. Thomas N. Miller

Jesse R. Miller son of Thomas N. Miller and Amanda

James Miller soon of Thomas N. Miller and Amanda

This photo probably from Ruth Fontaine Scott. "Mr. & Mrs. Ruth - Aunt Lucinda raised Mrs Ruth - They lived most of their lives in San Jose Calif " From back of photo, referring to Lucinda Cain Stith. Photo: Rifenburg Co. 241 South 1st St. San Jose Cal.

Mary Adkisson Ruth

Other children of interest to Jesse and Lucinda Stith

An orphan Miss Alice Brandenburg Alice's autograph 1888

Will of Jesse Jones Stith

Will of Lucinda Cain Stith

 From will:
"my three adopted children:"
1.  Jessie Shumate wife of William Shumate,
2.  Mary E. Adkison, and
3.  Charles E. Lewis.  

This is a transcription from page 1141 of Kentucky A History of the State 1888.   See below for full citation.

     JESSE JONES STITH was born March 14, 1818, in the same house where he now lives [ed. note: now Scott Hill Farm].  His father, Richard Stith, was born December 9, 1778, in Campbell County, Va.  He was a farmer, in connection with which he engaged in wagon and carriage-making and tailoring.  He removed in 1805 (see note below) to Kentucky, locating in the Stith Valley, in Meade County, then Hardin County, of which he was one of the pioneer settlers.  He was a son of Richard Stith, who was born September 30, 1727, in Virginia.  He was a farmer and surveyor, and a son of Drury Stith, who wrote a history of Virginia (note: see below, jbs, 1999).  Richard Stith was married, December 12, 1798, to Miss Elizabeth Jones, daughter of Maj. Thomas Jones, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary War.  To them were born Lucy (Stith), Elizabeth (Sanders), Buckner J., Susan (Stith), John C., William, Edmund, Martha (Hardaway), Jesse Jones and Mary A. (Stith).  Jesse Jones Stith married, October 6, 1842, Miss Lucinda Cain.  They have adopted five children: Jesse (Shumate), Charles (Lewis), Mary E. (Adkisson), Mary L. (Wright) and George (Shumachker).****  Jesse Jones obtained a pioneer English education in the schools of his time, and embarked for himself as a farmer.  He had some assistance in starting in life, and by industry and economy has become the owner of 260 acres of land in good condition and a fair state of cultivation.  He is a member, with his wife, of the Methodist Church, and in politics was formerly an old line Whig; but is now a Democrat.  Mrs. Lucinda Stith is the third of a family of children born to John and Olive (Dismore) Cain: Louisa Galagher, Henry W., James H., John, Sragh C. Childs, Margaret Hardaway, Olive J., Alverson and Mary E.  Coalman.  The former was born October 2, 1797.  When the war of 1812 broke out he learned to play the fife for the purpose of joining the army as fife major, but on account of being crippled he was rejected at the recruiting station. He was fife major for battalion muster during his existence; also for recruits in the Mexican war.  He was a son of Michael Cain, who was a native of Ireland, and a drum major in the American Army at the battle of New Orleans.  There is a tradition in the family that during that battle, the fight having waxed hot, he said, "men are not killed with drums," and taking a gun was soon actively engaged in the battle, during the progress of which he was wounded in the head, and carried by Gen. Jackson from the field on his (Jackson's) horse.  He was carefully attended and lived to the ripe age of ninety-five years. His occupation was weaver of fine linens, marseilles, dimity and all kinds of figured goods; he wove the first seamless sack made in Kentucky.

**  Kentucky A History of the State embracing "A concise account of the origins and development of the Virginia colony;
its expansion westward, and the settlement of the frontier beyond the Alleghanies; the erection of Kentucky as an independent state, and its subsequent development." W. M. Perrin, U.A. Battle, G. C. Kniffin, F. A. Battey Publishing Company, Louisville, Kentucky, 1886 (Refernece cited courtesy of Harriet Fast Scott 1998)

**** Births of children raised by Jesse J. Stith:
                   Charles Lewis Dec. 1863
                   Mary E. Atkisson Feb. 26, 1863
                   Mary Lee Wright  b. Dec. 2, 1869 died (young? ed)
        These dates from Stith Bible as reported by Frances S. Fast.  From files of Walter C. Scott.  This Bible mentioned in William and Mary Quarterly April 1926 but these children's birth dates not reported.

Note on Virginia history:  According to Kenneth Stith, 1999, the history of Virginia cited by Perrin et. al. above was not written by Drury Stith but rather it was written by Drury's cousin William Stith who was the 3rd. president of William and Mary College and who married Judith Randolph.

Note:  Stith Valley tradition is that the front step of the first Stith house was engraved with the date - 1804.  J. Scott 1999