William WEST

                      [stewart download.FTW]

JAMES Notes for WEST:
From THE WEST FAMILY REGISTER (1326-1928): IMPORTANT LINES TRACED by Letta Brock Stone, W. F. Roberts Company Inc., Washington D. C., 1928:

James West, the son of William West and Angeline Clendennen was born in Chatham County, North Carolina. He married Oct. 1, 1807, Mary Mourning Howard, who was born July 14, 1784 and died in 1869 in Simpson County, Kentucky. It has been family tradition that the mother of Mary Mourning Howard was Amelia Putnam, a direct descendant of Israel Putnam of Revolutionary War fame. The names Putnam and Amelia have been retained as the generations have passed and appear in different branches of the family.

James West and a companion purchased materials for brick houses and James West constructed the first one in the State of Kentucky. It stands today in Simpson County, in a splendid state of preservation, and the farm is still called the "West Farm." That he was a man of thrift, able to accumulate wealth, is clearly indicated by his land holdings and slaves. His wife, Mary Mourning Howard, was a woman of redoubtable courage as proven by the following incident. Left alone one day with her negro servant, she was the victim of a surprise attack by Indians. The negro woman was killed, but Mrs. West fought the Indians off until help came and she was rescued. James and Mary Mourning Howard West are buried in Simpson County, Kentucky, the date of Mr. West's death being 1844.
                  

                   Historical information included in notes


Evidence for Leonard West's parents:

Polly West Book states on her family history sheet that Leonard West's sister was
Mary West who married James Peek. Mary West's parents were William West and
Angeline Clendennen, which would also make Leonard West their son. In the
Madison County N.C. Heritage book it also states that William Peak who married
Leonard West's first daughter Anne West were 1st cousins. William Peak's mother
was Mary West (father James Peek) so this would also indicate that Mary West and
Leonard West were brother and sister. Leonard's son John B. West also married his
1st cousin Mary Peek (daughter of Mary West and James Peek). This again means that
William West and Angeline Clendennen were their parents. Only one West in North
Carolina in this time period is known to have a daughter and son by the name of Mary
and Leonard respectively, and that was William West who married Angeline Clendennen.
One last line of evidence, all references to Leonard West states that he is of Scotch-Irish
descent. The West surname is an English name and is neither Scottish nor Irish.
The Scotch-Irish descent would come from his mother Angeline Clendennen.
Clendennen is the Irish spelling of the Scottish name Glendinning. The Glendinning
name originated from the parish of Westerkirk, Dumfires, Scotland and the surname
was originally recorded in 1384 as Glenonwyne.

Polly West Book also states on her Leonard West family history sheet that the
information on Leonard's family came from the West Family Bible, this bible has
not been located by my family as of 1998.