Blevins Pioneers

The Blevins men were among the Overmountain Men from Pittsylvania, Henry County, Virginia to settle the Holston in Sullivan County, Tennessee. As with all information there are still many differences in agreement on the Blevins family line. This is the best approximation on my part and my sources. Thank you!

About Me

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United States
Born in Tennessee. Typical Southern girl mutt. True Appalachian girl. Cherokee, Irish, Scottish, and possibly Choctaw blood. Caring, compassionate, decisive, down-to-earth, funny, get hurt easily sometimes, grounded, impatient at times, independent, intelligent, intuitive, kind, loving, extremely loyal, modest (; D), moody if I have a life challenge on my mind—tend to stay to myself when I am like that, open-minded, outspoken at times and shy at times...a balance, not a partier, proud, quiet at times, resilient like my parents, respectful toward myself and others, scatter-brained, sophisticated, Spiritual, strong-willed at times, stubborn, stylish, tender-hearted, too nice sometimes, tough (or as my friends put it "ballsy"..lol), understanding, wear my heart on my sleeve in most cases. :)

Monday, May 30, 2011

The Blevins name and why I chose this blog layout...

Hello! My name is Michele. I am the daughter of Mary E. Smalling-Watson, granddaughter of Pearl Blevins-Smalling, a descendant of The Overmountain Men who settled the Holston in Sullivan County, Tennessee, and the great-great-great-granddaughter of Looney Blevins born 1820 in Stoney Creek, Carter County, Tennessee.

As I reflect on the Blevins family history, there are two attributes that especially come to mind. The Blevins were hard-working, honorable, and proud people. My grandma and great-uncles worked in textile factories and/or lumber mills as that was mostly the only work in the area in those days. Secondly they love to laugh and sing. Whenever my family gets together then and today the laughter never stops. My great-uncles would sing on the porches of their homes. There is a special place in my heart for my family and for Stoney Creek, TN. I am very proud to be from the Blevins line...not for the settling of the Holston, but because of their inner strength and gumption to always work hard and get the job done.

The blog background conveyed to me what our Blevins family core was. The overall scene in this blog relates to me. The sun reminds me of the hard work my relatives always did from sunrise to sundown. The wood fence is reminiscent of Stoney Creek. Of course the man on the horse make me think of my ancestors forging their way from Pittsylvania, Henry County, Virginia to make a life for themselves here. And of course I would like to think beyond that wood fence is Stoney Creek. The Blevins were truly pioneering, hard-working people. I love my family! :)


Thank you for your time!

Friday, May 27, 2011

My Blevins Line

Researching Blevins family history and information others have found, there has been one constant agreement. Everything is an estimation from 1743 John Jack Blevins and previous to him. John Jack Blevins has been linked to the Overmountain Men who discovered the Holston Mountain area of Sullivan County. However the difficulty lies in no one knowing where exactly he is placed within the Blevins family during that time. Most seem to believe he was the father of Dillion. So I have placed him in this list accordingly.


913 Owain Ap Hywel
942 Iestyn Ap Owain
985 Rhyderch Ap Iestyn
1042 Caradog Ap Gruffudd
1075 Owain Ap Caradog
1126 Owain Ap Iowerth or Lorwerth Ap Owain
1160 Dyfnwal Ap Lorwerth
1200 Bleddyn Ap Dyruwal
1240 Meorig Ap Bleddyn
1280 Gruffydd Ap Meorig
1320 Bleddyn Ap Gruffydd
1360 Thomas Bleddyn
1400 Morgan Bleddyn
1450 John Bleddyn
1521 Gruffydd Bleddyn
1546 William Blethen
1572 William Blethyn
1602 James Bleddyn
1653 Henry Bleddyn
1670 William Blevin
1690 William Blevin
1735 William Blevin
1743 John Jack Blevins
1773 Dillion Blevins
1820 Looney Blevins
1849 Isaac Blevins
1882 Dillard Blevins
1916 Pearl Blevins (married Robert Wright "Jack" Smalling)
1934 Mary E Smalling-Watson
1968 Michele Watson