Descendants of Rebecca Virginia Vickers
Generation No. 1
1. Rebecca Virginia1 Vickers was born Abt. 1771 in Scott County, Virginia,(then Russell county) and died 22 Nov 1842 in Scott County, Virginia. She married Thomas Easterling Abt. 1786 in Tennessee. He was born Abt. 1753 in North Carolina or England, and died 01 Jul 1815 in Scott County (was Russell county until 1840's), Virginia.
Notes for Rebecca Virginia Vickers:
Rebecca joined the Primitive Church at Copper Creek, Virginia on June 19, 1824.
Rebecca Vicars may have been at least one-half Cherokee Indian according to some accounts. The recordings of the Primitive Baptist Church of Copper Creek (two miles east of Nickelsville, Virginia) indicate that Thomas Easterling was received by letter on February 21, 1807. There is no reference to the church providing the letter. The recors do indicate that he was censured by the church on at least two occaions--once for "acting out of character with Bro. John Salyers," and once for "walking in an unchristian like way." On the first occasion he admitted his wrong and was forgiven; however, on the second occasion he was evidently given a letter of dismissal. There is no record of him returning to that or another church. His wife, Rebecca, was received into the same church by "experience" on June 19, 1824.
Thomas Easterling died on July 1, 1815, and is buried in the Easterling family cemetery in or
around Nickelsville, Virginia. Rebecca survived him and lived until November 22, 1842.
The Family of Thomas Easterling
Thomas Easterling and Rebecca Vicars (Vickers?) were probably married in either North Carolina
or Tennessee. In that era, state boundaries were not well defined, and the area of what is now
southeastern Tennessee was considered by some to be part of North Carolina and by others to be
part of Virginia. Actually, the area was a part of North Carolina and was known as the Watauga
settlements by the early settlers. North Carolina organized the area into a county in 1776, but
the failure of that state to provide the settlers with protection from Indian raids, led the
people to organize the territory into the State of Franklin in 1784. This experiment in self
government was short lived and North Carolina reasserted her jurisdiction a few years later.
Thomas and Rebecca had at least eleven children as proven by official records: John, Elizabeth,
William, Mary, Henry, Thomas Jr., James, Sarah, Nancy, Silas, and Catherine. There may have been others judging from the gaps between the ages of known children. If so, these children undoubtedly died young.