John JUSTICE

  Noted events in his life were:

• See also. http://www.rootsweb.com/~kyfloyd/familyfiles/justice_history_update.htm

The first Justice families into eastern Kentucky were all related and were descendants of John Justice and Mary Moore, who were married 1 August 1728 in Scituate , Plymouth County, Mass. Church records in Scituate state that Mary More/Moor/Moore was from Ireland and that John Justice was from Hanover, Plymouth County, Mass. John and Mary Justice made their home in the town of Halifax, Plymouth County, Mass. Halifax is near Hanover. Church records in Halifax, Mass. and recorded into the book, "Vital Records of the Town of Halifax", published by the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants Boston, Massachusetts in 1905 list the following ;" The Children of John Justice and Mary his wife, Mary Justice was born July the 27th 1729, John Justice was born June the 21 1731, Simeon Justice was born January the 15th 1735, Thomas Justice was born May the 3rd 1737, Elce Justice was born May the 31st 1739, Elizabeth Justice was born April the 8th 1741." Research has shown that John and Mary Justice lived in the town of Halifax, Mass. until 1743. I found a church record stating that William Justice ,next to youngest son of John and Mary More Justice, was baptized on 3 March 1743. Judging from the birth dates and baptismal dates of the other children, William was probably born around January that year. William died on Grapevine Creek in present day Pike County in 1813. He became the ancestor of most Pike County Justices. Records concerning the Massachusetts Land Bank of 1740, and on file with the Mass. Archives Center make six different references to John and Mary Justice of Halifax, Mass. John and Mary were still in Halifax, Mass at least until 1742. This fact is shown by church records concerning Mary and John that I have seen. I have not reviewed the records about the Land Bank, personally. Examination of land records in Virginia show that John Justice settled in what was in 1743, Brunswick County, Virginia in an area known as Mirey Creek. There is good reason to believe that they came there to join his wife, Mary's, family, who had earlier arrived there from Ireland. The initial 2400 acres claimed by John Justice was bordered on three sides by John Moore, William Moore, and Patrick Moore. When John Justice married Mary More in Scituate, MA, the record spelled her name More, but most likely should have been Moore. The Mirey Creek portion of Brunswick County became Lunenburg County in 1746 and in 1752 became part of Halifax County. John Justice and younger family members moved from their home on Mirey Creek in Halifax County to an area called Harpin Creek where John Justice died in July 1766. Harpin Creek became part of Pittsylvania County when it was formed the next year in 1767. Because the Justice records are contained in four different counties of Virginia, made it hard to track down everything. Most of the records for our Justice ancestors are to be found in Halifax and Pittsylvania Counties. John Justice settled acreage on all his children while he was alive except for Ezra Justice, the youngest boy who inherited the home place with a grist mill and 300 acres by John's will. John transferred blocks of land to John JR. and Simeon in the following deeds. I will guess that John Justice settled land on his two daughters as well, because their husbands are on record as owning parcels adjoining Justice land. Following is one such block:
"HALIFAX COUNTY PROCESSIONERS RETURNS 1737-1770. 26 JULY 1756, JOHN JUSTICE SENR. 400 ACRES ON THE BRANCHES OF THE MIREY CREEK ADJOINING THE 400 ACRES TRACT THAT HE NOW LIVES ON EXTENDING SOUTHERLY AND JOINS GEORGE GREEN. ALSO 400 ON THE BRANCHES OF JOHN MOORE'S CREEK BEGINNING AT A PINE MARKED I THENCE SOUTHERLY."
The George Green mentioned above is John and Mary's son-in-law, married to their daughter Mary Justice. Official records reveal that John Justices land , 1200 acres in total, was joined by three different Moore families. I am speculating that these Moore families were related to Mary More/Moore. In Mass., John and Mary belonged to the Episcopal or Anglican church and in Halifax County, Virginia they became members of the Episcopal Church Antrim Parish. In 1766, they became part of Camden Parish, when Pittsylvania was formed from Halifax, County. But, alas, John Justice senr. died just before Pittsylvania became a county. Their homeplace, containing a grist mill was at the mouth of Harpin Creek on the Pigg River. John Senior settled large tracts of land on his three oldest boys, an example of witch is the following. "HALIFAX COUNTY DEED BOOK I pp 374-376 16 MARCH 1758 JOHN JUSTICE SENIOR, ANTRIM PARISH, HALIFAX COUNTY TO JOHN JUSTICE JUNIOR, ANTRIM PARISH, HALIFAX COUNTY FOR 5 L -200 ACRES BOTH SIDES ECHOL'S FORK PARALLEL TO ROBERT MOORE'S LINE TO SD. ECHOL'S FORK THENCE ALONG A BOUNDS EXPREST IN SC. JOHN JUSTICE'S PATENT NORTH 35 DEGREES WEST SO FAR AS TO INCLUDE SD. 200 ACRES OF LAND." There are several deeds on file in Halifax County. One more is; "HALIFAX COUNTY DEED BOOK 1 pp 376-378 15 MARCH 1758 JOHN JUSTICE SENIOR, TO SIMEON JUSTICE, BOTH OF ANTRIM PARISH FOR 5 L -200 ACRES ON BOTH SIDES OF ECHOL'S FORK BEGINNING AT HIS BROTHER JOHN JUSTICE'S CORNER STANDING IN THE OLD LINE ON NORTH SIDE ECHOL'S FORK SD. BROTHER JOHN'S LINE TO OLD LINE ON SOUTH SIDE." There are several more records concerning land transfers and court actions available on the family there in Halifax County until Pittsylvania County is formed in 1767. But, as we all must, John Justice Senior died in July 1766. His approximate age was 71. His wife brought his will to be probated on 17 July 1766.
"HALIFAX COUNTY WILL BOOK 0 pp 206 17 JULY 1766 HALIFAX COUNTY IN THE PROVINCE OF VIRGINIA MARCH THE 11TH 1765 IN THE NAME OF GOD THE LAST WILL OF JOHN JUSTICE SENR. BEING IN HEALTH AND OF SOUND MEMORY THANKS BE TO GOD ALMIGHTY AND CALLING TO REMEMBERENCE THE ONSARTIN ASTATE OF THIS TRANSATORY LIFE AND THAT ALL FLESH MUST YIELD TO DAYTH I DO DECLARE THIS TO BE MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT IN FORM AND MANNER REVOKING AND ANNULLING BY THESE PRESENTS ALL AND EVERY TESTEMENT AND TESTEMENTS AND WILL & WILLS HERETOFORE BY ME MADE & DECLARED EITHER BY WORD OR IN WRITING AND THIS IS TO BE TAKEN BY THESE PRESENTS THAT I JOHN JUSTICE SENIOR GIVE AND BEQUAVATH UNTO MY BELOVED WIFE MARY ALL MY GOODS AND CHATTELS AND ALL MOVABLES THAT I AM IN POSSESSION OF ON HARPIN CREEK AS LONG AS SHE REMAINS MY WIDOW LIKEWISE UNTO MY SON EZRA JUSTICE THREE HUNDRED ACRES OF LAND AND A MILL ON IT WHICH IS THE HOME PLAS. LIKEWISE TO MY SON WILLIAM JUSTICE ONE HUNDRED ACRES OF LAND LYING ON PIGG RIVER LIKEWISE UNTO MY SON JOHN JUSTICE FIVE SHILLINGS UNTO MY SON SIMEON JUSTICE FIVE SHILLINGS AND UNTO MY SON THOMAS JUSTICE FIVE SHILLINGS AND UNTO MY DAUGHTER MARY WIFE OF GEORGE GREEN FIVE SHILLINGS LIKEWISE TO MY DAUGHTER ALICE WIFE TO THOMAS WATSON FIVE SHILLINGS. SIGNED JOHN JUSTICE. SIGNED SEALED AND DELIVERED IN THE PRESENCE OF WILLIAM WILCHEN, WILLIAM (HIS X ) ADKINSON, JOHN WILCHEN"
As one can plainly see from reading this will and the Halifax, Mass. records, this family in one and the same. For a long time, I accepted the previous research of other Justice genealogist that this John Justice was a grandson of William Justice 1625-1664 and Mary Frame of Charles City, Virginia. And indeed, they had two grandsons named John Justice. But neither was this particular John Justice, ancestor of all our east KY Justices. No one has ever offered any kind of proof to tie Halifax John to the Charles City Justices. When I first ran across the Halifax, Mass. references in the book published in 1905 by the Mayflower society, I wrongly assumed that the author somehow confused some data from Halifax County, VA with data from the town of Halifax, Mass. It was not until having the Mass. marriage record brought to my attention by Terry Anderson of Maysville, KY, an excellent genealogist, that I looked for and found various references to John and Mary Justice of Halifax, Mass. , that I realized they had to be the same. An additional bit of reasoning is the fact that the surname Justice disappears in Mass from 1745 to about 1850. If John Justice's family had remained in Mass. there would have been more Justices in Plymouth County Mass. than there is today in Pike County, KY.
After the death of their father, his sons began to drift away, with only William remaining to be the last one to sell out and as you will see, come to Floyd County to settle at the mouth of Grapevine Creek, on the Levisa , just south of Pikeville. John Justice was the first to leave the homestead. John Justice Junior was married to Mary Sloan. I have a copy of a Halifax County will where John Sloan states in his will that his daughter Mary Sloan is married to John Justice. I only know of three of their children for sure. Two sons were the famous John and Simeon Justice of Revolutionary War fame, where Simeon was a drummer boy and John was a piper at Fort Rutledge, SC. In 1775 John and Mary Sloan Justice and their family left Pittsylvania County to live in Rutherford County, NC. However in 1777, John and his sons John (17 years old) and Simeon (12 years old) joined the Army for a period of three years. His wife Mary and daughter Nancy remained with them at the fort. In 1780 Fort Rutledge was captured by the British commanded by Captain Joseph Smith. Our Justice kin were on detached duty at Augusta, Georgia when this happened and were taken prisoner when they returned. Capt. Smith gave them parole on condition that Captain Tutt, their commanding officer, give them a discharge from the army. As a matter of interest, Fort Rutledge stood on today's Clemson University. It is in this setting where our John and Simeon and sister Nancy found their mates. John Justice wed Amy Neal, Simeon Justice married Susannah Wade and Nancy married Edward Wade. Their Parents John and Mary Sloan Justice settled nearby at today's Traveler's Rest, SC. It is thought that John died about 1807 there and his wife Mary Sloan Justice can be found until after the 1720 SC census living with her daughter Nancy Wade in Pendleton District (Greenville County) of SC. John and Amy Neal Justice moved to Green County , Georgia with some of their in-laws , Neals and Wades. They can be found there on a Green county tax payers list and on the 1790 Georgia census. And on the Floyd County, KY census three of their children claim to have been born in GA. Sometime around 1794, John and Amy , along with Simeon and Susannah, moved to Green County, Tenn. For whatever reason, they only remained there for about five years before selling out to move to Buncombe County, NC , where their uncle Thomas Justice had settled .Both Simeon and John can be found on the 1800 census for Buncombe County. Again for some reason, I suspect free land to Revolutionary Veterans, they sold out again and moved to Beaver Creek in Floyd County, KY in 1807. And that is how the first of three pair of brothers came to Floyd County.
Next, we shall take up John and Mary Moore's second oldest son Simeon. From available Pittsylvania Court documents, we know that he was married to Elizabeth Turley. Of his children we only know of three brothers, John, Simeon and Thomas for sure and I suspect they had a daughter named Margaret, who married Adam Gearhart. Simeon Justice Senior died in Pittsylvania County in 1783 leaving a wife and several small children. From Court documents we know that sons John and Simeon were given to Elizabeth's brother Thomas Turley to raise. >From NC records we see that Thomas was given to his uncle Thomas to raise. The following is from Pittsylvania records:
"PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY ORDER BOOK 9 p. 230 17 FEBRUARY 1800. JOHN AND SIMEON JUSTICE ORPHANS OF SIMEON JUSTICE DECEASED CAME INTO COURT AND MADE CHOICE OF WILLIAM JUSTICE AS THEIR GUARDIAN WHO IS ACCORDINGLY APPOINTED IN ROOM OF THOMAS TURLEY THEIR FORMER GUARDIAN, THEREFORE THE SAID WILLIAM WITH JOHN _________?(unreadable) HIS SECURITY ENTERED INTO AND ACKNOWLEDGED THEIR BOND IN THE PENALTY OF ONE THOUSAND POUNDS FOR THAT PURPOSE AS THE LAW DIRECTS.
Since this took place in 1800 and the boys father Simeon had been dead since 1873, they must have been young adults when this action took place. Most likely this action was prompted by John pleading guilty to misappropriating two pigs, said to belong to Samuel Calland, with whom most of the Justice clan seems to have had an on going feud. There are various accounts of Samuel Calland bringing charges against the Justices , charges ranging from trespass to stealing a deer hide and even uttering an oath. Young John was allowed to pay an unspecified fine and dismissed. It is interesting to note that the judge hearing the case was one William Wilchen who was a witness to his grandfather's will. This adoption at this late stage was most likely part of a plan to effect closer supervision of the lads. Anyway, they were both soon married and in the company of their in-laws , on their way to Beaver Creek in Floyd County, KY. Simeon married Keziah Saulsbury and their oldest child was born in Virginia in 1802. They settled with the Saulsburys and Collins families near the Forks of Beaver Creek. John married a Nancy (Moore? Short?) and did not stay too many years on Beaver Creek before pushing on to Blaine Creek in present day Lawrence County. His first land was acquired there in 1814, while this area was still part of Floyd County. Simeon and Keziah remained on Beaver Creek until about 1836, when they moved to a very remote section of then Tazwell County , now Buchanan County, taking with them all their married sons and daughters. Simeon and Keziah Saulsbury are the ancestors of the majority of Buchanan County, VA Justice/Justus families. There was at one time several Justice families on Blaine Creek that were descendants of John and Nancy. But, most chose to move west in the 1840's and 50's. Some moved to Missouri and Kansas. It is unknown just exactly when their brother Thomas Justice came to Beaver Creek from North Carolina where he had been raised by his uncle Thomas. But, he married Elizabeth Blackburn 2 October 1812 on Beaver Creek and lived there until about 1836 when he joined his sons in Logan County, VA. His sons James and Simeon were running a large logging operation on the Tug River. The early Justices in Logan and Mingo , and for whom Justice, WVA is named , were members of this family.

John married Mary HOGUE or MOORE.