Agnes Cornett 'Shephard' Sizemore

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25643259/agnes-cornett-sizemore “Family legend states that Aggie Shepherd was a full blooded Cherokee who had been taken accidently from her village when a white raiding party, intending to rescue a white girl who had been kidnapped by the Indians, mistook Aggie for white and 'rescued' her as well. Her husband, George Sizemore, is said to have been the “half-breed” son (born about 1750) of a white woman and a Cherokee Indian Chief. These stories have no official records to back them up, but there is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that they are at least partly true. Which part though is a matter for debate. What we do know, based on official records, is that Aggie and George did exist. That they likely emigrated from North Carolina or Tennessee to Kentucky around 1800. They did have several children.

“Court records from Tyron County, North Carolina show that Aggie's husband George Sizemore was, in 1771, through process of litigation, made the executor of the estate of "William Shepherd, deceased." William was likely the [adopted] father of Aggie.

“In the Clay County, court records from 1822 to 1824, Aggie is referred to as the "Widow Sizemore."

“Aggie is mentioned several time in the Clay County, Kentucky court records from 1822 to 1825. From 1822 to 1824 they referred to her as the "Widow Sizemore", and in October 1825 she was called "Aggy Sizemore." Each record orders that she and a John Gilbert each be levied $10.

“In the late 1800s Reverend John Dickey interviewed elderly people in southeastern Kentucky. The resulting published work is the "Dickey Diaries." Some of the interviewed referred to Aggie Sizemore. Those excerpts are as follows:

INTERVIEW WITH MRS. POLLY NORTH:

"I am 85 years old, was born in this county [Perry]. My father was a Wilder, my mother was Rhoda Sizemore [daughter of George and Aggie]. The first preacher I ever heard was Chenault, a Baptist and he preached on Cutshin. William Mattingly was the first school teacher. I remember he taught when I was a child. My grandmother's maiden name was Aggie Shepherd. I remember to have heard my grandfather Sizemore say to her 'Damn-an-it Shepherd I can't stand you much longer'."

COMMENTS ABOUT THE INTERVIEWS BY JOHN DICKEY HIMSELF:

"Felix Begley tells me that old Aggie Sizemore, the wife of "Old George of All", used to roast terrapins alive as the Indians used to do. Other things he told me that I am sure she was the Cherokee instead of Sizemore. Old Aggie wanted to take a skull which was found under a cliff, for a soap dish."

George All and Aggie settled in what is now Leslie County, owning most of the land opposite the town site of Hyden. This land was later owned by son John (Rockhouse) and wife, Nancy who built the first home in this section now known as Hyden. In 1842 John sold the property to James Lewis.

According to the official Leslie County, Kentucky website: "Hyden, Kentucky, the seat of Leslie county, was founded in 1878 and named for state Senator John Hyden (1814 - 1883), then state senator from Clay County and one of the commissioners appointed to establish Leslie County. The first settlers to live on the land at the mouth of Rockhouse Creek on the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River, where the town of Hyden is located, was the Sizemore family. John Sizemore, sold the land to the John Lewis Family. The land was later donated to the county and Hyden was founded there on the site of John Lewis' farm. Hyden is served by US 421, KY 80, and the Daniel Boone Parkway. The Hyden post office opened in 1879 with Leander Crawford as Postmaster."

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Agnes is the lady on the right side

Variation of some old family stories say that Aggie's birth/Indian name was Shepherd, that she was raised by/adopoted by a family with the surname Cornett.

Aggie was a Full blooded Cherokee Indian"When Kentucky was first being settled, emigrants from either North Carolina or Tennessee, headed by a man named Cornett, reached the Kentucky River late one evening. They decided to make camp and wait until daylight before crossing the river. They had wives, children, livestock and equipment with them. After supper they were sitting around their campfire talking, when Indians dashed into camp and captured two of the little girls. Three of the white men saddled horses and went after the Indians. Late in the night they caught up with the Indians, who were not expecting pursuit and had made camp. The men advanced near enough to see the girls asleep on pallets near the fire. Each man agreed to dash in and grab one of the girls. This they did and got away without a fight. When they came to their own camp the men discovered that they had also captured a little Indian girl. The next morning after crossing the river, the emigrants decided to keep the Indian girl. Mr. Cornett agreed to take her and raise her.

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http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/p/a/n/Donald-N-Pantherya... GEORGE ALL5 SIZEMORE (JAMES4, HENRY3, WILLIAM2, MICHAEL1) was born 1754, and died July 13, 1822 in Clay Co., Ky.. He married AGNESS (AGGIE) SHEPHERD 1770 in Tryon Co., N.C., daughter of WILLIAM SHEPHERD. She was born 1753 in N.C., and died 1833 in Perry Co., Ky..

More About AGNESS (AGGIE) SHEPHERD: Fact: Sephardic Jewish surname

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=25643259

This site has a picture that I downloaded as photography was widely used commercially in 1839 per Wikipedia History of Photography. 1839 is known as the birth of photography. So this picture could be of Agnes/Aggie even though her death is 1839. The person who downloaded this grave site link, which is great, is just wrong about when photography was invented and used.

Agnes Shepherd Sizemore Memorial Photos Flowers Edit Birth: 1750 North Carolina, USA Death: 1839 Leslie County Kentucky, USA

Family links:

Children:

 John Sizemore (1770 - 1850)*

 Winifred Minerva (Winnie) Sizemore Begley (1772 - 1855)*

 George Goldenhawk Sizemore (1783 - 1864)*

 Henry Hunting Shirt Sizemore (1790 - ____)*

*Point here for explanation

Burial: Napier-Sizemore-Begley Cemetery Dryhill Leslie County Kentucky, USA

Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?]

Created by: Brittany Marschalk Record added: Mar 30, 2008 Find A Grave Memorial# 25643259

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The following story appeared in both "The Rural Kentuckian" and Mary Brewer's book, "Bolder Men.": A group of pioneer familes from NC started out along the trains that led into KY. These people were led by a man named Cornet. The group left NC and traveled by an ox cart caravan anad pack horses. They traveled slowly over the trains for days. They came to the Kentucky River late one evening, but they didn't want to cross the river because it was so late. They made camp, cooked supper and ate. After supper they were sitting around the campfire talking and making plans for their trip into the wilderness. All of a sudden there was a mad rush on the camp. Indians dashed into the camp and carried away two of the white girls. Three of the white men saddled up their horses and started out after the Indians. Late the next evening the white men caught up with the Indians. The Indians had made camp, not expecting the white men to overtake them so quickly. The white men sneaked up to where they could see into the camp. They saw the white girls and also some Indian girls sleeping near the fire. From different directions the white men dashed into the camp. They came out with the girls and headed back to their camp. When the men reached camp, they discovered they had captured an Indian girl too. The white men discussed what they would do about the Indian girl. The Cornett man agreed to keep her. He named her Aggie.

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Agnes birth/indian name was shepherd and she was adopted buy family with surname Cornett. She married in abt 1770 in Cherokee Nation, Tyron Co. Now Mecklenburg Co., NC

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Aggie was full blood Creek indian.

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http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=sizemore&GSby...

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Captured and raised by a family named Cornett.

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Not a known wife of Aaron "Totsuwha-Chief Red Bird" Brock

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Agnes Shepherd Sizemore
BIRTH
1750
Cherokee County, North Carolina, USA
DEATH
1839 (aged 88–89)
Leslie County, Kentucky, USA
BURIAL
Napier-Sizemore-Begley Cemetery
Dryhill, Leslie County, Kentucky,

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25643259/agnes-sizemore

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GEDCOM Note

Biography == This profile represents Agnes, the wife of George "All" Sizemore of Kentucky.

That George Sizemore had a wife named Agnes or Aggie is supported by two death records of their children in Perry County, Kentucky -- WinnieSizemore Bailey and Edward Sizemore -- both listed on the same page. ≤ref name=death1855>Perry County, Kentucky Deaths, LDS Film # 004255376; image 195 (familysearch.org) ≤/ref>
Previous versions of this profile suggested, without source, that her maiden name might have been Cornett.
That her maiden name was Shepherd and her nickname was "Aggie" was reported in an interview with her granddaughter, Polly North:: "I am 85 years old, was born in this county [Perry]. My father was aWilder, my mother was Rhoda Sizemore [daughter of George and Aggie]. The first preacher I ever heard was Chenault, a Baptist and he preached on Cutshin. William Mattingly was the first school teacher. I remember he taught when I was a child. My grandmother's maiden name was Aggie Shepherd. I remember to have heard my grandfather Sizemore say to her 'Damn-an-it Shepherd I can't stand you much longer.' "≤ref name=dickey> Interview with Mrs. Polly North (date?), excerpt from the "Dickey Diaries" ~Reverend John Dickey. We seek the original of this source; can you help us find it? ≤/ref>
A previous version of this profile attached Martha Arrington as a mother, without source.
Others have claimed she was daughter of William Shepherd and Unknown Roda.
Until we have reliable sources for her origins, she remains detached from any parents.
We seek reliable evidence that Agnes and George married about 1770 in Cherokee Nation, Tryon County (now Mecklenburg), North Carolina.
She died on 27 Nov 1836 in Leslie County, Kentucky, USA.: Her Find-a-Grave Memorial states, without source that she died in 1839. ≤ref> 25643259 for Agnes (Shepherd) Sizemore ≤/ref>:: Her place of death on her find-a-grave memorial is Leslie County, Kentucky; but her place of death recorded in death records is Avery County, Kentucky.

COMMENTS ABOUT THE INTERVIEWS BY JOHN DICKEY HIMSELF:: "Felix Begley tells me that old Aggie Sizemore, the wife of "Old George of All", used to roast terrapins alive as the Indians used to do. Other things he told me that I am sure she was the Cherokee instead ofSizemore. Old Aggie wanted to take a skull which was found under a cliff, for a soap dish.":: Update: Joy Wright King reports that mtDNA from female descendants of both Georges reveals no Native DNA markers, disproving the theory that George's wife was Native.

Children

Documented:# Winifred Minerva (Sizemore) Begley (abt.1772-1855), b abt 1776, based on age at death; m. William Begley; d 1855 Perry Co., Kentucky≤ref name=death1855 /># Edward "Ned" Sizemore, b abt 1778, based on age at death, supposedly in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia; d 1855/6 Perry Co., Kentucky≤ref name=death1855 /> In the 1856 MortalityList for Clay County, it is shown that George and Agnes' son Edward died November 27, 1856, at the age of 78.≤ref> Kentucky, U.S., Death Records 1852-1965 on ancestry.com with image at Death Record of Edward Sizemore≤/ref># Rhoda Sizemore; m. Wilder≤ref name=dickey /> Find-a-Grave says 1784-1829.
A previous version of this profile included the following for which weseek supporting documentation:

• William Sizemore (detached)
• James Sizemore (uncertain)* John "Rockhouse" Sizemore (Find-a-grave says 1770-1850) (uncertain)* George Gulden "Goldenhawk" Sizemore (Find-a-grave says 1783-1864) (uncertain)* Susan Sizemore; find-a-grave says 1784-1862 (uncertain)
• Sarah "Sally" Ann Sizemore (uncertain)* Henry Sizemore; find-a-grave ays 1790-1871 (uncertain)
• Ruth

Research Notes

Family Legend

: We seek the origins of this legend.
Family legend states that Agnes Shepherd was a full-blooded Cherokee who had been taken accidentally from her village when a white raiding party, intending to rescue a white girl who had been kidnapped by the Indians, mistook Aggie for white and "rescued" her as well.
Her husband, George Sizemore, is said to have been the half-breed son (born about 1750) of a white woman and a Cherokee Indian Chief. These stories have no official records to back them up, but there is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that they are at least partly true. Which part though is a matter for debate. What we do know, based on official records, is that Agnes and George did exist. That they likely emigrated from North Carolina or Tennessee to Kentucky around 1800. They did have several children.
George "All" and Aggie settled in what is now Leslie County, owning most of the land opposite the townsite of Hyden. This land was later owned by son John and wife, Nancy who built the first home in this section now known as Hyden. In 1842 John sold the property to James Lewis." ≤ref> “Of Bolder Men, A History of Leslie County” by Mary T. Brewer, p208-212 / 236 pages (no date); published & distributed by: Leslie County News, Hyden, Kentucky, 41749. (not published recently) Kenneth L. Dyer SIZEMORE ≤/ref>

According to the official Leslie County, Kentucky website: : "Hyden, Kentucky, the seat of Leslie County, was founded in 1878 andnamed for state Senator John Hyden (1814-1883), then a state senator from Clay County and one of the commissioners appointed to establish Leslie County. The first settlers to live on the land at the mouth of Rockhouse Creek on the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River, where the town of Hyden is located, was the Sizemore family. John Sizemore sold theland to the John Lewis Family. The land was later donated to the county and Hyden was founded there on the site of John Lewis' farm. Hyden is served by US 421, Kentucky 80, and the Daniel Boone Parkway. The Hyden post office opened in 1879 with Leander Crawford as Postmaster."

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Agnes is the lady on the right side" ≤ref name=dickey/>
There are two legends that try to explain the marriage of George"All" Sizemore to Aggy Shepherd. The first, a raid by Indians of a white man's camp where two little white girls were kidnapped from a wagon train. In retaliation, The girls' kinsmen (Cornett) followed and raided the Indians' village and freed them, but in the process, they "mistakenly" abducted an Indian female child, who was later given to William Shepherd, one of the raiding party, adopted her and she was called Agnes. According to legend, one of the rescued females had already been impregnated by the Chief. The product of this rape is George "of all" Sizemore. Agnes thought to be a Creek Indian, and George, a large,hairy fellow, part Cherokee, and a prizefighter, were brought up and married. George lived in both the white man's world and the white top Cherokee tribe through out his life.
The second legend is more sparse in detail. The story is that an Indian girl of around 15 was found wandering alone in the forest. The story doesn't say whether she was truly lost, or perhaps abandoned or stolen. She grew up to marry George "of all" Sizemore.
The twist to this story is that Mitochondrial DNA for Agnes Shepherd Sizemore is European, not Native American. That casts doubt on whether she was an Indian at all. What further attacks thelegends is that some in the genealogical community question whether both of these tales apply to "Aggie" Cornett (born 1815), wife of John Sizemore (born 1805.) She happens to have the same stories and nothing is known about her background. This might explain why some who retell Agnes Shepherd Sizemore's background often include the possibility that her maiden name was Cornett.
I [who?] lean towards the idea that Aggie Cornett Sizemore was kidnapped as a teen. The supposedly rescued teenaged Indian girl sounds moreplausible with Aggie. Until we can find out some more information from DNA studies, no one knows.
: "When Kentucky was first being settled, immigrants from either NorthCarolina or Tennessee headed by a man named Cornett reached the Kentucky River late one evening. They decided to make camp and wait until daylight before crossing the River. They had wives, children, livestock, and equipment with them. After supper, they were sitting around their campfire talking when suddenly Indians dashed into camp and capturedtwo of the little girls. Three of the white men saddled horses and went after the Indians. Late in the night, they caught up with the Indians who were not expecting pursuit and had made camp. The men advanced near enough to see the girls asleep on pallets near the fire. Each managreed to dash in and grab one of the girls. This they did and got away without a fight. When they came to their own camp the men discovered that they had also captured a little Indian girl. The next morning after crossing the River, the immigrants decided to keep the Indian girl and Mr. Cornett agreed to take her and raise her. In the meantime, in another part of the area, the Cherokee Indians had also captured a white girl. One Indian Chief, seeing her beauty, became desirous of possessing her for his own and took her into his teepee. However, his love was short-lived for the girls brothers made pursuit and brought the girl back to her own people, but under her heart, she carried the child of the Indian Chief. This child was given the name of George All Sizemore. Pleasie Woods (deceased) When George All grew to manhood it seems most evident that he married the Indian girl whom Mr. Cornett raised. George All and Aggy Shepherd thus became the progenitors of the Leslie County Sizemores. Shepherd was Aggy’s Indian name. She was sometimes called Shepherd and sometimes Cornett. Their children were: Henry, John, Edward, George, Sally Ann who married Eli Couch, Minerva (Winnie) who married William (Bill) Begley, Rhoda who married a Roberts anda Wilder, Ruth who married John Jones and Susan who married a Bowling.

DNA ==NOTE: Mitochondrial DNA for Agnes Shepherd Sizemore is European, not Native American, casting doubt on whether she wasan Indian at all.

Sources

≤references />

See also: * 1810 USA Census of Clay County, Kentucky; citing p153 @45+yrs (thought to be the daughter of William Shepherd of Tryon County, North Carolina)

• Kentucky Birth, Marriage and Death Records (1852-1910) citing Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives in Frankfort, Kentucky; caption=Agnes Sizemore: Kentucky
• "Pennsylvania Archives" in 10 "Series" have been published so far infrom 5 to 31v. Ea. Philadelphia and Harrisburg, PA; citing v157 p496

Profiles on other sites:* Geni.com for Agnes Cornett (Shephard) Sizemore

• Geni.com for her husband, George "Chief of All" Sizemore
• SizemoreFamilyKY family tree on ancestry.com for Agnes "Aggie" Shephard
• Ratliff family tree on ancestry.com for Esther or Agnes "Aggie" (Cornett) (Sizemore) Shepherd
• Connie Abrams family tree on ancestry.com for Agnes "Aggie" Cornett Shepherd (said to be fullblood Cherokee Indian); see gallery for documents posted to this profile
• Vicmadams family tree on ancestry.com for Agnes Cornett Shephard - (Private tree - not viewable)

Below are some ancestry.com stories ...* Agnes "Aggie" Shepherd-Cornett

• Aggie was a full-blooded Cherokee.
• Aggie Shephard's story
• d: 1820 Ashe, NC; m: 1770 Ashe, NC