George Sizemore is said to be the earliest Sizemore in Southeastern
Kentucky, and the father of all our line - hence the name
'Of All' . There are many legends about him. The most famous
story is that he was the half-breed son (born about 1750)
of a white woman and a Cherokee Indian Chief, and that George's
wife, Aggie 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. 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 George and Aggie did exist. That they likely
emigrated from North Carolina or Tennessee to Kentucky around 1800. They
did have several children. Those children are
our direct ancestors.
(Authors Note. October, 2004: since I first wrote these words, much
DNA testing has been done on known George All ancestors. Through
these tests it has been proven scientifically that George
carried Native American blood. Exactly how much, from what
tribe, and when that blood entered the line, is not known.
What this means is, if you are an ancestor of George Sizemore
then you ARE part Native American.)
Below are transcripts of several records that will tell you more about George and Aggie, and will shed some light on the Indian legends, plus a few surprising extras. Reading these account is like having just enough pieces of a puzzle to give you a hint of what the whole picture might look like, but never quite enough to really know. In any case it's fascinating reading. My personal comments are in parenthesis. Also, I've taken the liberty of expanding some of the more obvious abbreviations, but some still remain. Your guess is as good as mine.
TRYON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA MINUTES OF THE COURT OF PLEAS AND QUARTER SESSIONS 1769-1779
January term 1771
1. On Motion of Waightstill Avery it was ordered by the Court that George Sizemore have Letters of Administration of all and sing'r the Goods & Chattels rights and Credits of William Shepherd deceased, he complying with the act of assembly in that case made & provided. He proposes for securities John Walker Esquire and Joseph Green. Accepted.
2. (October 1771) On motion of Samuel Spencer ordered by the Court that George Sizemore have Letters of administration of the estate of William Shepherd Deceased he complying with the act of assembly in that case made and provided. He proposes for Securities George Winters & John Morris. accepted. Securities bound in the sum of Three hundred pounds.
3. In Consequence of the aforesaid order of administration William Gilbert's
by John Dun & Alexander Martin his attorneys & prays a caveat
in the Secretary's Office according to act of assembly in
that case made and provided against the said George Sizemore
having administration pursuant to the above order till the
controversy be heard & determined by his Excellency the Governor
and Council of this province whether Letters of administration
ought to issue to the said George Sizemore or to the said
William Gilbert, he claiming right to the same. Caveat Granted.
(Looks like Gilbert thought he had the right to execute the
estate)
4. In pursuance of an order of October Court last past ordered that Letters of Administration Issue to George Sizemore on the Estate of William Shepherd, deceased.
(The above documents show that, through a process of litigation, George was finally confirmed as the executor of William Shepherd's estate. Could William have been George's father in law through his wife Aggie Shepherd??)
TRYON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA MINUTES OF THE COURT OF PLEAS AND QUARTER SESSIONS 1769-1779
October term 1774
Ordered by the Court that George Sizemore Administrator of the Estate of William Shepherd deceased be cited by the Sheriff to appear at next court & make final settlement of his doings respecting the said Estate.
(The above document is clearly a further action in the matter of William Shepherd's estate)
TRYON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA MINUTES OF THE COURT OF PLEAS AND QUARTER SESSIONS 1769-1779
January term 1772
Ordered that a Road be Laid out from William Davis on Catheys Creek the nearest and best way to the province Line into the Charles Town market road, and that Andrew Hampton, George Winters, Samuel Richardson, Samuel McFaddon, George Sizemore, James Cook Sr., William Wray, William Gleghorn, Samuel Gray, John Sutton, Robert Nelson & David Huddleston Sr. do serve as jurors to lay out the said road and that they appear before John Walker Esquire on the third Tuesday in March next then and there to take the necessary steps to qualify them for this their Charge, and that the sheriff summon them thereto accordingly.
(The above document orders a road to be built and that George will be a part of the administrators of that construction. Looks like George was a contributing citizen of this community.)
TRYON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA MINUTES OF THE COURT OF PLEAS AND QUARTER SESSIONS 1769-1779
July term 1774
1. William Gilbert vs George Sizemore. Case.
2. In consequence of the above judgment, William Gilbert came into open court and releases & acquits Edward Sizemore of the above sum recovered against George Sizemore.
(I'm not sure what this means exactly. Who was the dispute between? No dollar amount is mentioned in this transcript)
TRYON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA MINUTES OF THE COURT OF PLEAS AND QUARTER SESSIONS 1769-1779
January term 1776
A Bill of Sale from George Sizemore to William Gilbert for one Negro man Dated the 26 Day of August 1775 proved by David George Evidence thereto. Ordered to be Registered.
(The above document clearly indicates that George was a slave owner, at least in North Carolina.)
TRYON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA MINUTES OF THE COURT OF PLEAS AND QUARTER SESSIONS 1769-1779
July term 1778
William Gilbert vs. George Sizemore, George Winters & Jno Morris. Sci fa (?). Same jury impaneled and sworn the defendants did make a bail bond and were bail. Judgment.
(There was no indication as to the details of this judgment. However, it was about this time that George moved to Kentucky. Could it have been that this dispute had something to do with him moving? It seems very clear throughout all these documents that there was constant animosity between William Gilbert And George. Bad blood, as they say)
Below are excerpts from The Dickey Diaries regarding George and Aggie. These accounts recall a time in Kentucky, much later than the Tryon North Carolina times. (The Dickey Diaries were a collection of interviews of elderly people taken by John Dickey in 1898. You'll find more of them in the Dickey Diaries chapter.)
INTERVIEW WITH FELIX T. BEGLEY
Page 2204: Bull Creek, March 27, 1895. "I was born March 6, 1834 in Leslie County, then Perry near the mouth of Cutshin. My great grandfather and father Begley came from Ireland. He was a weaver by trade. He came with my grandfather and is buried on Cutshin. He had a by-word "damn-an-it". He spoke broken English. My grandmother was Minny Sizemore. She was a daughter of "Old George Of All" Sizemore, who came with my grandfather, William Begley from Hawkins County, Tennessee"
Page 2205: "He had sons as follows: - Henry, John, Ned, and George: Minny (William Begley), Rhoda (Roberts), Ruth (John Jones), Susan (Bolling). "Old George of All" was a hairy man and a prize-fighter. He wounded William Twitty in a fight, so that he died. Sizemore nursed Twitty, would cry and tell him he had nothing against him. All he asked of him was to fight him again if he got well. Sizemore is a Cherokee Indian name. He is said to by half or more Indian. The Sizemores are very numerous in the mountains. The Sizemores settled first on Middle Fork, the went to Clay, Floyd and other Counties."
INTERVIEW WITH MRS. POLLY NORTH:
Cutshin, March 27 1878, Perry: "I am 85 years old, was born in this county(Perry). My father was a Wilder (probably Joseph), 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 [Page 2206] to have heard my grandfather Sizemore say to her 'Dam-an-it Shepherd I can't stand you much longer'. At Glades on Bower's Creek John Gilbert killed a wolf. It had killed a two year old mule of his. He rode on the pelt as long as he lived. I have seen Rev. John Gilbert have to hold on to the fence because he had taken a dram too much (to drink?). I have heard him say a many a time at the close of the service on Sunday as he would start to the door, "Dear, dear me, brethren have you any bull yearlings to sell?"
"I have wove many a yard of cloth from nettle which grew wild. It made white cloth." [the old lady chews tobacco. J.J.D.] (J.J.D. is John J. Dickey. This nettle cloth was widely used in the Kentucky pioneer days. I can't imagine what it looked and felt like!)
INTERVIEW WITH PLEASIE WOODS AND DOROTHY JENKINS:
[George 'Chief Of All' Sizemore] "Was a prizefighter and was a huge dark, hairy man." "Large hairy fellow prone to getting into fights."
COMMENTS ABOUT THESE INTERVIEWS BY JOHN DICKEY HIMSELF:
Page 2210: About 28 March 1878: "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."
INFORMATION FROM 'THE MANCHESTER ENTERPRISE':
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.
QUOTE FROM THE OFFICIAL LESLIE COUNTY 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."
Cleary George and Aggie were fascinating characters and well known by everyone in the area. Free spirits, tough and resourceful, maybe even a bit on the wild side, to me they represent a part of the Sizemore personality that I'm quite proud of.
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