Facebook Sign Or View Our Guestbook

Archelious Craft
and Elizabeth Adams

Archelious Craft b 23 Dec 1749 Roaring River Wilkes Co NC d 8 Nov 1853 Craft's Colly, KY; buried Colly, KY; Rev War Vet, NC Continental Line; s/o James Craft and Sarah Hammonds. Archelious Craft m. 1 Dec 1785 Wilkes Co NC to Elizabeth Betsy Adams b about 1770 Louden Co VA d Floyd Co KY; d/o John Adams Jr and Nancy Ann Caudill.  Archelous Craft m. Scena Wright a widow from VA. Archelous Craft and Scena Wright had no children. Children of Archelious Craft and Elizabeth Betsy Adams;

1. Nancy Craft b 1787 NC; m. about Apr 1803 to William Caudill b about 1779 NC d 27 Jul 1880; s/o James Caudill Jr and Mary A Unknown.

2. Ezekiel Craft b about 1788 d in infancy.

3. James Craft b 25 Nov 1790 d 12 Jan 1867 (some say d about Dec 1879 in Wayne Co KY); m. 17 Feb 1812 to Drusilla Hammons b 1790 Perry Co KY d 12 Jan 1867 Wayne Co KY; d/o Joseph Ambrose Hammons and Sarah Collins.

4. Sarah Sally Craft b about 1794 Harris Creek, Wilkes Co NC; m. 12 Apr 1812 to William Hammons b about 1790.

5. John W Craft b about 1796 Harris Creek, Wilkes Co NC; m. 2 Aug 1818 Floyd Co KY to Susanna Hagins b about 1798 NC; d/o William R Hagins and Mary Linville.

6. Stephen Craft b 1798 in KY; m. Elizabeth Unknown b about 1810. Children of Stephen Craft and Elizabeth Unknown;

i. Mary Craft b 1822 KY m. John Simon?

ii. Archillus Craft b 1827 KY; m. Loucinda ??

iii. Sarah Craft b 1830 in AL

iv. Sintha Craft b 1837 AL

v. Mattie? Craft b 1840 AL

vi. Absalom Craft b 1841 AL

vii. John Craft b 1844 AL

7. Simon Craft b 1800.

8. Archelous Cheed Craft Jr b about 1802 Wilkes Co NC d 7 Oct 1853 at Colly Creek, Letcher Co KY m. 23 Aug 1822 Perry Co KY to Nancy Jane Polly b 1805 TN, d/o Edward Polly (Rev War Vet) and Mary Agnes Mullins.

9. Malinda Craft b 1804.

10. William Craft b 1807 in Floyd Co KY d 1898; m. 26 May 1826 to Rachel Parker b about 1812 TN. William Craft built spinning wheels.

11. Charity Craft b 1810 Floyd Co KY; m. Sept 1824 to Harvey Pritchard (aka Pritchet)


Thanks to Gary Kahler for submitting the John N Craft Ancestors PDF file containing this family and many others of the Craft lineage.


Archealous Craft
Revolutionay War Patriot
By Pine Mountain Chapter DAR

Archealous Craft was born Decembert 25, 1749 in Pennsylvania, the son of James Craft. The Craft family were immigrants from the Palantine area of Germany who came to America in great numbers 1682-1776 because of political unrest. They had lived in the present Alsace-Lorrain area and were used as pawns in the hands of the ruling heads to trade to minor royalty as rewards. This caused them such mental agony and untold suffering that they decided that they would endure it no longer, but would flee their native land and seek the freedom they loved in America so they could worship God as they choose.

Archealous came to North Carolina in early life and became a Revolutionary Soldier from Wilkes County, North Carolina in early life and became a Revolutionary Soldier from Wilkes County, North Carolina. Quisenberry's "Revolutionary Soldiers in Kentucky" show that he was granted a pension under the act of June 7, 1832 in the amount of $46.66 per year on November 15, 1833, serving in the North Carolina line.

In 1785 he married in North Carolina, Elizabeth Adams, daughter of John Adams (1729 - 1815) and his first wife Mary Boone, sister of Squire Boone, the father of Daniel Boone. John Adams is buried in the Mayking Cemetery (Mayking, Letcher Co KY).

The Craft family came to Kentucky about 1806-07 about the time James and Stephen Caudill came. In 1840 about twenty Baptists assembled at the home of Isaac Whitaker about two miles up the Kentucky River from where Blackey (Letcher Co KY) is now located near what is known as the Indian Bottom (where Indians had camped) and organized the Indian Bottom Church. Some of the early members were Archealous Craft, James Caudill, Mary Caudill, Stephen, Sarah Caudill, James Webb, John Adams, Benjamin Webb, John Dixon and others.

The Archealous Craft family lived on Crafts Colly (Letcher Co KY) near the old Oscar Jones home. His wife Elizabeth died before 1835 and he later married a lady by the name of Scena. He died November 8, 1853, at the age of 104 and is buried on Crafts Colly near his old residence. His grave is near the new Baptish church there.

Dave L. Craft, a great, great, great grandson of Archealous, furnished much of the material for this article, has a stool made from the logs of the old cabin that was the home of Archealous.

The children of Archealous and Elizabeth were:
1. Nancy Craft married William Caudill, the daughter (son) of James Caudill. Their children were Elender, Lyle, James, William J., Isom, Henry, Susanna, Sarah and Mary.
2. Ezekiel Craft
3. John Craft married Susan Hagin. This family moved to Quicksand in Jackson County and one of his descentants Elliott was a very poor boy in his youth but bought him a T-Model Ford and started a taxi service and eventually owned interests in Trailways, the railways and became quite wealthy.
4. James Craft married Drusilla Hammonds. Their children were Archealous who married Letty Webb, Joseph who married Martha Bates, Benjamin who married Jane Adams, Nehemiah who married Arty Thornsberry, Sarah who married John Adams, Elizabeth who married Jason L Webb and Mahala.
5. Stephen Craft
6. Archealous, Jr., married Nancy Polly and were the parents of John T., David K., Henry, Scena, Viny, Margaret, Martha, Joseph, Edward, Dorinda and John F.
7. William Craft married Rachel of Tennessee and they were the parents of Mary, Martha Ann, America, William, George W., Nancy, Lucinda and Christopher.
8. Sally Craft married William Hammonds
9. Charity Craft was born in 1810 and married Harvey Pritchard. Their children were John H., Archealous, Samantha Jane, Harvey, Nehemiah and Andy.

The Crafts were hard working and thrifty people. The story is told that Archealous split a hundred fence rails on his hundreth birthday. They were divided in the Civil War, Henry the son of Archealous, Jr. being on the Union side and Enoch, the grandson of James Craft being on the Southern side.

Many of the Craft sons were Regular Baptist preachers. They established the Thorton (Thornton) Regular Baptist Church and John A. Craft is the Clerk of this church, which has over four hundred members.

All the Crafts of Letcher County are no doubt descendants of this brave pioneer, as well as hundreds living elsewhere. A new DAR Chapter is being organized at Hindman (Knott Co KY), and several of Archealous Craft's descendants are joiniing the new chapter, using him as their Revolutionary patriot. Like wise any of his female descentants are eligible to become members of the Pine Mountain Chapter DAR in Letcher County.

Several of his descentants are Dave L. Craft, Archie Craft of the Craft Funeral Home, James Wiley Craft, Mrs. William Blair, James D. Asher, John Craft of Neon, (Letcher Co KY), Jack Craft, Mr. and Mrs. Woodford Webb, Judy Stidham and Dallas June Craft.


| Home | Links | Email | Search |
| Facebook | Guestbook | What's New |
Go Back Copyright © Annette Potter Some Rights Reserved Go Forward