The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 43, July 1939 - April, 1940 Page: 196

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Southwestern Historical Quarterly

A LETTER BOOK OF JOSEPH EVE, UNITED STATES
CHARG D'AFFAIRES TO TEXAS
INTRODUCTION
JOSEPH MILTON NANCE
Joseph Eve (July 17, 1784-June 16, 1843), Kentucky legislator,
judge, and Charge d'a faires of the United States to the Republic
of Texas, was born in Culpeper County, Virginia. The facts
concerning Eve's life and ancestors are very meager. In the
genealogical records of Culpeper County mention is made of a
J. Eve, probably the grandfather of Joseph Eve, being awarded a
contract in 1743 to construct an addition to Little Fork Church.
Somewhat more adequate information is available regarding his
wife's family connections. Miss Betsy Withers Ballinger, whom
Joseph Eve married, probably in Kentucky, was a descendant of
an old well established family residing in Lancashire County,
England. Sir Thomas Wither served as a counsellor to Henry,
the first Duke of Lancaster, about 1248. The first member of
this family to settle in Virginia was John Withers,' who came to
America in the Merchants' Hope in 1634. Another member,
Thomas Withers, of this family settled at Kittery, Maine, in 1631.
The grandfather of Joseph Eve's wife from her father's side was
Joseph Ballinger, a Pennsylvania Quaker, who, with others, in-
cluding Morgan Bryan, Alexander Ross, James Wright, and Evan
Thoms, formed a company in 1730 for the purpose of settling
in Virginia and Maryland. These Quakers were granted 100,000
acres of land in the Shenandoah Valley. Four years later they
erected a meeting house in Virginia, and thereafter for a number
of years the Hopewell Monthly Meeting of Frederich flourished.
Joseph Ballinger first settled in Pittsylvania County and later
removed to Amherst County, Virginia, where he spent the re-
mainder of his life. He and his brother, Richard, married sisters,
Tansy and Dolly Franklin. Joseph Ballinger's son Richard took
as his first wife Elizabeth ("Betsy") Jennings, one of the ten
children of William and Betsy (Withers) Jennings, who married
in Garrard County, Kentucky, December 25, 1764. One of Richard
lit has been impossible to determine definitely when the letter "s" was
added to the surname.

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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 43, July 1939 - April, 1940, periodical, 1940; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101111/m1/210/ocr/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.

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