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 THE STORY AS I KNOW IT.

Actually, this story is a combination of family tale and supposition with some documentation. Margaret Crickmur's granddaughter told the following story. The Crickmur family had come to Caldwell County, Kentucky when Margaret was a girl. She had been born in Virginia. Her mother's name was Byer Culpepper. The family emigrated west in a covered wagon and the wheel broke in Caldwell County. So there they stayed.

The name has a number of variations. I will use the one that came with the documentation or story.

The story gleaned from all the gathered information listed below seems to go like this:

John Crickmur was born in Norfolk,Virginia on March 30, 1775. He married Nancy Byer Culpepper between 1798 - 1802 in Virginia, probably Norfolk. They lived there until about 1816. Seven children were born to them in Norfolk. They then moved on to Hanover County Virginia just north of Richmond . There they had 3 more children. Their last major move was to Caldwell County Kentucky in western Kentucky after Jan 1819 and before Feb 1821. They may have gone to join his sister, Polly Creekmur and her husband Henry Young who married in 1817 in Caldwell Ct. How Polly got there is not yet known.

I could find nothing in the Hanover, VA Court records room, or in the local library history section.  The court house burned in 1864 and there are no records before that time.

We know that Margaret Crickmur married Josiah Nichols in Caldwell County in 1844. Looking at the 1850 Census the following Crickmur's were found:

John Creekmuir age 75 born in Virginia with wife Nancy age 70, born in Virginia
were living with Bartholomew Creekmuir and they all lived next to Josiah & Margaret Nichols. Margaret was age 31 born in Virginia.
Bartholomew Creekmuir age 47 born in Virginia with a family of 3 young children
Christopher Creekmuir age 48 born in Virginia with a wife and 17 year old son who was born in Ky.
Timothy Creekmuir age 29, born in Kentucky with wife and 4 children.

Caldwell Ct Genealogist, Gregory Watson has the family noted in the following manner with documentation given where known:

John "Jack" Creekmur born March 30, 1775 in Antrim Ireland.
He died May 11, 1857 and is buried in the Creekmur Cemetery.
Nancy, his wife, last name unknown born Oct 17, 1779 in VA.
She died Oct 11, 1875 and is buried in the Creekmur Cemetery.
1. Mary "Polly" Creekmur born 1790-1800, wed Henry Young
.  She may have been a younger sister to Jack Creekmur. The Caldwell Ct
Marriage Book 1809 - 1900 lists her marriage on July 24, 1817.
2. Christopher Creekmur born 1802 in VA wed 1st Rutha Ellis on Aug 23, 1822
from Caldwell Ct Marriage Book 1, page 61,
2nd Lucinda Townsend on Jan 28, 1847, CC Marriage Book 2, pg 75.
He died Oct 15, 1854, CC Vital Statistics, Births by Brenda J. Jerome pg178.
3. Bartholomew Creekmur born 1804 in VA, wed Margaret Dunbar on
Feb 20, 1840, CC Marriage Book 2, page 10
4. Winifred Creekmur born 1805 in VA, wed Thomas Jackson.on June 17, 1840,
CC Marriage Book 1809 - 1900
5. Priscilla Creekmur born 1808 wed Jubal Carner on Jan 3, 1827,
CC Marriage Book 1809 - 1900, pg 30..
6. Ruth Creekmur born c 1810 wed Peter Purtle, on Nov 31, 1827,
CC Marriage Book 1809 - 1900.
7. John Louis Creekmur born Jan 17, 1814 in VA wed Nancy Jane Howton on
Dec 31, 1835. He died March 13 and is buried in Old Beulah Cemetery,
Hopkins County KY.
8. Nancy Creekmur born April 12, 1817 in Hanover VA, on Feb. 8, 1842 wed
David Henderson Blalock. She died Sep 19, 1902 in Caldwell County.
A note in the Hubbard family bible says the wedding was Feb. 25, 1842.
9. Phebe Creekmur born c 1818 in VA wed James Wasley on Feb, 22, 1843,
CC Marriage Book 1809 - 1900
10. Margaret Creekmur born Jan 12, 1819 in VA, wed Josiah Nichols on
Oct 6, 1844, CC Marriage Book 2, page 52. She died March 4, 1904 and
is buried in Perry Cemetery, CC. CC 1900 Census shows her age 82,
widowed with 2 children born, one living. She was living with her son.
11 Timothy Creekmur born Feb. 22, 1821 wed Elizabeth Nichols Feb. 24, 1842
. CC Marriage Book 2, page 28. He served the Union in the Civil War Co E,
20th Kentucky Infantry. He died Aug. 26, 1901, buried in the Perry Cemetery.

A websource Reta sent the following. Most details agree. There are a few key differences namely the birthplace of John Creekmur, his wedding place to Nancy Culpepper and their burial site.

John Crickmur was born in 1775 in Virginia. The Norfolk area. is the only area of Virginia that had a large number of Creekmurs. The family there can be traced back to Edmond Creekman who appears in a land patent in 1650. The Virginia Genealogist 1966 contains a lengthy compilation of this family called Creekmore Notes compiled by Mabel Thornton and Elizabeth Wingo. However, as noted above, Mr. Watson believes he was born in Ireland. Needs more study.

It is not known who his parents were. He married Nancy Culpepper about 1800 in Virginia. We hope she is the "Byer" Culpepper of the story and that Byer was a nickname used by the grandchildren.

The 1860 Census gives Margaret's birthplace as Virginia. The 1870 census gives her birthplace as North Carolina. Either way it implies that the family lived in both places. They may have gone to Kentucky by way of North Carolina.

The Kentucky Land Grants by Willard Rouse Jillson state that John and Christopher received 30 acres dated march 28, 1834 on Pratts Creek in Caldwell County. Further it states that Bartholomew received 50 acres, date unknown on Sugar Creek. Finally it states that Timothy Creekmore was grant 75 acres, dated April 20, 1858 on Cain Creek. All these creeks are both northeast of Princeton. Caldwell County attracted many people because of it's numerous creeks and water supply.

Mr. Watson states that John Creekmur died on May 11, 1857 and is buried in the Creekmur Cemetery. His wife lived another 18 years. Reta sent me a photo of John's tombstone and says it is in  Hells Half Acre Cemetery near Split Rock, Caldwell Co. KY just a little east of Creekmur Hill. 

If you know the answer please CONTACT US

1. Who were John's parents.

2. Where was he born?

3.. Was the family in North Carolina, where and when?

4. Get the 1840 and 1830 Census' in Caldwell County.

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Date Last Edited: 6/13/2001
Date edited 7/13/2017
Date edited 11/11/2024