The Descendants of Simcock Cannon
Updated May 24, 2022
This website contains summaries of research on Simcock Cannon (born about 1730 in Virginia, possibly in Amelia County or Henrico County) and his wife, Jane Rudd. It also will contain summaries of research on his parents and ancestors if they are reliably identified, as well as Jane Rudd's line. For most of the families shown on this page, there is a downloadable pdf file for their timeline and a second downloadable pdf file for their family group sheet. Timelines are shown first on the upper left side of the page, and family group sheets are shown below those. Timelines are important because they cite all of the documents found for an individual or a family. The family group sheets contain notes, many of which repeat the documentation but in very small type. Files are alphabetized by first name.
I have researched these families for almost 30 years and want to make the results available to other descendants. See: www.ancestry.com. Look for a database called famconnections (numbered 7, 8, 9, etc.). Many people have contributed research on these Cannon families, including David Bennett; Victor S. Dunn, certified genealogist; Jean Jones; Juanita Eskew; Gloria Nau; the late Lo Moss Moore of Texas; the late Dewel Lott of Alabama; Phyl Vance; Betty K. Fritts; Betty Shaw; Belva Cauthen; William Gearhart; Norman J. Cannon; and many others. If I have omitted your name as a contributor, please let me know. If you use any of the research on this website, please give appropriate credit. If you find errors or new information, please let me know. You can contact me at:
Cecilie Gaziano, 4511 Fremont Avenue So., Minneapolis, MN 55419-4744, USA; cgaziano@prodigy.net OR cgaziano1@gmail.com
Simcock Cannon was in the 1800 Greenville Co., SC, census, and also the 1800 Buncombe Co., NC, census, with identical information: a male aged 10-15, a male 45 or older, 2 females under 10, and a female 26-45. He did not appear in any state census in 1810. In 1800, therefore, he was the head of a young family, which was either that with a wife after Jane Rudd or perhaps the family of a widowed daughter.
A name transcribed as "Tim Cock Cannon," which appears to be Simcock Cannon, was listed in the 1803 fall census of the first Walton Co., Georgia, in the Eastern District, with a household of 7 white persons. This area was the "Orphan Strip" that South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia sparred over until it was found to belong to NC and is the lower part of present-day Transylvania Co., NC. It was roughly in the vicinity of Buncombe Co. of 1800. Some of Simcock's neighbors in the 1800 Buncombe Co., North Carolina, census also were in the "Orphan Strip" listing.
Please note: Although some people give his name as Russell Simcock Cannon, this is incorrect. There are no records for him from the first one in 1751 to the last one in 1803 in five states that even once give his name as anything other than Simcock Cannon. See the file in the left hand column called "Simcock Cannon (c.1730-aft 1803) and Jane Rudd (c.1737-aft 1771) Timeline."
Simcock had one proved son, Russell, and three other likely sons, William, Richard, and Robert (see more about him below) according to (1) land records placing Russell, William, and Richard very near each other in Greenville District, South Carolina (Russell, Richard, William, and Robert were also in Pendleton District, South Carolina, at various times), interacting with some of the same neighbors, and (2) Y-DNA results in the Cannon DNA Project at Family Tree DNA, www.familytreedna.com, for descendants of Russell, William, and Richard that match very well. This means that they had a common ancestor, very likely Simcock Cannon. Other children have been ascribed to Simcock, but they are based on some people's overactive imaginations, such as a daughter Martha who married a Mr. Steen or a daughter Margaret or Jane who married Daniel McJunkin (Daniel McJunkin married Jane Chesney, according to well-documented evidence). Simcock Cannon sold his Union Co. land to a Martha Steen, but no evidence exists that she was a daughter.
A John Cannon of Pendleton District, South Carolina, may have been a son, but no proof has turned up yet. When Simcock received a 600-acre Royal Grant in 1771 in Craven County, South Carolina (later Union County) the amount of land indicated an 11-person household (two 50-acre lots for the head of household and ten 50-acre lots for the other members of the household). The other household members could have been a wife and children, but they also could have included other relatives, slaves, or employees. Russell, Richard, Robert, and William were under-age at that time; otherwise, if aged 18 or older, they would have been required to apply for their own land grants.
Simcock Cannon first appeared in two records of Amelia County, Virginia, in 1751, living near people surnamed Cannon and Kennon (who pronounced their name Cannon). His last name was sometimes spelled Kennon in the old Virginia and South Carolina records. Despite the various spellings, it appears that he was a Cannon, not a Kennon, and hardly likely to be one of the wealthy Virginia Kennons. Some people think he was the son of William Cannon and Judith Woodson of Henrico County because that William Cannon and his brother John Cannon were named in deeds that also mentioned a John Simcock. I have researched John Simcock, whose records first surface in 1718 in York County, Virginia, and continue until 1746 when he appears to have moved to St. Peter's Parish of James City County and New Kent County, where the trail ends. He was about the same age as John and William Cannon. No records were found to link John Simcock as a relative of any Cannons. A research summary for John Simcock is provided at the lower left of this page.
DNA results in the Cannon DNA Project at Family Tree DNA for descendants of Russell, Richard, and William match well with descendants of Jeremiah Cannon, born before 1734 in Virginia (probably in Henrico County), died before 18 Aug 1767 in Goochland County, Virginia. His wife was Elizabeth, possibly Elam, and his parents were Benjamin Cannon & Sarah Walters. Two descendants of John Cannon (c.1643-1696) & Hester Pledge of Henrico County, Virginia, did not match DNA results with this group. We hope that more descendants of this couple can be found and tested.
What's new:
(1) I believe that three possible daughters of Simcock Cannon may be identified. Results of DNA matches, together with records, have recently suggested that three women who married men surnamed Kendrick may have been daughters of Simcock Cannon. You can review the evidence and decide whether or not you agree.
First, I think that John Kendrick, who married Russell Cannon's daughter Judith as his second wife had also married Simcock Cannon's daughter Nancy as his first wife. Second, I believe that Austin Kendrick, John's brother, married a daughter of Simcock, named Mary. Third, I have long argued that Juda or Judith, the wife of Revolutionary War soldier, Abel Kendrick, was not a Cannon because she was born about 1763, too old to be Russell's daughter. But now, I have to partially reverse myself and say it is very possible that Juda/Judith, wife of Abel Kendrick, was a Cannon because of the number of Abel and Juda's descendants who match DNA results with me and other descendants of Russell Cannon and a related man, Jeremiah Cannon. This leads me to think Juda was a daughter of Simcock. Abel Kendrick, his brother Obediah, Obediah's sons, and other Kendricks were associated with Simcock's sons in Union District, South Carolina.
A documented timeline for Simcock's records in five states from 1751 to 1803 is shown at the top of the page with a plausible family group sheet for him below it.
Then the proposed Cannon wives of Kendrick men are shown below Simcock Cannon's family group sheet, together with their timelines. Other Cannons files are divided into those for timelines and those for family group sheets. I have updated both the timeline and the family group sheet for Richard Cannon and Elizabeth Cole because of new information.
(2) Robert Cannon of Greenville and Pendleton districts, South Carolina, later of Christian County, Kentucky, appears to have been a son of Simcock Cannon and Jane Rudd. Several people who descend from Simcock Cannon have matched DNA results with descendants of Robert at Ancestry.com, including matches in common. Robert's wife's name is unknown. Although some internet genealogies give a name for her, they are inaccurate. He had nine children, most of whom were in Christian County, Kentucky, with him. One son went to Missouri, and most of the others moved to Illinois. I have posted a revised timeline file that shows all the documents I've been able to find for him and also a family group sheet for Robert Cannon's family. It contains the timeline in the notes in much smaller type than in the timeline pdf file.
(3) There is a new, likely son of Simcock Cannon, name unknown, suggested by the fact that several individuals have matched Y-DNA results with descendants of Simcock Cannon in the Cannon DNA Project, Group 03A, at this link: https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Cannon?iframe=ycolorized, as well as matching autosomal DNA with other descendants of Simcock Cannon at Ancestry.com. This unknown son had at least three children who were in Green County, Kentucky, in the late 1700s and early 1800s: John Cannon, who married Elizabeth Jarvis on 01 Mar 1799; Elizabeth "Betsy" Cannon, who married Jabez Jarvis 22 Mar 1802; and Bird Cannon, who married (a) Lucy Jarvis on 03 Jan 1807 and (b) Rachel H. Gassaway on 05 Mar 1831 in Barren County, Kentucky. The three Jarvises are believed to be siblings, the children of Eliphalet Jarvis, born about 1750 in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and Margaret unknown, born about 1755. Timelines and family group sheets have been added to this page.
(4) We now know the maiden name of Carter Cannon's wife, Sarah: Tatum. (5) Sarah Tatum's sister, Parthena Tatum, married John Cannon, who was a likely brother or cousin of Carter Cannon. See my web page about Tatums for extensive information on ancestors of Sarah and Parthena: tatumfamilygenealogy.com (6) We know the names of two more daughters for Carter Cannon and Sarah Tatum: Mary and Rhoda. (7) The man that Russell Cannon's daughter Judith married was John Kendrick, and they had a son named Russell Carroll Kendrick (thanks to the research of Mary Fern Souder, who has a webpage at www.maryfern.com/kendrick.htm and thanks also to Darren Altom's Kendrick research). (8) Results of research on other Cannons, who may or may not have been related to Simcock Cannon, are now available. See the lower left corner for a large file of more than 100 pages of research. It mentions a few other surnames, such as Rudd and Russell, but is not comprehensive for those names. Separate web pages will be made for some of those families.
Mystery Cannons: Two people surnamed Cannon were associated with members of the Kendrick family in South Carolina and Georgia. Please contact me if you have any information about Izabella Cannon (Isabella Cannon) or the Robert Cannon, described below:
01 Aug 1788 Union County, South Carolina. Merry McGuire of Union County to Obadiah Kendrick tract of land on Pacolate River adj: land of John Cunningham, Turner Kendrick part of a tract granted to Merry McGuire (Mary McGuyers?). Witnesses: Abner Chastain, Ann Chastain, Izabella Cannon proved by the oath of Izabella Cannon 03 April 1793. Was Izabella Cannon a possible first wife of Richard Cannon, a second wife of Simcock Cannon, an undocumented daughter of Simcock Cannon, the wife of an undocumented son of Simcock Cannon, or some other relative? Izabella would have been born before 1767.
It is possible that a man named Robert Cannon, born in 1780, supposedly in Pennsylvania, is related to this group described in point (3), above, although DNA matching has not yet occurred for his descendants with other Cannon descendants. Robert Cannon married Elizabeth Cheatham on 09 Apr 1807 in Washington County, Kentucky. This couple moved to McDonough County, Illinois, by 1833. Some descendants of John Cannon and Elizabeth Jarvis also moved to this county, but it is not known if this was coincidence or they were related and in touch with each other. Incidentally, the Cheatham surname is interesting because the family of Simcock Cannon's wife, Jane Rudd, were connected with Cheathams in Virginia.
Here are summaries of the three sons of Simcock, Russell, William, Robert, and Richard, as well as summaries of their spouses and children. Possible children are given, based on censuses for these men.
| Dates | Married | |
| Russell Cannon* | c1752-1824 | Jane/Jean Campbell |
| Children: | ||
| William | 1779-1843 | Cecelia or Selah Barton |
| Rhoda | c1780/1784-aft 1810/bef 1824 | ---- Davis |
| James | 1785-1873 | Mary Powell |
| Margret Saphronia | 1785/1789-c1871 | Cyrus Josiah Marchbanks |
| Son (possible)** | 1784/1790 | |
| Martha | 1790-1885 | William Brown |
| Carter | 1794-1875 | Sarah "Sally" Tatum |
| Elijah | 1796-1887 | Dorcas Bowen |
| Judith | 1800-aft 1841 | John Kendrick*** |
| Harriet | c1800-1890 | Abraham Martin Duke |
| Ransom | c1804-1830 | Malinda Ann Field |
*Neither Simcock Cannon nor Russell Cannon has been shown to have more than one wife. Some people have attributed a wife named Huldah Hoad to one or the other of them, but there is no proof. A Huldah Hood has been connected with Russell E. Cannon, the son of Richard Cannon, Russell's brother. Also, see a separate information file about "Hulda Hoad."
**John Cannon (1784 SC, died aft 1853 perhaps TX), who married Parthena Tatum, sister of Carter Cannon's wife, Sarah Tatum, may be an undocumented son of Russell Cannon. He also could be a son of an undocumented son of Simcock Cannon.
***Not Abel Kendrick, whose wife Juda or Judith appears to have been a daughter of Simcock Cannon.
| Dates | Married | |
| William Cannon | c1754-aft 1824 | Unknown |
| Children: | ||
| Daughter (possible) | c1778 | |
| Daughter (possible) | c1780 | |
| Daughter (possible) | c1782 | |
| William | c1784-aft 1820 | Jeaney ---- |
| Jonathan | c1787-aft 1850 | (1) Sarah "Sallie" Boyd (2) Nancy McKenzie |
| Dates | Married | |
| Robert Cannon | c1760-1819 | Wife's Name Unknown |
| Children: | ||
| Simeon | c1783-1852 | Sarah "Sally" Cornelius |
| Benjamin | c1786-1862 | Nancy Cameron |
| William "Old Billy" | c1790-after 1840 | (1) Unknown and (2) Zilpha (Hayes) Frazier |
| Elizabeth | c1791-1858 | David Bailey |
| Cornelius | c1794-1824 | Maria Mina Shaw |
| Jesse | c1795-1850 | Louisa Shaw |
| Richard | c1798-1871 | (1) Sarah P. "Sally" Bradley and (2) Mary Harter |
| Nancy | before 1803-after 1817 | William Randolph |
| Judith | c1803-1840 | William Gallant (William Wheeler was listed incorrectly earlier) |
| Dates | Married | |
| Richard Cannon | c1761-1831 | Elizabeth Cole |
| Children: | ||
| John (not proved)**** | c1784-aft 1880 | Jemima Campbell |
| Jane | c1785-1884 | Charles Harris |
| Nancy | c1791/1794-aft 1872 | William Price |
| Sabra | c1793-1880 | William Guess |
| Elisha | c1795-aft 1870 | Mary ---- |
| Russell E. | c1797-1860 | (1) Elizabeth Guess, (2) Elizabeth Powell, and perhaps (3) Hulda Hood |
| Son (possible) | c1801/1804-aft 1820 | |
| Rachel | c1803-bef 1840 | Isaac Newton Tate |
| Bird | 1804-1871 | Lucinda Morgan |
| Celia Ann | 1805-1883 | Joseph Hayden Murdoch |
| Malinda | c1809-aft 1880 | the Rev. James A. Adams |
| Eleanor Caroline "Nellie" | 1812-1893 | Abraham Tate |
I am including files on the John Cannon who may have been a son of Russell Cannon & Jane Campbell and the John Cannon who may have been a son of Richard Cannon & Elizabeth Cole. See the files for men named John Cannon in Pendleton District, SC; Cass Co., TX; and Washington Co., AR. Also included is a timeline for the Robert Cannon who may have been a son of Simcock Cannon. It's possible, however, that he was connected to the Cannons in Newberry County in South Carolina.