The Hawkins Family

In the Spring of 1820, the future first converts of the Hawkins family, 5-year old Josiah Wilson Hawkins and 1-year old Pernecia Jane Lee Adair lived at home with their parents, Josiah Hawkins in Jackson, TN, 925 miles southwest of Palmyra, and Pernecia Adair in Trigg County, KY, 125 miles northeast of Jackson, TN, where Josiah’s family was living, and just over 800 miles southwest of Palmyra. 

Five years earlier, Josiah was the first to be born to William Carroll Hawkins and Jane Wilson in Adair County, KY.  Two years later, Josiah’s sister, Margaret, was born in Shannon, MO. 

By Spring, 1820, two more boys were added to the family.  26-year old William and 22-year old Jane, who had married when he was 18 and she was 15, would add to their four children another 8 more while living in Jackson. 

Josiah’s father, William, had been born in North Carolina, his mother, Jane, was born in Lexington, KY.  They were married in Jackson, TN, and they both died in Missouri, she in Shannon. 

Grandpa James Hawkins was born in Baltimore, MD, went to North Carolina, where he married Bethany Sutherland, who had been born in North Carolina.  They had six kids in North Carolina, then moved to Jackson, TN and had 4 more. 

Grandpa and Grandma Wilson were born and married and had one child in Virginia, then moved to Kentucky where they added another 8 children. 

In Spring, 1820, Pernecia was just over a year old and with infant sister, Matilda, both born and then living in the care of their 24-year old father, John Adair, and their 19-year old mother, Mary Polly Bearden, who had married when he was 22 and she was 17. 

They were living in Trigg County, KY, just over 800 miles southwest of Palmyra, and 125 miles northeast of Jackson, TN, where Josiah’s family was then living.  John and Mary were both from KY, born in nearby Caldwell County. 

John’s parents had also been born in Caldwell County, and Mary’s parents were also from KY.  John died in KY and Mary in nearby MO.  Some time after Matilda was born, the family moved to Clinton, IL, where 9 more children were born, and where Pernecia grew up and at age 16 married Josiah, age 20. 

Pernecia gave birth to William Carroll and then two little girls, dying shortly after the last birth.  Josiah married her younger sister, Matilda, and crossed the plains to Utah with her and their family.