Theoretically speaking, I think that a re-reading of the story of Richard Respess (the revolutionary War veteran and migrant from North Carolina to Georgia) might be productive. Here is what I have provisionally pieced together.
There is some clarity to be gained by asserting that all the Respesses of early Beaufort County are the offspring of Thomas Respess. It seems quite possible that they were born in Virginia and are the children of Esther Harmanson but what is certain is that Thomas Respess is in Beaufort by 1762 (1), when he makes his first appearance as Sheriff. It is also certain that he has a son Chris (Christopher) as Chris is listed with him on the 1764 tax list (2) as son, and in 1770 they are both witnesses to the will of Elizabeth Odeon (3). It is also likely that he has a son Thomas (who follows him as a state representative in 1778) and a son Richard and John who join the 8th regiment. Richard patents his first land in 1778/1779 after, presumably, returning from service. As for the daughters, it is likely that Thomas had daughters Ann (wife of Charles Crawford) (4), Sarah (wife of John Bond) (5) and Mary (possible wife of Henry Lockey) (6). Thomas married again in 1784 to Mary Carryway, widow of William Carraway, and Charles Crawford was one of the witnesses. He left a will in 1799, which I have not been able to see.
In 1800, John Respess’ Hancock County will mentions his brother Richard and his nephew Thomas (7). He also mentions a niece Polly Respess Lockey. The Hancock placement and the names clearly identify him as the brother of Richard Respess, and, thus as the son of Thomas. Interestingly, he is married to Nancy (Ann). This Nancy makes an appearance on the probate case of William Bexley of Craven County, North Carolina (8). I am not sure what her relationship is to William. But what is interesting is that William has a sister named Pheribe (many spellings) and is the son of Simon Bexley and Elizabeth Dawson (9). She is said to have married a John Smaw (a name that appears much with the Dawsons of Craven County. That is certainly not enough to identify her as the Pheribe who marries Richard Respess, but it is certainly a connection.
So we dive into the Dawsons. Also in the 8th regiment is a Lt. Colonel Levi Dawson (10). He is a little older than Richard Respess, born about 1739, which would make him about 10 years older. Not only is he the commander over Richard during the war, but his sister Mary (Dawson) Carraway married Richard’s father in 1784 (11), making him a kind of a step uncle. This Mary had no children and apparently also married a Crawford and a Tilman.
I pause, and realize I am about to make a big jump with very little underneath me. I think that Martha Dawson, the wife of Richard Respess, is the daughter of Levi Dawson.
Levi Dawson has eight known children: Churchy Carraway, Francis Lathrop, Christopher, Levi, Elizabeth (Delamar), Frances (Thomas Carey Fulford), Sally (Outten) and Margaret (Smaw) (12). His wife is often given as Mary Elizabeth Waters or Elizabeth Speight (13). But I suspect he may have married a sister of his wife’s husband William Carraway because that is the line that carries the name Churchy which is embedded in the name of his son. Richard Respess named one of his sons Churchwell. Churche, Churchill and Churchwell are all apparently the same name (14).
OK, so I move on to look at the names of Richard’s children. His first born is Thomas (after his father?), his son Richard (after himself?, his daughter Frances (possibly after Frances, Martha’s sister), Churchwell (after Martha’s brother), Mary (there are many choices) and Nathan (said to be a common Respess name). So where would be Levi (after Martha’s father?). I think that is probably explained by an earlier marriage or by the early death of a child. The score is not perfect, but the names are with us. Also, there has been some question as to whether Martha or Pheribe was the mother of Richard’s offspring. Almost all of Richard’s children name a daughter Martha. Pheribe (or Phoebe) as wonderful a name as it is, never appears.
So Martha Dawson daughter of Levi is inferential but not so far-fetched, I think. A Martha, daughter of Levi, would be a cousin of Pherebe Bexley through Elizabeth Dawson, Levi Dawson’s sister. Because of William Bexley’s probate, we know that he was in Hancock County. In fact, he seems to have left his wife and family behind and a large part of the probate was about a squabble over a slave that had been given to his wife by her father. After a long absence, she presumed that he was dead and remarried to a fellow named Amos Lutterell. Her property went to him and the heirs of William were willing to fight to get the slave back. That was what Nancy Respess’ deposition was about.
Soooo, while I do not claim there is any proof here, I think the two wives of Richard are Martha Dawson daughter of Levi Dawson and possibly a sister of William Carraway and Pheribe Bexley daughter of Simon Bexley and Elizabeth Dawson.
I have constructed this on my website starting from Richard here: https://adupree.com/wp/g/getperson.php?personID=I3438&tree=adupree.
Some sources:
(1) 1762-1764 – Beaufort County, Thomas Respess, Sheriff (Sheriff’s List)
(2)1762 Tho Respess & son Chris w Simon Aldorson (Beaufort County Tax List)
(3) 4/22/1770: will of Elizabeth Odeon, page 142, Beaufort Precinct, NC. Will dated 22 April 1770. There was no probate, but was proved by Wyatt Ormond. Cozen Hannah Smaw – Gold ring, Silver Girdle buckill, silver teaspoons, tongs and skimmer. Brother Antony Whery, Negroes Gin, Dinah, Betty, Sarah and Tom. Sister Mary Mills, 20 pounds. Sister Sarah Flaniken, pray book use of my Negro fellow four years. Sally daughter or Col. Barrow, gold buttons, Nancy Barrow daughter of my friend Sornell Barrow, Herffer and Bible, Kathern Col __, Negro Bess, Jno Smaw, Negro fellow at sisters decrease. Sarah Cording, ring, silver shoe buckills. Executors Brother Antony Whery, John Smaw. Signed by mark. Witnesses: THOMAS RESPESS, CHR. RESPESS.
(4) Charles Crawford is on 1786 Tax List for Beaufort County, In 1787 Charly Crawford is summoned to testify for Richard Respess in a case against Flanakin, in 1789 he is a Justice of the Peace along with Richard Respess, and in 1784 he is a witness to the marriage of Thomas Respess and Mary Callaway.
(5) the 1784 Flanakin Case also features John Bond.
(6) The 1800 will of John Respess names nieces Polley Respess Lockey. In 1795, Richard Respess is summoned in the case of Henry Lockey (it is a murder case), Henry Lockey is also mentioned in the Flanakin case. Henry, from Craven County was married to Susanna Burns. This could be a misidentification.
(7) 1800 – Hancock County, GA: JOHN RESPESS, Decd, LWT dtd 3/1/1800, names nephew, Thomas Respess, brother RICHARD, niece Polley Respess Lockey; Thomas Respess, wife Nancy, Hancock, AAA [Georgia Intestate Records]
(8) “About thirty or forty years ago William Spights the elder being in being ** is in a Lawsuit … (over a slave given to daughter Nancy) Levi Dawson and David Lewis were called into witness…some years later the said Nancy intermarried with one William Bexley who about the year 1791 came to the state of Georgia … about 1795 … the said William Bexley came to the house of the deponent and was much offended because his wife had sometime previously intermarried with Amos Lutrell, the defendent in the case and further this deponent saith not…Sworn in the town of Sparta of state and county afforesaid of NANCY RESPESS 25 Jul 1815”
(9) Christopher Dawson probate Children of Elizabeth Bexley (in slave division) Jas. Bexley, Chris. Bexley, Wm. Bexley, Phoebe Bexley September 21 1762 – the name Pharabee was gleaned from a number of secondary sources and I have not confirmed it.
(10) There are many sources that list the service of Levi Dawson.
(11) Marriage certificate or record. Charles Crawford is a witness. The other witness is Levi Dawson
(12) The most important records are the identification of heirs. Note, this CLEARLY does not include the Respesses, but, as it was filed in 1838, many years after they moved to George, this does not seem like too big a problem to me. The path has to be followed from there, ie : Page 84 & 85: 13th February Term 1838 Sarah Andrews made oath in open court that she was well acquainted with Colonel LEVI DAWSON an officer in the North Carolina Contentinal Line during The War of the Revolution, that he died in the Year 1803 in the State of South Carolina And that Mathew A. Outlaw and Elizabeth Marshall, Ann Sparrow wife of Gidon Sparrow, Margaret Lamarr wife of John D. Lamarr, Thomas Lamarr, John D. Lamarr, Francis Lamarr, Eunice Lamarr, Caroline Lamarr, Eunice Staton, Frances Fulford wife of Abraham Fulford, William Dawson, Fanny
Dawson, and Martha Dawson are the heirs of the said Colonel Levi Dawson that all of aforesaid heirs live in the County of Craven & State of North Carolina except the three last names who live in the County of Pasquotank & State of North Carolina.
(13) A rootsweb posting clearly identifies wife Elizabeth in the will of William Speight. I agree but don’t think that means she was the mother of all the children.
(14) I have so far identified Churchwell Delamar, Churchwell Respess, Churchy Carraway Dawson, Churche Nelson, Churchwell Stewart and a few others that I haven’t positively connected.