Finding The Truth- Pennington?Curtis Name Change

For years and years our extended family line of Curtis has tried to get at the reason for a name change to Curtis from Pennington. Here is what we know. Hiram Pennington was born abt. 1825 and raised in the household of Joshua and Nancy Sparks Pennington. They were found early on in Lee County, Va before they moved to the part of Floyd County, Ky that would in 1844  become Johnson County. The first instance found of Hiram changing his name to Curtis was when his daughter Cynthia was born in 1854 and he and his wife were listed as Curtis. Just one year before that when their son George was born they were using the name Pennington. Hiram switched back and forth over the years as did his children until mid to late 1890's when most all were using Curtis as their name.

We started a Facebook group called Pennington and Curtis family of Flat gap, Ky to try  to get to the bottom of the name change. Our group consists of several different groups of Hiram's different sons and daughters. We have a handed down story in common. It is that one day a man went to his cornfield to gather corn and did not return for twenty years only to find his wife had remarried with a large family to John Colvin, his three children grown.From Johnson County, Ky history books we found that story and the man was James Curtis. His wife had been Sarah Fairchild, a daughter of Revolutionary War soldier Abiud Fairchild.

The time, we have concluded, of James Curtis leaving was app. 1806-1808.His children were listed as Elizabeth who married Elias Davis in the mid 1820's in Floyd County, Ky., James Curtis Jr. who we cannot track anywhere except counting the number of household members in census records of 1810 and 1820, and another daughter named Anne or Anna who married a Hannah in Floyd County in the mid 1820's also.

Abiud Fairchild had moved to Washington Co., Va about 1808 or 1809 and is found there in the 1810 census record. Also found there in 1810 is John Colvin and Elizabeth and children.  We have found they all returned to the old home place area of what was to become Johnson County by 1818.

James Curtis, it was told in Mitchell Hall's history book, returned after twenty years and after he could not get Sarah to leave John Colvin and get back together with him, married a Nancy Pennington and had two children-John Curtis and Margaret Curtis.

It has been told in some genealogy message boards that the real parents of Hiram Curtis were killed in a wagon accident and Joshua and Nancy Sparks Pennington took Hiram to raise as their own. No sources of this info were given.As he found out his real name when he got older he started using Curtis as his name

We are beginning to think any definitive answers would have to come from a family Bible somewhere with notations in it but none have surfaced.

There is a chance, since Hiram's children's families all repeated the story of the Curtis man leaving for twenty years that there had to be a tie in of that story to this family. A key would be to find what happened of James Curtis Jr. Could he possibly be the father since he was born abt. 1804 and Hiram born abt. 1825? Could he be the one mentioned but no sources cited that was killed along with his wife in a wagon accident? If so it could have been in or near Lee County, Va where Hiram was first listed in Joshua's family as residents there.

Another interesting thing that has been found is Anna's death notice lists her mother as Sarah Curtis but her father is listed as a Smith (Absolum or Ambrose- I can't remember which). Anna's birth date was listed as 1808 so that could be a reason for James Curtis Sr. to go to the cornfield for twenty years!! It could be a reason for Abiud to take his daughter Sarah and three kids as well as his own to Washington Co.,Va. for a few years, also. He had some cousins there.

Our unanswered questions besides who is the real father of Hiram are why did James Curtis Sr. leave? Where did he go for twenty years. He was originally from Wilkes Co., NC but can't be found there for the time period in which he was missing. What happened to James Curtis Jr? We can't find anything on Ambrose or Absolum Smith in Johnson or Floyd Co. records.  The two daughters-Eizabeth and Anna still used the Curtis name when they were starting to get married so it is presumed James Jr was using Curtis, also and not Colvin.

Any help out there? We have no pictures of Hiram.We have put together pictures of faces of Hiram's children along side pictures of James Curtis' two children and with two of Hiram's brothers. All this to see if any family resemblances. Mostly it is inconclusive.  I am on Facebook so I can be contacted that way. Also the Facebook page for the Pennington and Curtis Family of Flat Gap, Ky is available  to post any messages you have that may help us solve this mystery.