John Quiller & Sarah Collier Yonts

With a name like John Quiller, I knew that he had to have a Bentley line in his background. This is John's lines.

He was the son of Solomon "Sollie" Yonts and Virginia Jane "Jennie" Quillen.

Sollie was the son of Charles Yonts and Hannah Houston. He was a half brother to Nathaniel "Thaney" Houston. Charles was the son of William & Levisa Yonts. I can't go back further on William yet. I thought I had his line figured out, but after corresponding with another cousin and then going back to look at some original records, I don't believe his line goes back the way I had it connected. Remember this William, though.

Jane Quillen was the daughter of Richard Teague Quillen and Catherine "Katie" Yonts. Katie was the daughter of William Yonts and Nancy F. Rhea. This William was the son of William and Margaret Bentley Yonts. This is the same William I told you to remember. He was married twice. Margaret Bentley was his first wife. Margaret was the daughter of Thomas & Hannah Bentley. John Quiller or Queller was one of her nephews.

John Quiller Yonts' wife was Sarah Collier. She was the daughter of Robert Collier and Martha Yonts. Her Yonts line goes back to Solomon Yonts & Frances Whitaker. Solomon is the son of William Yonts and Nancy F. Rhea. So here again William's parents were William Yonts and Margaret Bentley.

Now for Sarah's Collier line, Robert was the son of William Dee Collier and Rebecca Meade. Robert was a brother to Willis Kirk Collier who is also buried in this Houston Cemetery.

That being said, let me tell you what I know about this couple.

John was born on April 26, 1881 in Letcher County. He had ten siblings: McCreary, Holly P Nickel, Charles, Catherine, Hannah, William H., Judge S., Richard, Pharas and a child who died between census records that I have not been able to name yet.

Sarah was born on August 6, 1886 at Neon. I haven't worked on her parents much so the siblings I am aware of so far were twins, Solomon and Henderson, Willie K, Mandy, William H., James F., Timothy, Sheridan, and Myra.

Both Sarah and John Q. are with their parents in the 1900 census records. I can't find them yet in 1910 or 1920. I did find John's World War I draft registration. It said he was a tippleman for Elkhorn Coal. It also described him as short with a medium build having black eyes and black hair.

In 1930 Sarah and John Q. are in Neon. John was 47 and listed a plumber for the coal mines. It says he married at 21 and Sarah at 16. This would put their marriage at about 1902. Listed with them are

Luther, 23, a chauffeur for a garage,

Marcus, 21

Marths 21, the twin of Marcus

Gladys 19.

There is another daughter that I have found, Quilva, but she is not in their household in 1930.

John died of myocardial failure on January 20, 1950. He was buried in the Houston cemetery on January 21st.

Sarah died on July 21, 1967. She was buried in the row behind John directly behind his grave.

Thomas & Hannah Bentley's children: Margaret Bentley

Thomas and Hannah Bentley had seven children:  Benjamin, Mary, Rachel, Daniel, Lydia, Patience and Margaret.  Daniel and Margaret's families moved to Letcher and Perry County.  Later, children of Benjamin went to Letcher county, too.

A lot of times you will hear folks say they are Bentley's, but from a "different set" and not related.  They were all related.  They just weren't all close.  Daniel's children Benjamin and John Queller make up the Bentleys we know the most about.

I got a query about Margaret Bentley and decided to put together what I know about her so far for anyone coming thru this line.  Maybe you know something that will add to the later generations or things about the older generations.

Margaret was the baby of Thomas and Hannah Bentley.  She was born about 1775 in Rowan County.  She married William Yonts on September 25, 1794 in Lincoln County, North Caroliina. 

The Yonts family was German.  The oldest known member I have found was Willheim Jans who was born in 1714 in Rheinland, Pfalz, Germany.  He married Susan W. in 1749.  She was born in 1715 and died in 1790. 

Willheim and Susanna's son Lawrence Yonts was born in 1739 at Pike Creek Waters, Frederick County, Maryland.  He died in August 1814 in German Township, Montgomery county, Ohio.   He married Catherine Fouts (or Pfoutz) who was bon May 11, 1749 in Pike Creek Waters, Frederick County, Maryland.  She, too, died in German Township, Montgomery County, Ohio. 

Catherine was the daughter of Michael Fouts (or Pfoutz) born  in 1724 in Rohrback, Rhenish, Palatine (Germany).  He died in Randolph County, North Carolina in 1803.  Catherine's mother was Eva Catharine Werner born 1727 in Massenbach, Baden Wurttemberg, Germany.  She died in Randolph County in 1800.  Michael and Eva Catherine were married in 1746 in Lancaster, Greene County, Pennsylvania.

Catherine Fouts and Lawrence Yonts had a son William Yonts born 1771 in Rowan County, North Carolina.  He died in Perry County, Kentucky in 1835.  He is buried in Goose Creek.  Margaret Bentley died about 1820 in Perry County.

They had four children:  Sarah, Mary "Polly", Solomon and William.

Sarah Yonts, born March 13, 1796 in North Carolina married Stephen Caudill, son of Matthew S. Caudill and Sarah H. Webb.  They married on June 25, 1814 in Floyd County, Kentucky.  They had six children that I have found:  John, Jesse Franklin, Matthew James, William, James Calvin and Reuben G. 

Mary "Polly" Yonts married Solomon Bentley, the son of Daniel Bentley & Nancy Jane Lewis.  They were first cousins.  Solomon and Mary married March 11, 1819 in Floyd County.  They had at least 12 children:  Benjamin, Martha "Patsy", Hanny, William, Margaret D.  Solomon, Babbit, Elizabeth, Ruthy, Jane, Susan M. and Aaron Rice.  Solomon died in May 1860 and Polly after the 1880 census.

Solomon born July 15, 1806 in Washington County, Virginia married Sarah Elliott on December 5 1830 in Perry County.  They had two children:  Hannah and Mary S.  He died on September 1, 1876 and is buried in Hemphill.

William married Nancy F. Rhea.  They married January 21, 1830 in Pike County.  They had 11 children:  Elijah, Catherine "Katie", Solomon, Millyann Jane, Mary Jane, Nancy, Loneasy, William James, John W., Henry and Manerva Caroline.

After Margaret Bentley's death, Solomon Yonts married again to a Levisa.  Their children were Nancy Susannah, David, Charles, Karenhappick and John Benjamin "Tater Toe". 

I more generations, but I haven't worked on them specifically.  If you are related to any of these and want to see if I have more information on them or would like to share your family info to connect in, please email me at karenchat@aol.com.


I have no pictures for this line.