Descendants of the Reverend John Pendleton
Source: "The Pendleton Family" compiled by James W. Phillips, 1939
"Those Americans who possess old and honored names—who trace the history of their surnames back to sturdy immigrant ancestors, or even beyond, across the seas, and into the dim mists of antiquity—may be rightfully proud of their heritage. While the name, in its origin, may seem ingenious, humble, surprising, or matter-of-fact, its significance today lies not in a literal interpretation of its original meaning but in the many things that have happened to it since it first came into use... it has become an institution, a family rallying cry, and the most treasured possession of those who bear it."
— William and Mary Quarterly, 1892-93
The name Pendleton derives from two Gaelic words: pendle (summit/top) and dun (hill).
Originally Pen-Hulton → Pen-Elton → Pendleton
Meaning: "Top of the Hill"
Norwich, England • 1509-1674
Living during reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547)
Town of Pendleton, England
The first documented progenitor of the Pendleton family line. Living in the town that bears the family name during the Tudor period.
c. 1553 – October 27, 1603
St. Stephen's, Norwich, England
Admitted to the Freedom of Norwich as a Scrivener's apprentice on September 21, 1578. Buried at St. Stephen's, Norwich.
⚭ July 29, 1579 – Elizabeth Pettingale (d. 1625), daughter of John Pettingale, Gentleman, of Swardiston, Norwich
1583 – July 15, 1635
St. Stephen's, Norwich, England
Son of George and Elizabeth (Pettingale) Pendleton. Had the Freedom of Norwich as a Scriptor on September 6, 1605. Buried at St. Stephen's, Norwich.
⚭ Susan Camden, daughter of Humphrey and Cecily (Pettus) Camden
December 26, 1614 – 1682
St. Stephen's, Norwich, England
Son of Henry and Susan (Camden) Pendleton. Baptized at St. Stephen's, Norwich. On September 8, 1637, he had the Freedom of Norwich as a grocer.
⚭ (1) 1636 – Hanna ——— (d. 1648)
⚭ (2) 1649 – Elizabeth (Douglass?), who survived him
Virginia Colony • 1674 onwards
1654, Norwich, England – 1721, King and Queen County, Virginia
King and Queen County, Virginia
Youngest son of Henry Pendleton, Jr. and his second wife Elizabeth. Came to Virginia in 1674 with his brother Nathaniel. Graduate of Cambridge University (Corpus Christi College, 1672-3). Served as Deputy Clerk of Rappahannock County starting in 1679.
⚭ c. 1682 – Isabella Hurt
1691 – 1775
Amherst County, Virginia (Tobacco Row Mountain)
Second son of Philip Pendleton. Emigrated with his younger brother Philip to the County of Amherst and settled on the eastern slope of Tobacco Row Mountain. Buried in the old Pendleton burying ground near "Tobacco Row".
⚭ Mary Tinsley of Madison County, Virginia
1720 – c. 1779
Amherst County, Virginia (from Smith's Run, Culpeper County)
Moved from Smith's Run in Culpeper County to Amherst. Six of his sons were ordered into service as Minute Men of Amherst County on June 21, 1781.
⚭ 1748 – Elizabeth Tinsley (his cousin), daughter of Edward Tinsley
Amherst County, Virginia — January 2, 1774
Record: Amherst County, Va., Will Book 1, Page 507
Wife: Elizabeth Pendleton (granted land, plantation, stocks, and household furniture for life/widowhood)
Children named: Benjamin, James, Edmund, Richard, Mary, John, Reuben, William, Sarah, Franka, Isaac, and Betta
Specific Bequests:
• To Benjamin: A cow and calf, 3 pounds 10 shillings, a colt
• To James: A horse (7 pounds), 50 acres of land
• To Edmund: A mare (4 pounds 10 shillings)
• To Richard Vernal of Culpeper County: A track of land on the waters of Smiths Run
Executors: Wife Elizabeth, sons James and Edmund
Witnesses: John Tinsley, Isaac Tinsley, William X Whitten
1760 – 1830
Scott County, Virginia → Texas
Son of William and Elizabeth (Tinsley) Pendleton. A minister of the Gospel for fifty years. The family later migrated to Texas in the late 1850s.
⚭ 1786 – Sarah Banks, daughter of Gerrard and Ann (Stanton) Banks
Texas • 1850s onwards
c. 1870s – c. 1943
Dallas, Texas
Extremely prominent in Texas and throughout the Southwest. A dominant figure in the cottonseed oil business and in great part responsible for the development of margarine. Co-founder of the Ross Volunteers at Texas A&M. Close friends included Sam Rayburn (Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives) and Tom Connally (Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee). Died of prostate cancer about 1943.
⚭ Mamie Keller (d. early 1980s)
c. 1905 – c. 1989
Dallas, Texas → San Marino, California
Fourth child of William Frederick and Mamie (Keller) Pendleton. Eloped with William Francis Lyte, a traveling salesman for L. G. Balfour Company. Described as proper, perfectionist, with absolute integrity and fairness.
⚭ William Francis Lyte (c. 1900-1959)
February 3, 1928 – October 5, 2016
Dallas, Texas → San Marino, California
Named after his grandfather William Frederick Pendleton ("Daddy Fred"). Stanford University graduate (MBA). Career included Richfield Oil, Stanford Research Institute, Booz Allen & Hamilton, North Andros Development Company (Bahamas), Retlaw Enterprises (Disney family), and Lyte Enterprises. Author of memoir "A Life Well Lived" (1999).
⚭ June 1951 – Marjorie Swingley (December 15, 1930 – October 4, 2014)
Banks • Kilgore • Tinsley
Sarah Banks (daughter of Gerrard and Ann Stanton Banks) married Rev. John Pendleton in 1786.
The first authentically established member was Adam Banks, who appeared in a land deal in 1674 in Stafford County, Virginia.
Gerrard Banks, Sr. (?-1690?) m. Anne Gerrat → Gerrard Banks, Jr. (1705-1780) m. Anne Stanton → Sarah Banks m. John Pendleton
Jemima Kilgore (1794-1868) married John Pendleton c. 1812.
Charles Kilgore (1744?-1823) came to America from Ireland in 1763 with four brothers: Hiram, Robert, William, and James. All served in the Revolutionary Army. Charles was wounded at the Battle of King's Mountain (Pension #S699).
Charles m. Winnie Clayton → William Kilgore m. Virginia Jane Osborne → Jemima Kilgore m. John Pendleton
Mary Tinsley of Madison County, Virginia married John Pendleton (1691-1775). Their son William Pendleton married his cousin Elizabeth Tinsley, daughter of Edward Tinsley. The Tinsley connection appears repeatedly in the Pendleton line.