( Includes DNA Evidence )
The parents of
Jesse Poore
1770-1860
By Dr. Ross Poore & Ryan Poore 

Latest update: 6/10/2023
Feel free to share this information but please credit the authors.

INTRODUCTION:


Jesse Poore

B:1770 Sullivan, North Carolina / Tennessee

D:1860 Tazewell, Claiborne, Tennessee

 

Our family effort to find the father of Jesse Poore started prior to 1980 and has included at least five trips to Tennessee with visits to his property in Sullivan and Claiborne counties.

 

The 1850 census identifies his birthplace as North Carolina in about 1770. In over forty years, only a few documents have placed him in North Carolina, one report of him being in court with his son David in 1804 and one with him serving on a jury in 1807.

 

In 1785 Rockingham County, North Carolina was formed from the eastern half of Guilford County, a major location of Jesse Poore DNA matches, in particular with Jeremiah Poer (1754), a son of Edward Poer (1735). Jesse "Powers" was a survey chain carrier in 1797 to himself for a land grant of 50 acres. Land grant 307 for 100 acres in 1795 went to Jesse "Poer's".

 

More information about Jesse Poore’s family can be found here: http://www.PooreFamilyHistory.com


Big Y-DNA Test Results can be found in our second report:

https://www.poorefamilyhistory.com/big-y-dna-results-jesse-poore-1770-1860-jeremiah-poer-1754-1850

HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW:


There have been multiple family trees that have listed Jesse Poore 1770-1860 as the son of Joseph Poore 1737-1795 and Margaret Boynton Bailey 1738-1818 of Essex, Massachusetts. While they did have a son named Jesse born around the same time, this isn’t the same Jesse that was born in North Carolina and died in Tennessee. We haven’t found any evidence to back up this claim.

 

We have had a few low-level DNA matches that tie into the Poore line from Massachusetts. He is distantly related but our DNA testing with Jesse Poore’s direct descendants show much stronger ties to another family that was in much closer proximity.

 

One more thing to keep in mind when looking at this information, the surname names Poore, Poor, Poer, Poher, Powers, Power and other variations are related and often interchangeable. The different accents and education levels of those recording the names on documents led to various spellings through the centuries.

 

 

Based on DNA evidence (Autosomal & Y-DNA) of the sources listed below, we believe two options are possible:

 

Option 1:

Jeremiah Poer 1754-1850 is the father of Jesse Poore 1770-1860.

 

Option 2:

James Poer 1755-1811 (Jeremiah’s brother), Edward Poer 1735-1834 (Father of Jeremiah, James) or an unknown brother is the father of Jesse Poore 1770-1860.

 

 

Information about Jeremiah Poer and his father Edward Poer’s line

 

Because of the large Irish immigration (The "Nottingham Colony" or Settlement) into Guilford County, North Carolina in the early 1750s it would make sense that Edward Poer 1735-1834 made his way there as well.

 

We have seen information in various family trees that show Edward as being born in England. There are unanswered questions about Edward Poer’s travels to the United States from England and if he even lived there in the first place. We haven’t seen any solid records that confirm any location, marriage, or births in England. There is a baptism record for an Edward Poor on August 27, 1734, in Dublin, Ireland with the father listed as Will. Poor and the mother as Catherine. There are early land records for an Edward Poer and Edward Powers in North Carolina that could possibly be him or an even earlier relative.

 

Three of his sons (listed below) were reported to have been born in England then travelled to North Carolina around 1790 where they settled down although we don’t believe they were born in England. We haven’t found any records for any of their births and for what it’s worth, the 1850 census for Guilford, North Carolina lists Edward’s son Jeremiah Poor (1754-1850) as being around 96 years of age, a pauper and having been born in Guilford, North Carolina.

 

Edward Lucius Poer (1794-1880), the son of Jeremiah Poor (1754-1850) was living in Indiana with his son Anderson Poor in 1880. Since Edward Lucius Poer lived in the same home as his son he was included in the 1880 census in Essex and Porter, Porter, Indiana. It lists his father (Jeremiah 1754-1850) and mother (Elizabeth Hester 1773-1836) as being born in North Carolina.

 

In the 1900 census in York, Missouri, Chauncey Poer, son of Edward Poer Jr. (1762-1827) listed his mother's (Sarah Thompson 1776–1870) birthplace as Ireland and his father's as Unknown.

 

A story posted by Lynda White on Ancestry.com in 2013 recounts the family history from Jesse Ermin Poer (1834-1899) who is the great, great, great grandson of Jeremiah Poer (1754-1850). It says, “Edward and Rebecca (Thompson) Poer emigrated with son Jeremiah to North Carolina about 1760.”

 

 Quick recap:

 

https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29492152?h=45c10e

 

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6742/images/4240638-00195

 

https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29501797?h=9b1247


https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/80271116/person/162398205571/media/ba1ddf8f-9b08-4050-9482-af336896cc07



Either way, Jesse Poore 1770-1860 is blood related to Jeremiah Poer and Edward Poer’s line. As with option 2 above, Edward Poer 1735-1834 or an unknown brother was in the United States with his nephews (Jeremiah Poer, Edward Poer Jr., James Poer). We have already DNA verified one brother/cousin (David B. Poer 1744-1808) to Edward Poer 1735-1834 in the DNA Evidence section below. There are bound to be more out there that we may never know.

 

 

Edward Poer 1735–1834

BIRTH 1735 Ireland/England?

DEATH 1834

 

Wife:

Rebekah Thompson 1737–1855

BIRTH 1737 • Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England

DEATH 1855 •

 

Children:

 

Jeremiah Poer 1754–1850

BIRTH 1754 • North Carolina (As listed in the 1850 census)

DEATH 1850 • Jamestown, Guilford, North Carolina

 

James Poer 1755–1811

BIRTH 1755 • North Carolina

DEATH 1811 • Bath, Kentucky, USA

 

Edward Poer Jr. 1762–1828

BIRTH 1762 • North Carolina

    DEATH 26 DEC 1828 • Jamestown, Guilford County, North Carolina 



DNA SOURCES USED FOR DETERMINATION:  


All DNA sources have a direct connection to Jesse Poore 1770-1860. Sources will be listed as Name (DNA Source) when presenting the DNA evidence.

 

 

  

Don Poore (1942-2017)

A direct descendant of Jesse Poore (1770-1858).

 

His line to Jesse Poore:

 

 

 

Donna Poore (1963-Living)

A direct descendant of Jesse Poore (1770-1858). Donna is the daughter of Don Poore 1942-2017

 

Her line to Jesse Poore:

 

 

  

Marty Poore (1954-Living)

A direct descendant of Jesse Poore (1770-1858). Marty is the first cousin of Don Poore 1942-2017

 

His line to Jesse Poore:

 

 

 

Ross Poore (1947-Living)

A direct descendant of Jesse Poore (1770-1858). His line goes through Jesse’s daughter Elizabeth Jean Poore 1841-1893 and her son William T. Poore 1857-1925 who was born to a father with the last name Evans. Ross Poore, being an Evans on the male DNA side really helps to show how strong some of the DNA matches are through the Poer line that went through Jesse’s daughter Elizabeth to Ross’ line.

 

His line to Jesse Poore:

 

 

 

Ryan Poore (1974-Living)

A direct descendant of Jesse Poore (1770-1858). Ryan is the son of Ross Poore 1947-Living. His line goes through Jesse’s daughter Elizabeth Jean Poore 1841-1893 and her son William T. Poore 1857-1925 who was born to a father with the last name Evans. Ryan Poore, being an Evans on the male DNA side really helps to show how strong some of the DNA matches are through the Poer line that went through Jesse’s daughter Elizabeth to Ryan’s line.

 

His line to Jesse Poore:

 


THE DNA EVIDENCE:  


Y-DNA connection to this Poer family

 

The Edward Poer 1735-1834 (Father of Jeremiah) and David B. Poer 1744-1808 DNA connection to Jesse Poore 1770-1860

 

 

Edward Poer 1735-1834:

 

Don Poore (DNA Source) has a 76.1cM (5 segment) DNA match with Mervin Pore 1931-Living who is a direct descendant of Edward Poer 1735-1834.

 

See the screenshot of this MyHeritage.com match including ethnicities:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FM_1rpy1Z3bLzjVwdwgATTppqJFsvwtk/view?usp=sharing

 

Mervin Pore’s line:

 

 

 

DNA Source Matches to Mervin Pore 1931-Living:

 

Don Poore (DNA Source)              76.1cM (5 segment)

Ross Poore (DNA Source)            50.5 (5 segment)

Marty Poore (DNA Source)           41.2cM (2 segment)

Donna Poore (DNA Source)         39cM (3 segment)

Ryan Poore (DNA Source)            14.1 (1 segment)

 


 

         David B. Poer 1744-1808:

 

Don Poore (DNA Source) (Haplogroup: I-M253) has an exact Y-DNA 37 marker DNA match with Marvin Franklin Poer (1927-2019) (Haplogroup: I-M253) who is a direct descendant of David B. Poer 1744-1808.

 

See the screenshot of this FamilyTreeDNA.com match:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gORFv5I4QIohL8VgLWNx9SRzfBcCDwaY/view?usp=sharing

 

 

Marvin Poer’s line:

 

 

 

 

Edward Poer 1735-1834 and David B. Poer 1744-1808

are brothers or cousins.

 

Because Don Poore (DNA Source) matches both Mervin Pore and Marvin Franklin Poer through strong DNA connections (including an exact Y-DNA match) in separate lines. It's more than just a coincidence and they were definitely part of the same family.

 

Edward Poer may have been born in England and David's birthplace has been listed as Ireland, North Carolina, Scotland and England in various trees. The children of Edward Poer 1735-1834 ended up in the same area of North Carolina as David B. Poer 1744-1808 and his children.

 

 

DNA Tree

 

The tree below shows some of the higher matches with Don Poore (DNA Source) from the Edward Poer 1735-1834 line. The family members in the shaded area are closer family members to Don Poore (DNA Source). Although still related, he doesn’t match quite as high through autosomal DNA with family members of the David B. Poer line. Marvin Franklin Poer’s exact 37 Marker Y-DNA match to Don Poore (DNA Source) is listed in the red box in the tree.

 

Something to keep in mind when looking at this DNA tree:

 

Mervin Pore in the Edward Poer Jr. line has a 76.1cM autosomal DNA match with Jesse Poore’s direct descendant Don Poore (DNA Source). Mervin Pore’s direct line are all male Pore’s back to Edward Poer Jr. 1762-1827.

 

The autosomal DNA matches with Alma Cooke, Brenda-King-Scoffin and Michele Nichols are all above 60cM. All three of their lines back to Jeremiah Poer 1734-1850 aren’t direct male Poer ancestors like Mervin Pore’s line is. This makes their DNA matches that much stronger. Autosomal DNA is a combination of both the mother and father’s DNA, the strength of the DNA dilutes with each new marriage/generation. If these three all had male Poer matches through their direct line to Jeremiah Poer, the matches would be much higher.


View a larger version of this tree at this URL:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/159DVnPVVc2P_I1YXxm30qAPZdILFV98b/view?usp=sharing

DNA Segment Matches

 

A DNA matching segment is a physical region of a chromosome that is the same between two people. This would indicate that they have both inherited this part of their genomes from a common ancestor.

 

The spreadsheet below shows the autosomal DNA segment (Seg) matches to direct descendants of Edward Poer 1735-1834 and David B. Poer to the DNA Sources tested. The gray boxes indicate no match or no data to be tested on the specific genealogy platform of the user. For example, Don Poore (DNA Source) did not have DNA to test on the Ancestry platform.

 


 


 

 

View a larger version of this chart at this URL:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hDwrTQDhiIYvWSvo5KnGXhuGSiEJW2zT/view?usp=sharing 

More DNA Matches

 

This PDF lists matches to our DNA sources and descendants of Edward Poer, David B. Poer and William Poer 1770–1830 who is tied into this Poer family, but we aren’t sure of the exact family member that connects him.

 

View the full PDF file:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1he0mrZyp72JZh7mol50V2U7MHPiOsLEl/view?usp=sharing

CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE:  


A very telling marriage

 

 

Jeremiah Poer’s son Edward Lucius Poer 1794-1880 (Grandson of Edward Poer 1735-1834) has a very interesting connection to Jesse Poore 1770-1860.

 




Children’s names similarities between the Poer line

and Jesse Poore 1770-1860

 

 

View the PDF document here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/161zCxP_Q2pvycKoq6pOAjRMvTJqobMYj/view?usp=sharing

Jesse Poore’s Great Great Grandson

 

It's interesting that Jesse Poore’s great great grandson, Jesse Edward Poore 1902–1985 moved to Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina from Claiborne County, Tennessee around 1940 and that is where he died in 1985. Same county as Jeremiah Poer 1756-1850, Edward Poer Jr. 1762-1827, James Poer 1755-1811 and William Poer 1770-1830. Over 100 years earlier, Jeremiah, Edward, James and William lived in Jamestown, North Carolina about 18 miles away from Greensboro. Was there still some type of family connection to Guilford County over 100 years later?

 

 

Jesse Edward Poore 1902–1985


BIRTH 29 MARCH 1902 • Claiborne County, Tennessee,

DEATH 8 JUNE 1985 • Guilford County, Greensboro, North Carolina,


https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/151268627/person/192010016788/facts

 

  

 

The Powers connection

 

Poore, Poore, Poer, Poe, Powers, Pore, Poor etc. were used interchangeably on various records. One person could be listed as Poore in one census, then 10 years later be listed as Poer on another census. Accents and writing/spelling skills contributed to alternate spellings over time.

 

George Powers 1761-1819 and David Powers 1737-1788:


Don Poore (DNA Source) has a 26.9 cM (3 segments) match and Donna Poore (DNA Source) has a 13.3 cM (1 segment) match with Seth Ryan Williams (My Heritage) who is a direct descendant of George Powers 1761-1819 and His father David Powers 1737-1788.

 

DNA matches with Seth Ryan Williams (My Heritage):

Descendant of George Powers 1761-1819 and his father David Powers 1737-1788

 

 

 

Seth Ryan Williams (My Heritage) also shares a DNA match with Alma Cooke who is a direct descendant of Edward Poer 1735-1834 and his son Jeremiah Poer 1756-1850

 

 

DNA matches with Alma Cooke:

Descendant of Edward Poer 1735-1834 and his father Jeremiah Poer 1756-1850

 

 

 

Because of the Don Poore (DNA Source) and Donna Poore (DNA Source) match to Seth Ryan Williams (My Heritage) and his shared match to Alma Cooke who Don Poore (DNA Source), Donna Poore (DNA Source) and Ross Poore (DNA Source) match with, we know that the David Powers 1737-1788 line is directly related to the Edward Poer 1735-1834 Line.

 

David Powers 1737-1788 was the Father of George, Peter and Valentine Powers mentioned in  EASTWIND WEST WIND THE LEGACY OF JOHN POORE [1635] by James H. Creighton.

In his book, he mentioned they could in fact be Poore's and now we know they were in the same family as the Edward Poer 1735-1834 line that Jesse Poore 1770-1860 is connected to.

 

  

David D. Powers 1737–1783

BIRTH 3 FEB 1737 • Wythe, Grayson, Virginia

DEATH 23 MAY 1783 • Glade Hollow, Russell, Virginia

 

George Powers 1761–1819

BIRTH 1761 • Wythe, Grayson, Virginia

DEATH 1819 • Glade Hollow, Russell, Virginia

 

Peter Powers 1765–1831

BIRTH 1765 • Cripple Creek, Washington, Virginia

DEATH 1831 • Washington, Virginia

 

Valentine Powers 1772–1801

BIRTH 1772 Cripple Creek, Wythe, Virginia

DEATH 1801

 

 


Map showing where some of the DNA connected Powers, Poore & Poer family members lived in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina


View full sized map image:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gMFr0-HGhyNFv_l97-y9lVUH4J77cZkU/view?usp=sharing

CONCLUSION:    


The DNA, location and circumstantial evidence is far too great for Jesse Poore not to be part of this Poer/Poor family (Jeremiah, Edward, James). There have been rumors of evidence out there listing Jesse’s father but to date, nothing has been offered up.

 

If you have more information about Jesse Poore please contact us on the main page of our website or at contact@poorefamilyhistory.com

 

 

 

 

The most updated information (Including a downloadable version)

will always be available at www.PooreFamilyHistory.com