LeForce and Meador Lineages

France and Ireland
LeForce and Meadors

This page is built with love for my grandsons Nathaniel and Benjamin

Dr. Renald "Rene" de La Force (IMMIGRANT) was born in France, specifically in Guyenne, Aquitaine, France in or around 1660. He died on the 27th of Sept in 1728 in the Parish of St. James, Goochland County, VA at age 68. His wife was Sarah LNU. She was born about 1700 in Goochland and died in 1757 in Manakin Town, Goochland, VA. He is believed to have been a physician and farmer. Rene was educated and not without means. He served as a justice of the peace in Goochland County, VA.

From The Huguenot #7: "The de la Force family is of Guyenne origin, belonging to the de Castelnau branch of the noble house of Caumont. Rene LaForce, the emigrant, came from France about 1700 and settled first a few miles from Danville, Virginia; he is reputed to have been a doctor of medicine. Shortly after his arrival in this country, he joined the Huguenot Colony in Henrico County and settled 900 acres of land, adjoining the lands of Chastain and Dutoi. The Rent Rolls of 1704 show him possessed of 1341 acres of land. In 1728, when two new counties were taken from Henrico, he was appointed Justice of Goochland County. He had three children, Rene, who married Agnes Mosby; Sarah, the wife of William Harding of Goochland; and Rachel."

From Frances H. Casstevens in 2000:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/r/i/d/Norman-Ridgley/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0563.html
"The date of arrival of Dr. Rene La Force to the American colonies has not been determined. He did not arrive on the two ships bringing the Huguenots to Manakin Town, but may have arrived earlier at some other Huguenot settlements such as those in New York, South Carolina, Georgia or North Carolina. He may have lived in England, Holland or Germany before coming to America, as many of the French Huguenot families were forced to flee to safety wherever they could find a safe haven . Genealogist Charles Hamlin, however, believed that he is the "Rene Massoneau" listed as arriving on the Mary & Ann in August 1700 (see THE HUGUENOT 6, 1933, pp. 82-86). Hamlin also gives the name as "Rene Massoneau LaForie," which he said was a misreading of La Force. Hamlin also stated (in a letter to me dated January 1, 1893) that he (Rene La Force) was on a list of naturalizations in VA 5-12-1705 as "Rene Massoneau La Forie (see Charles Hamlin, VIRGINIA ANCESTORS & ADVENTURERS, Vol. 3, pp. 58-59). "

Renald Rene La Force, Jr. was born 1720 in Henrico County, VA. He was a Tory and moved with his family from VA to KY. His cause of death is believed to be that he died enroute to Martin, KY in 1777 when a member of the party dropped a gun accidently killing LaForce Jr. Renald Jr. married Agnes Moseby in 1740 in VA. Agnes was born in 1728, 8 years after Renald. Ultimately Agnes La Force died in KY in the year of 1810.

http://pages.suddenlink.net/delaforce/Family-History.html by Wm. T. Gambill: "In June 1780, Ruddell's Station was attacked by about 700 Indians from various tribes, a company of Canadians, thirty Tory volunteers, and a company of British Soldiers from Detroit under the command of Capt. Henry Bird of the British Army. Two days later, Martin's Station, some 5 miles away, was also attacked by the same force and all of the surviving captives were marched to Detroit, some 600 miles north. Among the captives were Agnes La Force, some of her children, a son-in-law (John Mahan), and thirteen slaves. The slaves were taken by the British and the Indians, but upon protest to Sir Frederick Haldimand in Montreal, some of them were returned." See Gambill's webpage for a lot more information on the LaForce family.

Renald Rene La Force III married Jane Gillespie in 1783, presumably in VA. Renald was born in 1754 in Goochland, VA. He died around 1835 in Claiborne, TN. He served on a Grand Jury, May 8, 1783, Botetourt Co., VA

William "Billy" Madison LeForce was born in 1786 in Botetourt, VA and died in KY in Josh Bell County in January 1870; he was 83. When William was 26, he wed the 20-year old Ms. Mary Wolfe in 1812. Mary was born on September 8 of 1792 in Berkeley, James County, VA (was WV). By the Census of 1850, the family was living in Harlan, KY. Mary LeForce died in 1820 in Catlin Illinois. William died of the "piles" which was very likely hemorrhoid cancer. He was a farmer and 83 years of age.

Mary was the daughter of John Jacob Wolfe of Berkeley County, VA (now WV). Her dad died in January of 1811 in Washington County (now Scott County) VA. He is buried in Lane Cemetery in Gate City, Scott County VA. John Jacob Wolfe married Catherine Behrico Bahr (b.1753-d. 1830 Scott County VA). Her parents lived and died in VA.

Dionysius Henry LeForce came from Virginia to Kentucky. He was born in Virginia on January 30, 1812. He died in Whitley KY 70 years later on May 9, 1882. Dionysius wed Juda Buchanan who was born on August 12 sometime in the 1800s in Whitley, KY. She died on April 28, 1926 in Corbin, Whitley, KY. They married when she was 19 in Fincastle, VA on Sept 30, 1794. Juda was the daughter of John A. Buchanan (born 1771 in Washington County, VA; died in Clairborne, TN) and his wife Sarah "Sally" Moseby LaForce (born 1775 in Botetourt County, VA; died in Clairborne). Notice that in this generation her surname is La and not LeForce. hey are buried in Williamsburg, KY's Highland Cemetery.

Dionysius received a 100 acre land grant in KY near Buck Camp Creek on Feb. 7, 1837.

This is an amazing photo of Juda LeForce which was contributed by Don McKinnon in his McKinnon&LeForce family tree on Ancestry. I love the character that emanates from this picture. And I love her glasses. Thank you Don for the wonderful pictures.

Levi "Lee" LeForce, MD was born 17 Feb 1839 in Claiborne, TN. Lee died 8 Sep 1890 in Whitley, KY. Lee married Nancy "Nannie" Eleanor King who was born in Whitley 31 Oct 1841 (Halloween); she died there on 18 Dec 1918, on what would have been her father's birthday had he still been alive. Nancy was the daughter of Adolphus Boville King and Almeda Amanda Berry. Adolphus was born 18 Dec 1809 in Whitley and died there on 11 Jul 1891. Almeda was born 25 Mar 1817 in the Meadow Creek area of Whitley and died in Whitley on 6 Mar 1890. Lee was just 51 when he passed away. He was buried in Highland Cemetery, Whitley County, Kentucky

Levi Lee Le Force, MD thanks to Ancestry's Don McKinnon:

LeForce and Meadors (Irish)

Rev. Charles William "C. W." LeForce, born 24 Feb 1876 in Whitley County, KY. Died 18 Dec 1942 in the town of Wofford, in Whitley County. Charles married Lula Verna Meadors who was born 16 Mar 1881 and died at the age of 88 on 08 Apr 1969 in Corbin, Whitley County, KY. She was a housewife. He was a School teacher, farmer, Baptist minister. Lived most of life in Wofford Community in Whitley Co., Kentucky.

"[Lula] had an Irish twinkle in her eye, a smile on her face, and a keen wit. She lost two children, raised 8 children, and outlived her husband 27 years. She was a typical farmer, teacher, minister's wife. She cooked, canned, churned butter, smoked hams, butchered hogs...working from sun up to sun down. After she sold the farm in Wofford she lived with her sister Bettie Meadors (Meadows) in Highland Park, Williamsburg, KY. She built a small house on Sycamore Street next to her daughter Edna, and lived the rest of her life there. She was an avid Corbin Redhound fan and listened to all the ballgames on the radio."
Per: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~langolier/Augusta_Washington/ps15/ps15_062.html