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| Theodosia's gravestone in North Carolina. |
Theodosia Beck Beasley was the first wife of John Patrick McMullan. John came from Ireland sometime after 1760, probably in 1767. He was an indentured servant but escaped from his masters after an unknown period of time. It is my belief that he fled to Virginia where he quickly met Theodosia. She was pregnant at the age of 14 with the first of five children with John. While doing research on John and Theodosia, I found this:
| Theodosia was married (pregnant) at 14 to an older man John McMullin (sic) age 29 having 5 children with him. Her father paid McMullins and the children to move out of NC to Georgia so Theodosia could live with legally as a wife to Dula having 7 known children: 1. Thomas m. Elizabeth 2. William (Buck) m. Sarah . Elizabeth m. John Witherspoon 4. Nancy m. Catlett Jones 5. Mildred m. William Horton 6. Sarah m. David Horton. All are buried in Horton Family Cemetery in Caldwell Co NC USA. Total 12 children. |
It could be possible that John fled to North Carolina and, after marrying Theodosia, went to Virginia later but it doesn't seem to me that that is the case since Theodosia was born in Virginia.
To read more about John possibly being an escaped indentured servant, click here.
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| Marriage bond for Theodosia and William Dula. |
John enlisted into the Continental Army as a private and left Theodosia at home. There is a very good possibility that she was pregnant with her fifth and final child with John at this time. Times were hard then and it is unimaginable how hard it would have been for a mother trying to make things work on her own with five children.
It has been reported that John's enlistment last five and one half years. We don't know if John ever went home during this time or if there was any kind of mail service that would allow him to stay in contact with Theodosia. Regardless, when John returned home, he found that Theodosia had left him for William Dula. They moved to North Carolina where she had several more children with him.
Below are some more articles I read about John and Theodosia:
John married Theodisia Beasley, first wife, in Orange County, Virginia about 1766 or 1767. Theodisia was born about 1744-1747 in Swift Run Gap in Orange County, Virginia. They had five children: (1) James McMullan, born about 1770 in Swift Run Gap, Orange County, Virginia. He died June 1842 in Virginia. He was married March 24, 1796, Va. to Lizzie Edith Kendall. He did not move to Georgia with his father John. (2) Mary McMullan, born about 1774 in Swift Run Gap, Orange County, Virginia. She died in Va. Mary married September 22, 1796, Orange County, Va. to William Lewis Powell. Mary did not move to Georgia with her father John. (3) Patrick McMullan was born August 15, 1772 in Orange County, Virginia and died August 31, 1836 in Elbert County, Georgia. He is buried on the old home place. He was married January 5, 1792 in Va. to Sarah Walker. Sarah was the daughter of Thomas Walker and Mary Smith. Patrick's second wife was Elizabeth Stowers of Elbert County, Ga., and his cousin. Elizabeth was the daughter of Lewis Stowers and Joyce Shifflet. (4) John McMullan, born 1776 in Swift Run Gap, Orange County, Virginia. He was married first to Jane Dooley in Georgia. They had three children. John moved to Georgia with his father in November of 1797. He married twice in Georgia. He moved from Georgia to Tennessee and then to Kentucky. His third wife was also named Jane. (5) Catherine McMullan was born in 1778 in Swift Run Gap, Orange Co, Virginia. She married Pickett Shiflet in Orange County, Va. She and her husband moved to Georgia with her father and settled in Elbert County, Ga. They had ten children. |
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| This is supposedly a portrait of Theodosia Beasley. |
At present the matter of when and under what circumstances Captain William Dula came to
know Mrs. Theodosia (Beasley) McMullen remains
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| Capt. William Dula - 2nd Husband of Theodosia Beasley. |
unconfmned, as does the nature of her
relationship with her husband, John McMullan, that apparently became estranged. Whatever
the case, Captain Dula and Mrs. McMullen (1755-1844) had forged a natural relationship by
about 1781, and by 1782 they had relocated to Henry (now Patrick) County, Virginia, where
their first child, a son Thomas Dula (1782-1829), was born. His birth was followed by that of
two daughters, Elizabeth (1784-1864) and Nancy Ann (1786-1846), probably also in Henry County, North Carolina.
In the late 1780s, and certainly by 1790, William Dula, Mrs. McMullen, and their four children
left Henry County, Virginia, and came to Wilkes County, North Carolina. A Wilkes County
marriage bond, dated 5 April 1790, confirms their marriage on or about that date.
William and Theodosia Dula were the parents of two known children born in North Carolina: Mildred "Milley" Dula (1792-1869) who married General William Horton (1786-1845); and Sarah "Sally" Dula (1797-1884) who married David Eagles Horton (1792-1870).
The two youngest sisters married brothers. Here, in what was then Wilkes County, his eldest children made good marriages: Elizabeth married John Witherspoon (1779-1863) and was buried with him near their
homeplace in Happy Valley; Nancy Ann married Catlitt Jones (1776-1856) who became an
affluent planter; and Thomas married Elizabeth Hulme (1788-1865). |
1830 Caldwell Co (old Wilkes Co) census showed William Dula had 84 SLAVES and each of his 6 children with Theodosia Beasley had SLAVES.
His WILL also shows he was very wealthy owning land, slaves, plantations on Yadkin River, NC.
He was a good business man but was illiterate. His wife, Theodosia could read and write and took care of the actual legal business. |
So much has been lost to history. Did Theodosia not hear from John for five and one half years and did she think he was dead? We have no way of knowing but we can be assured that life was hard without John there. She seemed to remain a loyal and faithful wife and mother after marrying William Dula.
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