Aged: 72 Years∼Archibald Clevenger was a grandson of Thomas Clevenger and Sitchie Pitman, the first Clevengers in Cocke County, Tenn. Native Cocke County Clevengers have long believed Arch was a son of Elias Clevenger and Nancy Wood. Some Clevenger researchers elsewhere have concluded that Arch was the son of John Clevenger, also a son of Thomas and Sitchie, and Elizabeth Hensley.

[Here is an online source of Clevenger relationships that I have consulted in the past and found credible. It lists Archibald Clevenger, husband of Rachel Allen, as a son of John Clevenger. This John Clevenger, son of Thomas Clevenger, did raise a family in Cocke County before moving to Missouri, probably in the late 1830s. –G.B.]

Arch probably has more descends in a multi-state area than any of the Clevenger clan. He had 3 marriages (Rachel Allen, Marian White and Jane Garver) and may have fathered as many as 20 children. Rachel was the mother of children born before 1865. No census data reflect Arch's marriage to Marion White. But son John's death certificate lists Marion White as his mother. Jane was the mother of children born after 1967.

(The photo above of the Archibald Clevenger/Rachel Allen family, which includes her father, Jackson Allen, in the mid-1850s was posted by Richard Miller [see his note to the right], a descendant of Arch and Rachel. Although Rachel's mother, Rose, was not included in this photo, both she and Jackson were still living in Cocke County when the 1860 census were taken. Jackson's father may have been Isaac Allen. )

Arch was born around or before 1820. His age and estimated birth year vary + or - 5 years in census records. Rachel, his first wife, was born in the mid-1820s. They married in Cocke County (Newport) in the early 1840s. (Rachel was a cousin/relative of Harriet Allen, Annanias Clevenger's first wife.)

The first documentation of their union is the 1850 federal census. They were living in Cocke County with 4 children.

In 1860 (census data), Arch and Rachel were living in Cocke County. Their ages were listed as 50 and 45. Children listed: Catherine, George, Mary, Isaac, Joseph and Florence. At this time, their oldest daughter, Betty had probably already married.

Betty married David Hampton, also of Cocke County. They lived in Illinois and late in life may have made Middle Tennessee their home. Their son Noah, according to a delayed application for birth certificate, was born "near Knoxville," Tenn. Noah died in Memphis and is buried in Missouri.

Catherine "Katie" married John Finchum in Cocke County. They moved to Franklin County, where other Finchum family members were living. A son, John Harvey Finchum (born Sept. 14, 1884), documented John and Catherine as his parents. In 1920 (census data), Katie, 80, was living with son John in Franklin Co.

According to 1870 census, Arch and his third wife, Jane Garver, were living in Sevier County. Their children were Margaretta, William, Archibald, John A., Samuel and "Buddy."

By the 1880 census, Arch and Jane were living in Madison County, Ala. Children living with them were Archibald ("Archie"), John, Samuel, Benjamin, Roger, Thomas, Jane, David and Isham.

1890 census data are not available. But during this period, Arch and Jane lived in communities along the Tennessee-Alabama border. In 1895, Arch died and was buried in Franklin County (Cowan), Tenn. His burial site is unknown.

In 1900, Jane was still living in Franklin County, with her sons Thomas and Isham and Thomas' 4-year-old daughter Mary.

On May 19, 1913, Jane died in Blount County, Ala. She is buried in the Hopewell Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, with a dozen other Clevengers. Most, if not all, of the Clevengers in Rice Cemetery in Madison Co., Ala., are Arch's descendants.

[In August 2016, I received notice through AncestryDNA that I am a match (4th-6th cousin) with a grandson of Otto William Clevenger. Otto was a son of George Clevenger, born 1848 in Cocke County, TN, son of Archibald Clevenger and Rachel Allen. Archibald was either a brother or first cousin of my g-g-g-grandfather Alexander Clevenger Sr. In the same batch of DNA data, I was a distant-cousin match with another descendant of George Clevenger, a g-granddaughter. Her grandfather was William B. Clevenger, George's son. –G.B.]