If Nancy was John Webb's mother they were most probably living in or around Montgomery County, Virginia when she married Thomas Kirk on December 15th, 1787.

The first records I have found so far are John's military records. I have found no information for the period between his birth and his service in the War of 1812.

We don't know exactly when John began living in Jefferson County area. He was living there before he served in the War of 1812.  He was also living there when he and Betsy were married in August of 1816.

Captain Kelley and the men of his company were from the Jefferson County, Kentucky area.  Also present on the roll are Second Sergeant James Mayfield, Third Corporal Thomas Mayfield, Private Isaac Mayfield, and Private Edward Sharpe.  Further research is needed to determine if these people may have been related to John’s future wife Elizabeth “Betsy” Mayfield.  Betsy’s grandfather, uncle, and two first cousins were named James Mayfield; an uncle and first cousin were named Isaac Mayfield; and a brother-in-law was named Edward Sharp (not spelled Sharpe as in the Adjutant General's Report).

On August 15, 1853 “Warrant No. 33669 for 40 acres, issued in favor of Edward Sharp Private in Captain Kelly’s Company Kentucky Mounted Volunteers War of 1812 … has been assigned to Uriah C. Webb”. This seems to be strong evidence that the Edward Sharp who married Elizabeth’s sister, Tabitha Dorcas Mayfield, on April 29, 1810 in Shelby County, Kentucky (therefore, Uriah’s uncle) is the same person who served alongside John in Captain Kelley’s Company.

1820 U.S. Federal Census
  Name: John Webb
  Home in 1820: Hickman County, Tennessee
  Enumeration Date: Aug. 7, 1820
  Free White Males - Under 10 = 3                              (?, ?, ?)
  Free White Males - 26 thru 44 = 1                             (John 37)
  Free White Females - Under 10 = 2                           (Louisa 3, Julian 2)
  Free White Females - 16 thru 25 = 1                          (Elizabeth 24)
  Free White Persons - Under 16 = 5                            (?, ?, ?, Louisa 3, Julian 2)
  Free White Persons - Over 25 = 1                              (John 37)
  Total Free White Persons = 7                                      (John, Elizabeth, ?, ?, ?, Louisa, Julian)
  Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture = 1        (John)

It is unclear who the three “Free White Males - Under 10” listed in the Census are.  Early census records only list the name of the head of household.  The first recorded male child of John and Elizabeth was Uriah who wasn’t born until 1822.  Since John was 32 years old when he married Elizabeth, could these three males be from a previous marriage?  Of course there are other possibilities.  For example, the three could have been extended family members or orphans.

September 18, 1821 he received a land grant of 30 acres to “John Webb, assignee of the said Robert Walker Junr.”  in the 8th District of Hickman County on Indian Creek, a branch of Big Swan Creek in Range 5, Section 5.

1830 U.S. Federal Census
  Name: John Webb
  Home in 1830: Hickman County, Tennessee
  Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9 = 3                            (Uriah 7, Addison 6, John K. 5)
  Free White Persons - Females - Under 5 = 1                        (Elizabeth M. <1)
  Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9 = 1                        (?)
  Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14 = 2                    (Louisa 12, Julian 11)
  Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39 = 1                    (Elizabeth 33)
  Free White Persons - Under 20 = 7                                      (all of the children)
  Free White Persons - 20 thru 49 = 1                                     (John 46)
  Total Free White Persons = 9
  Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored) = 9

In the 1830 U.S. Federal Census an unknown female 5-9 years old is tallied.  The three unknown males from the 1820 Census are no longer living in the household.  Since they were all less than ten years old in 1820 would have been born between 1810 and 1820.  If these three were from a previous marriage this would narrow the birthdates to between 1810 and 1816, when John and Elizabeth were married.  If the three males were born in the early 1810s they would have been in their mid to late teens by 1830, therefore old enough to have gone out on their own.

On August 31, 1837 he purchased 20 acres from James Mayfield as recorded in Hickman County deed book L page 119, registered December 1, 1841.  The land was originally granted to James Mayfield by the State of Tennessee, grant #26087.

1840 U.S. Federal Census
  Name: John Webb
  County: Hickman
  State: Tennessee
  Free White Persons - Males - Under 5 = 2                                           (William <2, Francis <1)
  Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9 = 1                                           (James 5)
  Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14 = 1                                       (John K. 14)
  Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19 = 2                                       (Uriah 17, Addison 16)
  Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 59 = 1                                       (John 56)
  Free White Persons - Females - Under 5 = 1                                       (Emeline 2)
  Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9 = 1                                       (Mary 7)
  Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14 = 1                                   (Elizabeth M. 10)
  Free White Persons - Females - 50 thru 59 = 1                                   (Elizabeth 43)
  Persons Employed in Agriculture: 3                                                     (John, Uriah, and Addison)
  No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write = 1              (John)
  Free White Persons - Under 20 = 9                                                      (all of the children)
  Total Free White Persons = 11
  Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves = 11

Louisa had married Leonard Douthit Tarrant in 1834 and Julian married Robert Crissup before the 1840 U.S. Federal Census, leaving 11 family members enumerated: John, Elizabeth, Uriah, Addison, John K., Elizabeth M., Mary, James, Emeline, William and Francis.  Elizabeth is mistakenly placed in the same age group as John.  She was only 43 years old in 1840.

November 27, 1841 “Agreeable to the provisions of the Occupant Laws…” entry number 1012 was made in the Hickman County Survey book.  John Carroll surveyed 134 acres for John Webb in Hickman County on Big Swan Creek in Range 5, Section 5.

On December 21, 1843 “An Act to establish the county of Lewis” was passed by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee.  Lewis County was “…to be composed of fractions taken from the counties of Maury, Lawrence, Wayne and Hickman…”; John and his family lived in the area previously allocated to Hickman County. (General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, 1844)

Entry number 1012 is identical in both Hickman and Lewis Counties, presumably to accommodate the formation of Lewis County in 1843.

Entry Number 380 was recorded on October 15, 1848 in Lewis County Occupant Entry Book 2, page 174.  It states that it is “part of his Occupant Entry No 1012 made on the 20th day of december [sic] 1841”.

A resurvey of the property by Andrew Johnston on October 15, 1848 shows a reduction in acreage from 134 (calculated by John Carroll in 1841) to 126 acres.

June, 1849
John and his family were members of the Ebeneezer Methodist Church which was formed near Palestine by Rev. James Tarrant. 
In 1849 James Tarrant, Sr., John Webb, William Harder, Edward Sharp and James Tarrant, Jr. were appointed Trustees for the Ebeneezer Meeting House by the Lewis County Court.

November 5, 1849 John was “…appointed overseer of the Centerville Road…”

1850 U.S. Federal Census
  John Webb            65
  Elizabeth Webb     55
  James E Webb      15
  Emeline Webb        12
  William Webb          11
  Francis M Webb     10

The family was in Lewis County, Tennessee for the 1850 U.S. Federal Census.  It was the first census after the establishment of Lewis County.  It was also the first U.S. Federal Census to list the names of all household members; previous censuses only listed the head of the household.  The older children had married leaving John, Elizabeth and the four youngest children in the household.

On May 15, 1852, John sold 176 acres in Lewis County to James McKeel (registered 27 Apr 1854) and moved to Effingham County, Illinois sometime in the following months

Property described in the Deed:
   126    acres from Entry Number 380 surveyed October 15, 1848
     30    acres surveyed June 10, 1821 from Robert Walker, Jr. grant
     20    acres purchased from James Mayfield August 31, 1837
   176    Total acres

As late as September 5, 1853 John may have still been in Lewis County.  On that date the Lewis County Court appointed Simeon Smith to replace John as “overseer” of the Centerville Road.

The family may have moved to Effingham County, Illinois around this time.

John owned property in Effingham County for at least six years from November 2, 1853 until his death on July 1, 1860. The price for public land at the time was $2.50 an acre.

Exactly when John arrived in Illinois isn't known, but he may have still been in Lewis County, Tennessee until September, 1853.
His eldest son, Uriah, was the first of the immediate family to buy land in Illinois on December 17, 1852. According to Uriah’s obituary in the Effingham Democrat he arrived in Effingham County in 1840 (he would have been about 16 years old) with Newton Tarrant. He would have arrived in the latter part of that year since he was enumerated in the 1840 Census in Hickman County, Tennessee.

Land records indicate someone named "John Webb" purchased two 40 acre tracts of land in Township 9 North, Range 5 East, Effingham County, Illinois on October 27, 1853. The first tract (Certificate #21224) was the Southwest quarter of the Northwest quarter of Section 25, and the second tract (Certificate #21225) was the Southeast quarter of the Southwest quarter of Section 23. On February 16, 1854 someone named "John Webb" purchased the Southwest quarter of the Southwest quarter of Section 23, Township 9 North, Range 5 East (Certificate #22274).

It seems likely these three properties were owned by John’s son, John Keston Webb, since adjoining properties were also owned by “John K. Webb” and not mentioned in John's will.

The John Webb who is the subject of this writing however, is definitely the John Webb who on November 2, 1853 acquired two 40 acre tracts in Section 11, Township 8 North, Range 5 East in Effingham County. He purchased the Northwest quarter of the Southeast quarter (Certificate #21299) and the Northeast quarter of the Northeast quarter (Warrant #74520) was “Bounty Land” granted for his service in the War of 1812.

His last land purchase was made April 1, 1857 when he bought the Southeast quarter of the Northeast quarter of Section 11, Township 8 North, Range 5 East (Certificate #27495).

In John’s Last Will And Testament, dated April 26, 1859 he left the latter three properties in Section 11, Township 8 North, Range 5 East (120 acres) including the home place and farming equipment to his youngest son, Francis Marion Webb.

The 1860 Census lists John and Elizabeth in Township 8 North, Range 5 East on June 28, 1860.

John Webb 75
Elizabeth Webb 63

John died just 3 days after the census date..The exact location of John’s home at his death isn't known, but it appears there are Webb's who currently own the same property once owned by John and/or Uriah.

He was buried at Rentfro Cemetery near Shumway, Effingham County, Illinois. Elizabeth was buried beside him 14 years later.