GAUNT, Hannah ¹

  General Notes:

The following is a story provided by Valeria Wigington from a book entitled "Newberry County in the Revolution."

"An old Quaker by the name of Israel Gaunt lived somewhere in the vicinity of Newberry. It was repoarted that he had a sizeable sum of money. So, one of "Bloody Bill" Cunningham's lieutenants, named Hubbs, along with two associates, decided to help themselves to Israel's money. The three Tories rode up to the Gaunt house one evening, asked to spend the night and were refused. Hubbs went to the kitchen door where he found Mrs. Gaunt standing in the doorway. He asked for a drink of water, and when she turned away to get it for him, Hubbs jumped into the house with his pistol drawn. Old Israel, hearing the commotion, locked the doors. But Hubbs at the moment had the upper hand, that is until Hannah, Israel's daughter came
to the rescue. A lumbering, husky woman of imminent proportions, she
knocked the weapon out of Hubb's hands and threw the Tory to the floor, She held him down , but he kicked her with one of his spurs. She was cut deeply, probably on the arm, but with the aid of her father, Hubbs was finally subdued and with his hands and feet tied.
But Israel was wounded by one of Hubb's men, who fired his gun through an open window, and another ball, fired by the third Tory, grazed Hannah just above her eye. But the Gaunts were successful in definding themselves, and probably turned the three Tories over to the Whigs. After the Revolution, Hannah married an individual by the name of Mooney. From all reports, Hannah was one of the "kindest and most benevolent of women". Hannah died about the age of fifty, and her grandson "a worthy and excellent man" was living in Newberry sometime before the War Between the States." (E)

Hannah married Joseph MOONEY Jr. after 1782.¹