John Owsley or John Lynch Owsley?

Did John Owsley (1757-1845) of Claiborne County, Tennessee bear the middle name of Lynch? There are many ancestral trees posted on-line that display that name. But none cite a source. It's just another case of misinformation copied and recopied so often that one may think if everyone says so it must be true. The truth of the matter is he did NOT have a middle name. You might ask, well, how did this come about? 

State of Tennessee 

Claiborne County 

On the 16th day of October 1846 personally appeared before me Simpson Hurst an acting Justice of the Peace for Claiborne County, Sarah Lynch aged eighty one years of age and made oath in due form of law that she was personally known to Charity Barton and that her marriage took place to John Hously previous to the birth of her son John Lynch and he is either sixty five or sixty six years of age sworn to and subscribed to this 16th day of October 1846 

Sarah (her mark) Lynch 

Simpson Hurst 

Justice of the Peace 

When Charity Owsley, the widow of John Owsley, filed for a widow's pension based upon her late husband's Revolutionary War service, she submitted the above letter to support her claim. Look at the sentence that reads “her marriage took place to John Hously previous to the birth of her son John Lynch” and you would think it means that Charity Barton married her husband before the birth of her son John Lynch Owsley. One would hope she married before any children were born, but it actually means Sarah Lynch knew Charity Barton before Charity married John Owsley which occurred before the birth of her (Sarah) own son John Lynch. Bear in mind that Sarah Lynch states she is 81 (born 1765) and her son John Lynch is 65 or 66 (born 1780 or 1781). John Owsley and Charity Barton married in 1778. So, if you have an on-line ancestry and it reflects John Lynch Owsley, stop the confusion, and do the right thing. Make the correction.