✍️ Tracing the Path to Pennington: A Generational Introduction

As I continue exploring the Pennington surname in my family tree, I wanted to first outline the direct maternal and paternal lines that lead to Elizabeth B. Pennington (1854–1921)—my great-great-grandmother, and the entry point for my surname deep dive. Although the Pennington name doesn’t appear in my more recent generations, the bloodline is clear, and the story leading up to Elizabeth is one worth sharing.

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📍 My Generation

I was born in Minnesota in 1993. My connection to the Pennington line comes through my paternal ancestry—specifically through my father’s father’s side.

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👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents

• Father: Rufus Irwin Vandygriff (born 1948, Indiana)

• Mother: Bennie Janell Lokey (born 1948, Texas)

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👵👴 Grandparents

• Paternal Grandfather: Rufus Junior Vandygriff
  Born August 11, 1923 in Davidson County, Tennessee
  Died March 15, 1965 in Collin County, Texas

• Paternal Grandmother: Betty Louise Mickey
  Born February 6, 1923 in Indiana
  Died October 4, 1971 in Texas

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🧓👵 Great-Grandparents

• John Elliot Vandygriff
  Born December 24, 1875 in Lewis County, Tennessee
  Died August 9, 1949 in Coffee County, Tennessee

• Pernecie Lizetta Rogers
  Born March 19, 1882 in Lyon County, Kentucky
  Died March 7, 1938 in Coffee County, Tennessee

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🧬 Great-Great-Grandparents – The Pennington Link

Here is where the surname “Pennington” first appears in my direct line.

• William M. Vandygriff
  Born October 11, 1856 in Tennessee
  Died August 21, 1908 in Tennessee

• Elizabeth B. Pennington
  Born July 22, 1854 in Lawrence County, Tennessee
  Died July 21, 1921 in Lawrence County, Tennessee

Elizabeth is my great-great-grandmother, and it’s through her that the Pennington surname enters my family history. From this point, I’ll be exploring the Pennington line in more detail—tracing it backward through Tennessee and beyond, identifying known relatives, and correcting or clarifying what others may have missed along the way.

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This post serves as a brief introduction to how I connect to the Pennington surname—and as a foundation for the deeper historical profiles and research I’ll be sharing in upcoming entries.