Thursday, November 29, 2012

Benjamin Sarah Willis Hawkins and family in Culpeper County, Virginia

I am going to start where I left off yesterday looking for what happens to the three Hawkins men and siblings who are named in the will of William Hawkins in Richmond County c.1715 between the time when each come of age in Richmond County, Virginia until the time that they are found in the vicinity of Orange and Culpeper County.  Yesterday's blog proved that they were not on the south side of the Rapidan River in Orange County.  Yesterday's blog ended with the statement:


So the question is when and to where do these Hawkins men move when they leave Richmond County and why?  I just looked at my Hawkins/Bourne data base and found the following:  

1782, Benjamin Hawkins taxed for 403.6 acres of land in Culpeper County (list of James Jett & Lewis Yancey) 1785 Culpeper Co Land Tax records shows William Hawkins, James Hawkins, Moses Hawkins  all “of Benj. Hawkins” with 135, 134 and 134 acres respectively (=403 acres total).

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Hawkins in Orange and Culpeper Counties near Chestnut Mountain in early 1700's and mid 1700's

This blog entry is about the children of John and Elizabeth Hawkins.  This couple died in Richmond County, Virginia c. 1715-16.  They left six orphans.  The three oldest sons were Benjamin, William, and John (not necessarily in that order of age).  In the will, James and Richard Butler were asked to raise five of the children while Henry Wood was asked to apprentice the oldest son, William,  to learn the trade of plasterer.  James Butler died soon after the death of John Hawkins and Richard Butler was the man who then raised the five youngest Hawkins children.  It is somewhat likely that Elizabeth's maiden name had been Butler.

See my post of Nov 27 for more information on this will.  Also see Janet Shahmiri's blog:  http://jaceychasinghistory.blogspot.com/search?q=John+Hawkins

The geographical area that I refer to in the title of this blog post is found in Orange and Culpeper Counties.  It is not known exactly when or why these sons of John and Elizabeth Hawkins moved to this area, but they and their families are found in the area near Chestnut Mountain in the mid to late 1700's.

The son that I know the most about is Benjamin.  Many of the Hawkins DNA matches to group #1 believe that they descend from this son who married Sarah Willis.  Sarah's mother was Sarah Rosser Willis Wood Hudson Turberville.  It is possible that Sarah married to Benjamin Hawkins had father Wood instead of Willis.  I have never seen definite proof of Sarah's father.  However, in the Hawkins research it has become customary to call her Sarah Willis.  But almost certainly it is Sarah Rosser Willis Wood's husband, Henry Wood, who is asked to take William Hawkins as apprentice to learn the trade of plasterer.  And it is almost certainly a fact that Sarah would have been living in that household at that time period.  She was probably very young.

So I take this blog entry up with a statement made by another researcher that the sons of John Hawkins are found living in the Chestnut Mountain area of Orange County.

"When Benjamin and brothers show up later in Orange Co. -- Benj is married to Sarah Willis, living near by his mother-in-law, brother-in-law and his brothers. Interesting thing also is that Wm that everybody likes to attach Benjamin to as his father is I suspect his big brother Wm b. 1697 -- who has sons Benjamin, John, and James. I also think they may have attached Wm's other brother James onto him as a son possibly- less sure on this one. Wm lives also lives near Benjamin in Chestnut Mt area in Orange Co."

So this is the statement that I will be working on today.  I will start by adding a map of the area.  But in order to make this fit better on this page, I will explain first how I came to decide that what is now called Clark Mountain was once Chestnut Mountain.  For this I will turn to a book called The History and People of Clark Mountain Orange County, Virginia by Patricia J. Hurst.  I viewed this book several years ago on a trip to Orange County, Virginia to research MY Hawkins line which I do not yet know if there is a connection to this family or not.  The DNA says yes, but it is possible that the connection will be a generation earlier or even several generations earlier.  I have looked at Benjamin and Sarah Willis Hawkins' lines very closely and see no easy connection.  But at this time I have not looked at the lines of William and James as well.  

From Ms Hurst's book:  Chestnut Mountain was included in a ridge of hills that were known as the Southwest Mountains or Little Mountains in the eighteenth century.  .....She shows on page 3 a plat that was leased to Robert Boston in 1746 by Alexander Spotswood...Alexander Spotswood and later his son John owned the main Chestnut Mountain properties until Alexander Waugh purchased 224 acres December 6, 1757, from John Spotswood.  On April 13, 1767, Alexander Waugh purchased 413 acres from the estate of John Spotswood. ....There is more information on page 3 explaining about the Waugh family selling land to the Clark family in the mid to late 1700's. ....Mount Pleasant was the name of John Clark's property on Chestnut Mountain.  So that is the explanation of how it became to be known as Clark's Mountain today.  

Ms. Hurst has what looks like a hand drawn map that is very helpful in interpreting the road orders in this time period:



She has very little about the Hawkins family, but she quotes a road order dated 24 September 1742 which shows that Benjamin Hawkins was indeed living in the area:
"The order for viewing if any other convenient rouling road might be found besides that which goes thro Mr. Jno Taliaferro's land Benj Porter & John Ingram who were appointed viewers having returned that the old road was the convenientest best and nearest way Its ordered that the said old road thro the said Taliaferroes land be kept open and its further ordered that the frances Moore be hereby apointed Overseer of y Same and that Harbin Moore, Tho Petty Junr, John Randale, Luke Thornton, John Wells, John Roberts, Wm Morton, John ffoushee, George Wells, James ffoushee, John Morgin, Benjamin Hawkins, Wm Croucher, Wm Mash, Bartholomew Baker, Thomas Thornton, John Bourn, Henry Bourn, Andrew Bourn, and the tithables of Arjalon Prices Quarter under the said Overseer work on y sd road And that the sd Overseer with the said Tithables keep y said road in repair according to the Law (OB 4:249)


It seems to me that the next thing to look at after identifying the general area is the Octonia Grant.  The book by J. Randolph Grymes, Jr. (1925-1998) has been reprinted by the Orange County Historical Society.  It is available via their website at a very reasonable price.

Mr. Grymes explains:  "The Octonia Grant conveyed an area of land roughly two miles wide and eighteen miles long and had the Rapidan River and its South River tributaries as its northern boundaries.  ....This great land area and its ownership about the time of the American Revolution are the subjects of this paper."  ....

On page 15, Mr. Grymes says:  "Spotsyvania County had been erected from Essex County in 1721.  Orange County was formed from Spotsylvania COunty in 1734.  The whole the Octonia Lands then became a part of the newly formed Orange County.  Greene County was formed from Orange County in 1838  About half of what was originally the 24,000 acre Octonia Lands is now in Orange County and the other half is in Greene County."

The only two Hawkins men mentioned in this book are John and Joseph who I have always assumed were a part of the John and Mary Hawkins line....not the Hawkins/Bourne line that I have been looking at this week.  I need to pull out some more deeds and more information.  I will edit this blog post at a later time.  I think that I have information in my piles and files about where  the land of Benjamin Hawkins married to Sarah Willis was located and also that of his sons.  

So the question is when and to where do these Hawkins men move when they leave Richmond County and why?  I just looked at my Hawkins/Bourne data base and found the following:  

1782, Benjamin Hawkins taxed for 403.6 acres of land in Culpeper County (list of James Jett & Lewis Yancey) 1785 Culpeper Co Land Tax records shows William Hawkins, James Hawkins, Moses Hawkins  all “of Benj. Hawkins” with 135, 134 and 134 acres respectively (=403 acres total).


I found a copy of an e-mail from myself to the Hawkins mail list dated 16 March 2005.  In it there is the information about land being bought by Benjamin Hawkins:

My notes say that this is my own interpretation of the land record that I read in 2004.  
May 28, 1767 a portion of land owned by John Spotswood was seized at his death for repayment of debts.  Guardians of John's son Alexander are selling the seized land for best possible price.  Benjamin Hawkins is buying a part of the said estate lands.

Description:  lying in county of Orange and bounded as follows:  Beginning at a gum and poplar and white oak stump on the Rapidan River Corner to Mrs. Willis thence with her lines South Sixty one degrees East One Hundred and ten poles to a locust thence with Thirty six degree East Forty eight poles is a ....to a corner of said Willis and Waugh.  Thence up that branch with Francis Moore.

So I now believe this Spotswood land to be inside the Octonia Grant that I described above....so did Benjamin Hawkins have land on both sides of the Rapidan?


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Will of John Hawkins of Richmond County

I was working on my Northern Neck slide show last night when I found a slide about the will of John Hawkins.  Because my NN mail list has been particularly active, some of the names jumped out at me that had been less meaningful in the past.  I wanted to capture my thoughts about this will.  I don't think that I have ever seen the original of the will.  I am working from a transcription that was not made by me.


In 1692, Rappahannock County disapeared and the part of the county that was north of the Rappahannock River became Richmond County.  The part that was south of the river became Essex County.  So it is possible that some of these people would be found in Old Rappahannock County 20 years before.  

John Hawkins will in Richmond County Wills and Inventories  1709-1717 p 235 names now wife,  Elizabeth Hawkins, sons, William, John, and Benjamin.  Asks Richard Butler and James Butler to take 6 children.  If Henry Wood Will take William and teach him trade of plasterer.  Asks Richard Butler to take son John, daughter Sarah, and daughter Elizabeth.  Asks James Butler to take son Benjamin and son James and that they live with him until they reach 20 years.  Asks John Suttle, his freedman, to complete crop.  Will proved 7 March 1715.  He names friend Isaac Arnold executor and the will was witnessed by Isaac Arnold, Rebecca Butler, and John Suttle.  Richmond County Court Minutes 1711-1715 p. 485 at a court of May 1715 John Davis has suit against Isaac Arnold ex of John Hawkins for 700 pounds of tobacco to be paid out of the estate of the deceased.


So one big question here is if Elizabeth's maiden name was Butler.  Certainly it would seem that that would be most likely.  No one in the Hawkins family is asked to take children.  Many Butler family members are asked to take children.  Richard and James Butler are likely to have been either brothers to Elizabeth or a brother and a father.

A google search found the following information on Mike Marshall's website:
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mrmarsha&id=I28343

Richard Butler:








  • Birth: 1666 in Westmoreland County, Virginia
  • Death: 7 MAR 1734/35 in Hanover Parish, King George County, Virginia - Probate

  • Continuing to read Mike's website, one is struck by how interelated this Richard Butler is with the Hawkins family.  I HAVE the right man!

    WILL OF RICHARD BUTLER
    In the Name of God Amen. I Richard Butler of Brunswick Parish in the County of King George being sick and weak of body but of perfect mind and memory do make and ordain this my last Will & Test ament in manner and form following. 
    Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving son William Butler all the estate which I was possessed of at the time of my marriage with my now wife Mary, all my debts being first paid out of the sd part by my Executor hereafter named.
    Item: I give and bequeath unto Elizabeth Newport, wife of Peter Newport, thirty five acres of land lying in King George County joyning upon William Settles to her and her heirs forever.
    Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving wife Mary Butler all he rest and residue of my estate unto whome I give the tuition and keeping of my son William Butler until he arive to age of twenty one years. I do hereby ordain and appoint Benjamin Hawkins whole and sole Executor of this my last Will & Testament utterly revoking all wills before at any time made, do acknowledge this my last Will & Testament. As Witness my hand and seale this twenty sixth day of January One thousand Seven hundred Twenty four five [1724/5] (sic).
    Ejus *******
    Richard [R] Butler *Seale* Signum *******
    Signed Sealed & Acknowledged in the presence of
    John Gilbert James Hackley James Hawkins
    At a Court held for King George County the 7th day of March Anno Dom: 1734 [1734/5].
    The last Will & Testament of Richard Butler, Dece., was presented into Court by Benjamin Hawkins his Executor who made oath thereto and the same was proved by the oath of John Gilbert, James Hackley and James Hawkins and admitted to Record.
    Copia Vera Test T: Turner Cl:Cur: 

    Then scrolling down on Mike's page I find another person's interpretation of this will:

    On the website it says:  Contributed by: James Hughes  Janet Shamiri has indicated that the below is taken from her information.  To see more information by Janet, go to: 
     http://jaceychasinghistory.blogspot.com/search?q=John+Hawkins

    URL: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mysouthernfamily/myff/d0055/g0000 022.html
    URL title: My Southern Family

    There is strong circumstantial evidence. John b. ca 1675 and Elizabeth Hawkins lived in Richmond County, Va and they both died in 1715 in an epidemic. John left a will and named 4 sons and 2 daughters. His oldest son Wm is apprenticed to Henry Wood; his younger children Benjamin, John, James, sarah and Elizabeth are given to James and Richard Butler -- from this we assume that Elizabeth, John's wife is a Butler. Rebecca Butler witnesses the will, widow Peter Butler d. ca1698. James Butler dies shortly thereafter and the children are raised by Richard Butler. We first find Wm, oldest son, in court records in 1718 in Richmond County, indicating he must be 21 and extrapolating back we give him birth ca 1697 and in 1715/6 when his father died he would have been 18. We also think John had a first wife as he refers to Elizabeth as "now wife" in the will. When Benjamin first shows up in court records it is 1729, extrapolate back and you have b. ca 1708. then John shows about 1727, thus b. ca 1706 and James shows up around 1731, thus b. ca 1710. In several court procedures John Willis stands up for the orphans - securing them in court and so forth. John's son Wm is married to Sarah Hawksford(?). Wm died shortly thereafter and his widow marries Henry Wood - the gentleman Wm is apprenticed to. Hawksfords are also neighbors as are both Willises - father and son. When Benjamin and brothers show up later in Orange Co. -- Benj is married to Sarah Willis, living near by his mother-in-law, brother-in-law and his brothers. Interesting thing also is that Wm that everybody likes to attach Benjamin to as his father is I suspect his big brother Wm b. 1697 -- who has sons Benjamin, John, and James. I also think they may have attached Wm's other brother James onto him as a son possibly- less sure on this one. Wm lives also lives near Benjamin in Chestnut Mt area in Orange Co.

    I am rereading this entire blog post in 2019.  I am struck by the possibility that orphan William Hawkins may have been a son from the first wife.  Could the first wife have been related to Henry Wood?  While the other orphans are children of Elizabeth who is likely related to the Butler men?

    Chestnut Mt is called Clark Mountain in the below:

    There is excellent information about this family on Janet Shahmiri's blog:

    http://jaceychasinghistory.blogspot.com/search?q=John+Hawkins

    Janet has narrowed land on which John Hawkins lived to a place near to the Carter land....at least that is what I am understanding with quick looking this morning.  I will try to read this more closely and see just exactly what that corresponds with in my own research.


    I will add information from Paticia J. Hurst's book tomorrow to this space.  I changed my mind this morning.  I will start a new blog dated Nov 28 with information on this Hawkins line in Orange and Culpeper Counties.  That way a reader can continue with Northern Neck information on this blog entry and switch to a separate entry for the different location.



    Saturday, November 24, 2012

    Zion Baptist Church in Orange County, Virginia

    My good buddy, Harvey Taylor brought me a pamphlet from the Zion Baptist Church in Orange County, Virginia.  Harvey and I had been working on our mutual Hawkins line.  He took two of his aunts to visit Orange County, and on the last day he called and asked me what they should do for the remaining hours.  I told him to visit the church and they did.  And they brought me the following information from the pamphlet:

    The History of Zion Baptist Church (based on oral and written facts)  Birth of Zion Oct 13, 1813

    First Pastor, John Churchill Gordon
    First Deacon, James Perry
    The first members were people of great zeal and determination for the work of the Lord.

    On the thirtieth day of October, in the year 1813, seventeen males and an unknown number of females met in the home of Brother Hawkins, about three and a half miles south of Orange.  After a sermon from Elder A. Waller (a nephew of the pioneer John Waller), taken from Job, chapter forty two, verses five and six, a degree of solemnity was visible in the countenances of the audience and the little flock appeared to be duly impressed with the importance of the subject.


    Baptist have been organizing.  Until 1734, when Orange County, was settled with the Baptist organizing Blue Run in 1759, North Pamunkey in 1774, Zoar in 1805, and Zion on October 30, 1813

    About three and one half miles south of Orange in the home of Brother Hawkins, with James Arnold, Roger Mallory, Nicolas Bickers, Joseph Atkins (clerk), James Perry (Deacon), Killie Hoard, Benjamin Hawkins, Hamlet Sanford, John Rogers (Deacon), William B. Bell, William Mallory, William Hancock, William Embrey, Coleman Marshall (Deacon), Henry Perry, John Churchill Gordon (pastor) and Thomas Hawkins, seventeen in all.....


    The first house of worship was built at the forks of Mallory Ford Road, with the Orange and Church Run Roads, about fifty yards above the present colored church.  It was built of hard pine, shed attached with partition of about four feet in height.  It also had a gallery.  It was in this building that Zion hosted the association for the first time in 1829.  When this house was abandoned in 1858, it was sold to Orange to be used as store buildings.


    Map from the Library of Congress site:
    https://www.loc.gov/item/2002627459/
    Orange County, Va. / by Lt. Walter Izard P.E.
    This map is from Civil War Map collection.

    Benjamin Hawkins was the uncle of my Thomas R. Hawkins.  It is most likely that this meeting took place in the home of Benjamin and his wife, Mary/Polly Bickers Hawkins.  Thomas R. Hawkins would have been about 16 at the time of this meeting.  An article written on his death says:

    Bro. Hawkins was converted in the sixteenth year of his age, and was baptized by Rev. Churchwell Gordon, of blessed memory, into the fellowship of old Zion Church, Orange.

    I will repeat the names of those in attendance and try to identify as many as possible:

    James Arnold
    Roger Mallory  information about Mallory family at:  http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pbarker/virginia.htm

    Nicolas Bickers is the father-in-law of Benjamin Hawkins.  Benjamin was married to Mary/Polly Bickers. Nicholas is also father-in-law to Coleman Marshall.

    Joseph Atkins (clerk), James Perry (Deacon), Killie Hoard,

    Hamlet Sanford, John Rogers (Deacon), William B. Bell

    William Mallory  

    The Mallory family had been friends of the Hawkins family for more than one generation:  Hall: "Probably William Hawkins who died 1776 see Orange Co., Will Bk 2 p 501."  That will names wife ELIZABETH and sons John, William and Benjamin.  Witnessed by Uriel Mallory, William Strother and Thomas Brown.  Dated 20 JAN 1776, proved 24 OCT 1776.  [This William Hawkins is likely to have been the brother to Benjamin Hawkins who married Sarah Willis.  One of the orphans of John and Elizabeth Butler(?) Hawkins who died in Ricmond County, Virginia about 1716]  This William Mallory is likely the bondsman for the marriage of Coleman Marshall and Joanna Bickers in 1815.

    William Hancock, William Embrey,

    Coleman Marshall (Deacon) was brother-in-law of Benjamin Hawkins.  Benjamin's wife, Mary/Polly Bickers, was a sister to Coleman's wife, Joanna Bickers.  Both Coleman Marshall and my Thomas R. Hawkins were tanners.

    Henry Perry, John Churchill Gordon (pastor)

    Thomas Hawkins was about 16 years old at this time and is my 3-gr-grandfather.

    Thursday, November 8, 2012

    Land Transactions for Edward Thomas in NC and SC in the mid to late 1700's

    I will begin this post by pasting information from Harriet Imrey.  I will spend time adding to this entry and adding comments when I have time.  My comments will be in blue.  The black font is information from Harriet.  

    To see where Edward was living before his move to SC, go to

    http://www.marshamoses.blogspot.com/2012/11/thomas-moore-and-mckinsey-in-northern-va.html



    We know when (old) Edward Thomas arrived in SC, because Edward 
    petitioned for 250 acres on Bush River on Tuesday, 7 Apr 1767, petition 
    adjacent to those of John Rankin (married to Elizabeth Thomas, Isaac's 
    sister) and Nehemiah Thomas (Edward's brother).  We also know where 
    they'd been: Nehemiah Thomas married Abigail Moore at Cane Creek MM 
    (NC), and Edward and Sarah Thomas sold his Frederick Co VA lands on 1 
    Nov 1762 and 11 May 1764 while still resident in Frederick Co VA, but 
    sold 50 acres of it on 10 Jun 1766, specifying residence on the Bush 
    River in Berkeley County SC.

    What we do not know is exactly when (old) Edward Thomas left SC and 
    settled in Orange County,  NC.  He sold his only SC land in 1774.  The deed got 
    lost during the war, but was recorded 20 years later:

    Newberry Co SC Deed Book C, p. 510:  South Carolina, Newberry County.  
    Personally appeared Daniel Clary Esquire and made oath that some time in 
    1774 he was called upon to witness a set of titles from Edward Thomas to 
    Timothy Thomas for 250 acres on branch of Bush River called Youngs fork, 
    granted to Edward Thomas 15 May 1772 and which said titles he believes 
    were destroyed in the time of war and that he saw Jeremiah Ham and Peter 
    Hawkins subscribe their names thereto as witnesses, 20 Oct 1795 before 
    J.R. Brown, J.N.C.  Recorded 2 Jan 1796.
    [Note: Daniel Clary was a reliable witness for how things got destroyed 
    during the Revolution, since he was the Loyalist Colonel of the Dutch 
    Fork Militia--he and his opposite numbers on the Whig side (Col. Jonas 
    Beard and Col. Philemon Waters) racked up a lot of property 
    destruction.  Clary would be likely to remember the particular deed, 
    because his sister Cassandra Clary had just married Timothy Thomas after 
    the Clary family arrived from MD in 1774.]

    The witness to the 1778 deed (John Rankin to Abel Thomas) was 
    necessarily an Edward Thomas who was physically present at the time.  
    Isaac's oldest son Edward (age 17) was old enough to witness a deed.  
    The magic age at which a minor could select a guardian, witness a deed, 
    testify in court, etc., was 14.  He could not buy or sell property, 
    vote, or do most other things until age 21.  Details about legal age are 
    summarized very nicely at www.genfiles.com/legal/legalage.htm.  These 
    laws were operative in VA, but SC had a few differences, the main one 
    being that there was no lower age limit for land grants.  The names of 
    the three witnesses in 1778 (Edward Thomas, Isaac Thomas, Timothy 
    Thomas) would lead me to suspect that all of the parties involved were 
    members of the older generation.  If "old" Edward Thomas had actually 
    left SC shortly after selling his property, then the 1778 witness would 
    have to be the next Edward down--Isaac's 17-year-old son.

    The 1791 transaction refers to Edward Thomas as an adjacent landowner, 
    rather than as a person who was present at the sale. The specific piece 
    of land that adjoined all of Timothy Thomas, Isaac Thomas, and Peter 
    Hawkins was that granted to "old" Edward Thomas in 1772, and sold by him 
    to Timothy Thomas in 1774.  Edward Thomas was no longer a resident of SC 
    after the Revolution, but I don't know if he'd moved before or after 
    1778, just sometime after 1774.

    Thomas family in NC and SC

    A question came across the Bush River mail list this week about the Thomas family that is found in Newberry area of SC in the mid to late 1700's and into the first decade of the 1800's.  The researcher was trying to connect the family of Isaac and Mary Davy Thomas to a Thomas family that has the name Tristan in several generations and connects back to Maryland in the early 1700's.  Skip down beyond the maps if you want just information with no background on where everyone was in SC in this time period.

    The Bush River  mail list is one of my favorites because so many subscribers have so much information about the area of Bush River MM in the time period when my 5-hr-grandparents, George and Sarah Moore McKinsey, were living in this area.  We all bring to it information about where our ancestors were BEFORE Bush River and AFTER Bush River!  Many of these families were Quakers who moved into the south in the mid 1700's and then moved out of the south in the first decade of the 1800's with the mass migration of the Quaker families out of the south and into the non-slave states of Ohio and Indiana.  [Note: not all of the families that we chat about follow this particular migration pattern, but many do]  And more importantly everyone is exceptionally willing to dig around and SHARE!  And then we have our subscriber, Harriet Imrey, who seems to have a gift of summarizing the information that is floating around and sending it back to the list with her own research included in a concise and very readable report.  Harriet has given me permission to include her contributions to this article, and I will try to give credit in what I write below.

    Let me start by showing where Bush River MM in this time period.  If you double click on the image you can see it more clearly.  The area that we are talking about lies in the fork between the Saluda and Broad River


    Vivian Markley sent a URL fo a 1773 map available on line:

    http://www.carolana.com/SC/Maps/1773EN_SC.html


    This area between the Saluda and the Broad Rivers is known even today as the Dutch Fork.  Here is what Wikipedia says about this area:

    The Dutch Fork is a region of South Carolina located in LexingtonNewberry, and Richland Counties between the Saluda River and the Broad River where they fork together, forming the Congaree River. The area is named after the original German settlers of the area, and like the Pennsylvania Dutch, Dutch here is a corruption of the term deutsch (which means German in the German language). Initial settlement of the area was largely between 1730 and 1766 when the South Carolina government offered incentives for foreign Protestants to settle what was then the backcountry.

    To further narrow down our area that we are looking at, we find Bush River in this Dutch Fork area:


    This image is taken from website:
    http://www.swohioresearch.com/index.php?p=3_18_Bush-River-South-Carolina

    If you had ancestors who moved from Bush River to Southwestern Ohio, you might want to take a look at the website.

    Many of the people that we discuss on our mail list lived in this Bush River area of SC.  Here is a modern map of where Bush River Cemetery is located as well as the land of my own George McKinsey and the Dunker Cemetery that was nearby:


    You will notice Newberry, SC in the very top right hand corner.  The Bush River crossed 395 just to left of the land of George McKinsey and you can barely make it out on this map if you look closely going north from 395 between 395 and the Bush River Cemetery.

    THIS STARTS THE INFORMATION ABOUT ISAAC AND MARY DAVY FAMILY

    Here is a compilation of the discussion that took place this week about the Isaac and Mary Davy family of Bush River area in the mid 1700's to early 1800's.  I will start these comments with the fact that I have not personally seen documentation that Mary's maiden name was indeed Davy.  Her name was for  sure Mary as:  Isaac names his wife as Mary in his will.  Much of the information is a collaboration of many researchers who have shared with me.  Harriet Imrey stands out as a major contributor.

    We know that Isaac and Mary first moved to the Newberry area in 1774:


    From Hinshaw Vol I pg 1038 (Bush River MM minutes):  
    1774,4,30.  Edward, John, Isaac & Abel recrq of father, Isaac and mother  

    I have 12 children in the family group for Isaac and Mary:

    The four sons named above in the Hinshaw record.  
    Another son, William, is named on the same page in Hinshaw as a son of Isaac and Mary when he marries Sarah Pemberton in 1802.


    Isaac died in  1805 
    his will dated 1802 and it was proved in June 1805

    Will says Isaac of Laurens District.  Will can be found at http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/onlinearchives/Thumbnails.aspx?recordId=297628 


    The widow, Mary, with the younger children, Nehemiah, Evan, Sarah, and Phoebe, were accepted at Miami MM, Waynesville, Warren County, May 6, 1807.  


    So we now have nine children accounted for in this family.  Mary is named in her father's will as Mary Weisener and Elizabeth is named in her father's will as Elizabeth Cox.

    I have one more child named Prudence in my unproved data base....I am going to leave this alone until I have more time.  The Prudence Thomas who married Peter Hawkins seems to be a different generation.  I have no other quick information about a Prudence who may have been a daughter to Isaac and Mary.

    Isaac Thomas is found in the SC census of 1790 where he lived at that time in Newberry County.  Isaac Thomas was then the head of a family consisting of “one white male sixteen and upwards (probably himself), three free white males under sixteen and four white females including heads of family. 


    Harriet interpreted this in the following way:  At the time of the 1790 census,  Edward Thomas, eldest child of Isaac and Mary had been married in 1784, and Isaac Jr, the 2nd born in 1763 was in all probability married by 1790. John the third child had been married in 1786.  That left nine children in the family to account for.  Abel Thomas was at this time twenty-two yearsl old, and he may have been married or away from home.  Evan, Nehemiah, and William were three sons under sixteen.  There were five daughters in the family, but some of them may have died before 1790 or may have been married by that time.

    Two thoughts that I don't want to loose and hope to get back to "someday" are:

    1)The child named Evan might point to the possibility that Isaac was indeed related to Mary Thomas who married  John Hiatt and was the daughter of Evan Thomas.

    2)I have a data base in which I have put Edward Thomas in as father to Isaac.  This is absolutely not a true fact.  I have absolutely no documentation to connect the two men as father and son.  The only clue that might show a connection is that Isaac and Mary named their first son Edward. 

    DNA HAS PROVEN THAT ISAAC AND MARY THOMAS OF SC ARE NOT RELATED TO THE TRISTAN THOMAS DESCENDENTS FOUND IN THE SAME AREA OF SC IN THIS TIME PERIOD

    There seem to have been two separate families in SC with surname Thomas in this time period.  I have very little on the family related to Tristan Thomas from Maryland.  I believe that Joyce Overman and I have shared some information on this family when I was originally trying to sort them out.  She DOES descend from the Maryland Thomas family.  Here is what I sent to the mail list:

    I tend to believe that the Thomas family from Md is different
    from the Thomas family who came from PA....don't know if that is true or
    not.  But all that I have on this family is the note that Joyce Bowman on
    the Quaker mail list descends from this family and that they came into MD
    instead of PA...and that an article that I had copied many years ago says
    that  Stephen Thomas was the progenitor of this Thomas family in SC.  he
    seems to have been b. c. 1705 and d. 1774 and married to Mary Clothier.
    Stephen according to this article (NOT my research) was the son of
    Tristram and Judith Clay.

    Jane Gilbert on the Bush River mail list first brought it to the lists' attention that there were participants on the Thomas DNA project site for both Thomas families:

    You can find the results of the Thomas Y-DNA Project here:

    http://thomasdna.org/ThomasDNASite/results.aspx

    and Harriet did a nice job of summing up what the DNA project said:

    The lines of Stephen & Mary Clothier Thomas, and of Isaac & Mary Davy 
    Thomas, shared some states at various points in time, but didn't share 
    genes with one another.  The Thomas surname yDNA page includes 7 samples 
    from the Tristram/Stephen Thomas line, all in DNA group 166.  There are 
    4 samples from the Isaac & Mary Davy Thomas line, all in DNA group 51.  
    Probably no relatives here.

    Gotta quit for today.  Want to add to my blog the following:  siblings of Isaac....information
    information that I collected while in Orange County, NC about Edward Thomas when I was trying to prove that my Sarah McKinsey had maiden name Thomas.

    THIS STARTS THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SIBLINGS OF ISAAC THOMAS 

    Let me remind you that this is NOT my own family.  So the information is not as well documented as what would be in my family's data base.  This is information that I have gathered from others to be used as clues to sort out this Thomas family.  Please let me know if you have proof that I am correct or that I am incorrect.  

    In this data base I have put Edward Thomas in as father of the siblings that I am going to list.  I absolutely do not believe this is TRUE!  But it is possible.  Edward is found in Old Frederick County in 1746 as an appraiser for the estate of James Bouldler.  He was most certainly an adult at this time.  The siblings that I am going to list next seem to have birth dates between probably 1738 and 1753.  So the relationship is not impossible.  For more information about Edward in Virginia, see my posts for date Sunday Nov 4.


    ABEL

    Here is what I have in the notes for Abel Thomas:  Abel  

    Abel and Mary Heaton seem to have been childless.  Abel’s will is helpful in determining who his siblings were as he references them in the bequests that he left for his nephews and nieces.

    Will of Abel Thomas who dies in 1805 in Newberry County leaves to his brother (named Timothy) oldest Daughter, Sarah Thomas a bed.  This would not be MY Sarah Thomas as she would have been Sarah McKinsey by this date.

    He leaves a bed to Elizabeth Coner.

    Leaves estate divided between the children of Timothy Thomas, Isaac Thomas, Elizabeth Rankin, and Prudence Hawkins

    Another researcher told me:
    Abel Thomas' estate pays:
    Edward Hawkins (Peter and Prudence's second son)
    William Hawkins (P&P's third son)
    Peter Hawkins (P&P's 4th son)
    Elizabeth Hawkins (oldest daughter) Mrs Rankin
    Prudence Hawkins (youngest child)  marries someone Dennis. 
    JACOB IS NOT MENTIONED but  he marries about 1791.  Abel's will is dated 1805 and JACOB HAWKINS, TIMOTHY THOMAS SR AND SAMUEL GAUNT are executors.  Jacob's wife is Jane Ganter.  If German surname could be Gaunt or Gant and feminine would be Ganterin, shortened to Ganter.  But I believe she is Irish Quaker background and born in Camden, large Irish Quaker settlement and her father was George or maybe Wm.  William Ganter witnesses Peter's will in 1801.
    In the 1850 census Jane Ganter Hawkins, age 80,  is listed as living with ELIZABETH THOMAS, age 57.  Newberry county.  A Michael Ganter, Quaker, is listed in Pine tree hill, Fredericksburg twp (Camden). Jane dies in 1854. 


    Abel Married Mary Heaton 1758,6,24 at New Garden MM with documentation: 

    Hinshaw Volume 1 page 577, New Garden MM, Guilford County, NC

    1757,11,26 Abel recrq.
    1758,6,24 Abel rmt Mary Heaton
    1760,4,26 Abel and family rqct Fredericksburg MM., SC (cert withheld)

    After their marriage I find the following in the New Garden MM abstracts in Hinshaw:

    1764,9,29.  Abel dis mou. (long removed to South Carolina).  volume 1, page 577, New Garden MM, Guilford NC.  and 

    1779,8,28 Abel, of Bush River, con his mou.” volume 1. page 577 New Garden MM, Guilford NC
    and 
    1779, 9,25 Abel gct Bush River MM, SC.  vol 1 page 577, New Garden MM

    I interpret this to be Abel seems to be the only Thomas who moves into New Garden in the time period.  Mary Thomas who had married John Hiatt while still in Frederick County, Va and was the daughter of Evan  Thomas of Opeckon, Frederick County, Va had moved there in 1744.  So perhaps Abel moved there because of them?  Or maybe he just had his eye on Mary Heaton.  The rmt tells us that they were not married in the Quaker church (as does the dis mou) as it says that they are reported married....

    TIMOTHY

    Here are the notes that I have for Timothy Thomas:


    Named in Abel’s will as brother

    Timothy’s birth and death dates are found on his cemetery stone. b. 8 Nov 1747 d. 12 Oct 1825

    Timothy married Cassandra Clary.


    Cassandra’s headstone says that she is Cassandra Clary, wife of Timothy Thomas, Sr. and her birth and death dates are said to be legible and give the dates that I have entered.  b. 17 Apr 1752  d. 13 Dec 1825.

    Footnote says:  http://www.fdu.com/family/chapmansummerscem.htm  viewed June 2008.

    PRUDENCE

    Another researcher has told me:
    She was born around 1750 or so based on son, Jacob's, dob in 1770 and based on census estimates in 1790, 1800 through 1820

     Prudence and Peter are married in Va or somewhere like NC before arriving in SC.

    PETER HAWKINS came to 96 before Rev War. He was born in Va, married there, and
    settled in the Stoney Hills of Newberry district. Children were: Edward, JACOB, Peter,
    William, Prudence Dennis, Elizabeth Rankin. He died about 1800-1802. Jacob married
    Jane Hunter (was Jane Ganter) and had children, George, Peter, Eliza, Sallie Young. from
    Other Pioneers  ORIGINAL IRISH SETTLEMENT CALLED STONEY HILLS


    In notes for Prudence's husband Peter Hawkins I have two items: I also

    20 Oct 1795 Peter Hawkins swore an oath regarding set of titles transferred in 1774 from EDWARD THOMAS TO TIMOTHY THOMAS.  Recorded 2 Jan 1796

    and information from Harriet Imrey:

    The other person of interest would be Peter Hawkins, who petitioned for 150 acres "In South Carolina" on 2 Oct 1770.  He wasn't "with" anybody who settled where he did (Young's Fork of Bush River, Hilbern to west, McTeer to north, Israel Gaunt to east--latter tract purchased by Peter Hawkins so he was then adjacent to Edward and Timothy Thomas.  He was married to Prudence Thomas .... their first child Jacob was born ~1770 (per 1850 Newberry census).     His 1801 Newberry will is online at www.archivesindex.sc.gov.  He lists his two surviving daughters under their maiden names, but both were married by 1800 (even the will notes that they were living in different locations).  Prudence II (daughter of Peter and Prudence Thomas Hawkins) had married James Dennis; her sister Elizabeth Hawkins married John Rankin II, son of the John Rankin who'd arrived in 1767 with Edward and Nehemiah Thomas, and who'd sold his grant to Abel Thomas.  So who was the first Mrs. Rankin?  Abel Thomas named four primary heir-lines, including the children of his brothers Isaac and Timothy, those of his sister Prudence Thomas Hawkins, and the heirs of one "Elizabeth Rankin".  If he was trying to be systematic about that, sure sounds like the wife of John Rankin I must have been his sister Elizabeth Thomas!  (John Rankin II and wife Elizabeth Hawkins Rankin would have gotten a double portion, if first cousins who were nephew and niece, respectively, to Abel Thomas).  BTW, Peter and Prudence Thomas Hawkins named their second son Edward--from her side of the family, no doubt!


    I also have a approximate date for the marriage of this couple of ca 1769 that I received from a Hawkins DNA participant who believes that he is descended from this couple.  

    There is more information about this Thomas family on my Miami Homecoming blog site:

    http://quakerhomecomingwarrencountyohio.blogspot.com/2013/08/thomas-family.html























    Monday, November 5, 2012

    Craven County, SC

    A question on the Bush River Mail list prompted me to answer via this post a question about Craven County, SC.



    The above chart says:  South Carolina County Boundaries during the period





    One of the mail list members sent the following link for more information on Craven County.

    https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Craven_County,_South_Carolina

    Sunday, November 4, 2012

    Thomas, Moore and McKinsey in Northern VA

    I received the following message from Steve Moore:


    Marsha,

    I found Edward Thomas who, along with my Mordecai Moore, was an appraiser for the estate of James Boudler dated 24 Nov 1746 in Frederick Co., VA.  I am trying to figure out where my Mordecai was living and am assuming all of the appraisers were neighbors.  Have you found out where Edward was living?

    Steve Moore

    This caused me to begin looking among my "stuff" to see exactly what I DO know about this area of Virginia in this time period.  It seemed a good time to make a list of what I know and what I would like to research.  Steve has explained that he hopes eventually to prove that the Mordecai in this document was brother to my 7-gr-grandfather, Richard Moore married to Sarah Jenkins and uncle to MY 6-gr-grandfather,  Mordecai Moore married to Mary Lackey.

    So the questions that I am going to address here are:  Where was Edward Thomas living in this time period and were the Moore and Thomas family friends in Pa before the move to the Hopewell MM area of Virginia.


    Here is what I have in my notes about Edward Thomas:


    Edward Thomas is in Old Frederick County, VIrginia in 1751/52 as indicated by land transactions between Edward Thomas and John Smith.

    Edward Thomas purchased the 50-acre part of John Smith’s 420 acre 1734 patent land for 10 pounds on 13 November 1749.  On 13 April 1759, he mortgaged the 50 acres to John Bouts/Phoutz of Lancaster County, Pa for 100 pounds, payable 13 April 1763.  THe abstract says that the land was on a branch of Opechon Creek called Turkey Spring.

    After they had moved to the Bush River in South Carolina (Newberry County), Thomas and his wife Sarah sold the 50 acres to Christian Fox of Pennsylvania on 10 June 1766.  See map that I copied from book.  In the abstract it says “Edward Thomas of Bush River South Carolina”


    Edward Thomas first lived on a 250 acre tract that had been surveyed by James Wood on 17 Nov 1735 for Jost Hite.  Hite sold the land to William Hiatt, who then sold it to Edward Thomas.  Thomas lived there for some time, obtaining a bond from Hite assuring title to the tract.

    Edward later sold the tract to Richard Fowler, who then sold it to Walter Briscoe.  This land is located on Opequon Creek About 3/4 mile west of Edward’s 182 acre Fairfax grant land.  

    Edward also received a Fairfax Grant which according to Gray’s Northern Neck Grants K-129 was adj to William Hyatt, Edward Thomas, John Smith, Great Road from Potomack to Frederick Town 13 May 1760.  This would have been the road marked Philadelphia Road in O’Dell’s book.  

    There is an interesting note about roads in the area in O’Dell’s book:  ......The second road branching off the “Philadelphia Road from the present-day Middleway, WV area ran south across Edward Thomas’s 182 acre tract and then southwest, crossing his property line on or near Jefferson County Highway 1/11.  It  continued here....this is on pages 496-497 of O’Dell’s book.

    14 May 1744 O. S., FOB 1, p. 104
    Jacob Hite Gent John Littler John Ross & Thomas Shepard having made their return on the Last
    Courts Order for Viewing Marking and Laying off a Road from John Littlers to Thomas
    Shepards Mill in these Words We have Viewed & laid off a Road from John Littlers late
    Dwelling house by a Course of Marked Trees to the said Littlers new Design Thence to Opecken
    Creek Over Abrils ford thence to the late Dwelling place of John Smiths deced thence to Jacob
    Hites Thence to Thomas Shepards Mill and thereupon its Ordered that the said road be Cleared
    by the Petitioners & that Jacob Hite Gent Thomas Swearingham & Edward Thomas be Overseers
    of the same & its further Ordered that they cause ye. sd. Road to be Cleared according to Law --.

    9 June 1744 O. S., FOB 1, p. 122
    Ordered that the Tithables Two miles on each side the Road in Jacob Hites & Edward Thomas
    precinct clear the Road from John Littlers to Thomas Sheppards Mill & work on the said Road --(page 6).

    15 September 1744 O. S., FOB 1, p. 199
    Owen Thomas is hereby Appointed Overseer of the Road from Jeremiah Smiths to William Hogs
    in the Room of Joseph Edwards & its Ordered that he Keep the same in good repair According to
    Law --(page 8).



    Several years ago I visited the Handley Library in Winchester, Virginia.  During that visit I looked at Cecil O'Dell's book:  Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia.  The below is a map that I copied during that visit with notes that I made at the time:


     On a modern map, this area would have been about:



    What makes me think that the area that I have circled is correct?  I have gone by the Mill Creek and Turkey Run as landmarks.  

    If you open my Blog post in a new window and go to my July 31, 2012 post, you can compare the map showing the Inwood Quadrant where we believe George McKinney to have lived and the map just above to see that Edward Thomas and George McKinney were most certainly neighbors as the information from Bruce Locken below places George McKennie in the Inwood Quad.   



    The following list includes the name of each grantee, the date of the grant, number of acres, the deed book reference, the U.S. Geological Survey quad map containing the grant, and the grant number on Geertsema's map overlays.
    McKennie, George. 1756, October 18; 194 acres. Volume H, p. 679 and 707 [duplicates]. Inwood Quad. #502

    Here is the information from Harriet Imrey explaining her research and interpretation of the information of the land question of George McKenney:

    I looked through the books and online VA sources available to me, and drew the conclusion from grants, deeds, adjacencies, etc., that the 1756 George McKinnie grant pretty much had to be located on Mill Creek west of Opequon (since that was where Richard Merchant, Patrick Dunkin, Murty Handley and Thomas & George Follis all appeared together).  Some of the original grants were not listed at the Library of VA site, but they're all at a different place:  the West Virginia GeoExplorer Project, www.wvgeohistory.org.  (Select Bibliography under Search, use last name of grantee as Author.)  The neat thing about this site is that it will show where everybody was...assuming that one understands GeoLocator technology and the GIS system.....  The Mill Creek site was in Berkeley Co VA/WV from 1772.  The WV GeoExplorer Project says that its initial coverage is Jefferson Co WV, the subdivision of Berkeley to the east of Opequon.  Mill Creek is west, so should be currently in Berkeley rather than Jefferson Co.  Well, whatever.  The overall county map shows some settlement locations that straddle Opequon Creek, so at least some of the mapped properties have a Berkeley Co WV address.

    Here's the order of the grants, and the spellings used at the WV site:
    1.  Murtay Handley, 300 acres, 12 Jan 1749, GeoLocator: IN509.  Handley didn't pay for his land, so it reverted to Lord Fairfax, who granted it--resurveyed at 343 acres--to Samuel Handley on 11 Aug 1770, GeoLocator IN508.
    2.  Patrick Dunken, 121 acres, 28 Apr 1753, GeoLocator: IN218.  Patrick and Catherine Dunken sold it to Joseph Edwards on 30 Apr & 1 May 1759, but there's a complication:  Patrick Dunken had 242 acres surveyed (date not stated), all of which was granted to (Quaker) Thomas Folless [Fallis, Follis] on 1 Sep 1753.  Both plats were adjacent to Richard Merchant on the drains of Opequon.  GeoLocator: IN217.
    3.  George McKinnie, 194 acres, adj. Richard Merchant, Patrick Dunkin, Murty Handley, 18 Oct 1756.  GeoLocator: IN502.  (Spell it McKennie for the WV search engine, but it's McKinnie on the page.)
    4.  Richard Merchant (Quaker), 187 1/2 acres, adjacent to nobody, 30 Apr 1760, GeoLocator IN501.  This must be a late grant for an earlier survey, because he shows up adjacent to Duncan, McKinnie and Follis at the time of their surveys.

    If you can figure out what to do with these GeoLocator references, that should produce a pretty decent plat map of the Mill Creek neighborhood just west of its mouth at Opequon.

    Harriet

    One more piece of information from Harriet that strengthens the argument that Edward Thomas and George McKenney may have been friends and neighbors in this northern Virginia neighborhood is this list below:



    There are 20 entries for Edward Thomas in the Orange County road orders.  I also happened onto one for Isaac Thomas.  I was not searching:


    14 May 1744 O. S., FOB 1, p. 104
    Jacob Hite Gent John Littler John Ross & Thomas Shepard having made their return on the Last Courts Order for Viewing Marking and Laying off a Road from John Littlers to Thomas Shepards Mill in these Words We have Viewed & laid off a Road from John Littlers late Dwelling house by a Course of Marked Trees to the said Littlers new Design Thence to Opecken Creek Over Abrils ford thence to the late Dwelling place of John Smiths deced thence to Jacob Hites Thence to Thomas Shepards Mill and thereupon its Ordered that the said road be Cleared by the Petitioners & that Jacob Hite Gent Thomas Swearingham & Edward Thomas be Overseers of the same & its further Ordered that they cause ye. sd. Road to be Cleared according to Law --


    9 June 1744 O. S., FOB 1, p. 122
    Ordered that the Tithables Two miles on each side the Road in Jacob Hites & Edward Thomas precinct clear the Road from John Littlers to Thomas Sheppards Mill & work on the said Road --


    3 June 1746 O. S., FOB 2, p. 102
    Alexander Ross is hereby Appointed Overseer of the Road from his fence to the Corner of Smith’s fence in the Room of Edward Thomas And it is Ordered that he keep the said Road in good repair According to Law --


    6 March 1753, FOB 4, p. 406
    Edward Thomas is appointed overseer of the Road from from John Smiths Old place to Jacob Hites in the room of Jacob Brooks and it is ordered that the Tithables three miles on each side the sd Road work on the same under him as their Overseer and that he clear & keep it in Repair according to law


    2 April 1755, FOB 6, p. 200
    Ordered that Edward Thomas and Morgan Morgan lay off a Road from the new Bridge at Opeckon the most convenient way into the Road leading from Winchester to Henry Enochs’ and that they be overseers thereof and it is further ordered that the tithables Four miles on each side of the said Road clear and keep the same in repair according to Law


    3 March 1756, FOB 7, p. 30
    Evan Thomas is appointed Overseer of the Road from William Jolliffs to Mary Ballangers in the room of Edward Thomas and it is Ordered that the Tithables formerly appointed keep the same in repair according to Law


    4 April 1758, FOB 8, p. 1
    Ordered that John Briscoe be Overseer of the Road from Edward Thomas’s to Mr Jacob Hites in the Room of Edward Thomas and it is further Ordered that the Tithables formerly appointed Keep the same in repair according to Law.


    4 August 1762, FOB 10, p. 79
    It is Ordered that John Briscoe John Abril William Rankins and David Rankin or any three of them being first Sworn do view the Ground and see whether the main Road can be turned to Run upon the Line between Edward Thomas and John Smith and Make Report thereof to Court


    [Note: below mentions that Isaac Thomas had lived on this road but no longer lives there]
    (Alteration of) Main road to run on the line between Edward Thomas and John Smith, 112  [Note: I interpret this to mean that Edward Thomas and John Smith lived adjacent]


    Sir John’s road (road called Sir John Sinclaire’s road), 96, 97, 113, 119, 127, 132 Sections:
    2 From Winchester to the plantation where Isaac Thomas did live, 96
    2 From the place where the road from Robert Cunningham’s falls into it to the forks
    where the road leads to Winchester, 132
    2 From the plantation where Isaac Thomas did live to the County line, 96
    2 From the Hunting Ridge to Isaac’s Creek at Pritchet’s place, 97
    2 Sir John’s road leading from the Timber Ridge to Isaac’s Creek, 113
    2 From the forks to James McGill’s, 119
    2 Sir John’s road from the end of the Sleepy Creek Mountain where the Warm Spring
    road crosses it to James Daugherty’s, 127 Probable sections:
    2 Road from Isaac’s Creek to the County line, 148
    2 Road from (the top of) the Hunting Ridge to the County line, 151, 158 


    In Aug 2013  am going through some piles and files and found the following:  

    According to Frederick County, Virginia Wills and Inventories (abstract) p.28:


    Edward Thomas witnessed the will of William Hiatt along with H.A. Rankin and Jeremiah Ham.

    Will 26 Feb 1763.