Monday, January 21, 2013

Hawkins/Rowzee/Catlett/Thornton connections


One other note that I would remind myself while thinking about yesterday's blog entry:  that Ms. Felder shows Thomas Hawkins' land at the falls of the Rappahannock River to be adjoining to a man named John Bowsey (is there a possibilty that it might have been Rowsey?).  In my slideshow that has name Northern Neck there is an article written by Lillian Baird Blackwell that can be viewed at: 

This article states that Edward and Ralph Rowzee and their half brother, John Catlett IV immigrated from Kent England to America in the 1650's together.  All three men shared mother Sarah Hawkins Catlett Rowzee.  So my note to myself is that it is quite possible that Thomas Hawkins may have been a cousin or some sort of relation to these men.  Ms. Blackwell says that the Rowzee/Catlett brothers first acquired land on Occupacia Creek on the Rappahannock River in Old Rappahannock County (present day Essex County).  

Note that Occupacia is the place that is mentioned in the information that Fred Duncan sent to me 

On 20 Sep 1698 Rachel and sons John and Samuel, and son-in-law Edward Martin purchased adjoining plantations from John Hawkins, only son and heir of Thomas Hawkins of Occupacia.




The fact that this is the same Thomas Hawkins who purchased the land at the falls of the Rappahannock River in the location that is now Fredericksburg, Virginia is (in my mind) is supported by the information that  Thomas Hawkins had two sons named in his will:  Thomas and John.  Thomas died young.  (more information in blog entry dated January 20, 2013)  John is left as sole heir.  This John Hawkins (son of Thomas of Old Rappahannock County) was married to Elizabeth Moseley according to the research of others.  According to information that I received from Fred Duncan, the Moseley family lived in the general area of Occupacia:

Associated with Occupatia Creek were the lands of Richard Lawson, James Gaynes, Peter Johnson, Wm. Lowry, Geo. Morris, Wm. Moseley, Peter Rucker, John Weir,  Thos. Hawkins, Richard Coleman, Ralph Rowzee, Augustine Smith, Farmer, John Warren (Warring, now spelt Waring), John Pyne (Payne), Robert Payne,  Geo. Eaton, John Gillett, John Phillips, John Watson, Phillip Rowsey, John Johnson, George Pley, Henry Berry, William Gray, Henry Tandy, Alex. Newman, Valentine AllenCornelius Nowell, (wfd-Noell who sold land to John Warren and Richard West) and Hugh Owen(wfd- This Moseley family is in Bute CountyNC too …Large land owners)


William Moseley would most probably have been the father-in-law of John Hawkins (son and heir of Thomas Hawkins).  A daughter of Thomas Hawkins, Hannah (who is named in the will of Thomas Hawkins), married William Mosesly who was a brother to John Hawkins' wife, Elizabeth Moseley.

I feel sure that this Thomas Hawkins "of Occupacia" is the same man who had the original patent on the land at the falls of the Rappahannock River. 

In Oct 2013 I was rereading this at the same time that I was cleaning out my inbox.  From the transcription of the will of Rowland Thornton that was posted on the NN mail list by Jim Burgess in Jan 2013 there is shown a connection between Thornton and Catlett:

Item:  I give and bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth Thornton my whole right
title property and interest (to purchase I made jointly with Colonel John
Catlett my wife's Father) one moiety of  five hundred acres of land lying in
Caroline and being the land Dorothy Roy now dwells on which said moiety of
land containing two hundred and fifty acres (if recovered from the heirs of
Charles Smith who mortgaged the same to Micajah Perry, Merchant in London,
of whom the said Catlett and I made the purchase), I give to my daughter
Elizabeth and her heirs forever.  And in case the law is such that the said
land be not recovered from the heirs of the said Charles Smith, then I give
to my daughter Elizabeth all the Money that shall or may be recovered by
virtue of the said purchased mortgage.

According to the post, this will is found in the will book that covers time period from 1721-1752.  I take this to mean that this man, Rowland Thornton was married to John Catlett's daughter. 

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