Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Betty's Boneyard Genealogy!

© Betty Tartas  2013

Multiple Lines of Descent in My New England Immigrant Families

This past month I have been focusing on my New England immigrant ancestors.  I have been collecting sources and documentation, and getting to know them in a way that I have not done previously.

One thing that struck me is the fact that I have several New England immigrant ancestors from whom I have multiple lines of descent.  This is especially true for those families who settled in Stamford, Fairfield Co Connecticut.

And here they are. All of these were immigrants from England to New England.

LOCKWOOD
--I have three lines of descent from EDMUND LOCKWOOD I who had two wives, both married in England, one unknown, the other ELIZABETH MASTERS.  He died in Cambridge, Middlesex Co Massachusetts.  Two of my lines are through his daughter ELINOR LOCKWOOD who married NICHOLAS KNAPP, and one through his son EDMUND LOCKWOOD II, who married HANNAH SCOTT.

--I also have one line of descent from EDMUND's brother ROBERT LOCKWOOD, who died in Fairfield, Fairfield Co Connecticut, and married SUSANNA NORMAN. My line is  through their son GERSHOM LOCKWOOD.

--So, in total,  four lines of descent from the LOCKWOOD family of Combs, Suffolk, England.

SCOFIELD
--I have three lines of descent from DANIEL SCOFIELD,  who married SARAH (YOUNGS?) and died in Stamford, Fairfield Co Connecticut. One line is through daughter SARAH SCOFIELD who married JOHN PETTIT II, and two are through son JOHN SCOFIELD who married HANNAH MEAD.

MEAD
--I have three lines of descent from WILLIAM MEAD, who married, in England,  PHILIPPA, and died in Stamford, Fairfield Co Connecticut. Two lines are through his son JOHN MEAD who married HANNAH POTTER, and one line through is through his son JOSEPH MEAD who married MARY BROWN.

PIPER/PYPER
--I have three lines of descent from NATHANIEL PIPER who married SARAH EDWARDS and died in Ipswich, Essex Co Massachusetts.  One line is through his son SAMUEL PIPER who married ABIGAIL CHURCH, and two lines are through his son THOMAS PIPER who married GRACE HAWLEY.


I have many more ancestors with two lines of descent, but that will have to wait for another blog post!

Have a great day!

Betty
© Betty Tartas  2013

Creating an Ancestor's Map: United States & Canada

Here's another idea for a fun activity with kids or grandkids:  Create a map showing where your ancestors lived in the Unites States and Canada.

You can make your map on the Defocus-Blog webpage "Create Your Visited States & Provinces Map".

But instead of making your map for states & provinces you have visited, you can make the map for states & provinces where your ancestors lived!

I made up a legend for my Ancestors Map, using the colors available on the Defocus blog:

Green--more than 4 generations
Blue--3-4 generations
Yellow--1-3 generations
Red--lived for a short time, up to 1 generation
White--never lived there

I have this map posted on Facebook.  Thanks to Heather Wilkinson Rojo and others, who had the idea first! And to Jeremy Nixon, who created the Defocus Blog--what a fun tool!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013

Where Did Your Immigrant Ancestors First Settle?

With Thanksgiving approaching, and thoughts of my Mayflower ancestors lingering in my head, I began to think about how many of my ancestors actually came to New England first, and how many settled elsewhere.

And then I thought: Wouldn't it be cool to have a visual representation or a graph? I looked online and found an easy-to-use website called Create a Graph

This is a graph I made, in about 5 minutes, using  estimated calculations based on my family tree information.

About 50% of my immigrant ancestors settled in New England: Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire & Connecticut

Approximately 35% of my immigrant ancestors settled in Virginia.

About 14% settled in Pennsylvania, New York or Maryland.

And about  1% settled in Nova Scotia, Canada

These are rough estimates, of course, but fairly accurate!

Where did your immigrant ancestors settle?  If you have the information, this would be a fun Thanksgiving day activity to share with your kids or grandkids!


Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013

The End of the Line...?

It's a little disconcerting to realize that your mitochondrial line is possibly going extinct.  This happens when there are no daughters in a family having daughters to carry on the mtDNA, which is passed solely from mother to daughter.

This is what I discovered recently.  Besides possibly two other female 4rd cousins, I am the last person in my branch of our family to carry our mtDNA, which is haplogroup H1a1 (aka H1a1a1).

1) My mother had one son and one daughter--me.  I have no children, so will not be passing on the mtDNA.

2) My grandmother & her sisters were the three daughters of my great grandparents FRANK R BROWN & MARIETTA KENNEDY.

--GLADYS BROWN married JOSEPH BURTON DRYDEN. They had one son and one daughter--who had only one son.

--GENEVIEVE BROWN married PENNEMAN STETSON. They had three daughters, none of whom had any children.

--RUBY BROWN married ROLLA MARTINE. They had one son and one daughter, my mother.


3) My great grandmother MARIETTA KENNEDY had one sister, SARAH ADELINE KENNEDY who married WILLIAM HAWTHORNE; they had four daughters.

--MABEL HAWTHORNE married FRED COWELL; they had no children

--MARIETTA "ETTA" HAWTHORNE married WALTER FOERSTER; they had one son and one daughter, MABEL FOERSTER who married ALVIN BLANCHARD.  I have not been able to find out if there were any female descendants.

--HELEN "NELLIE" HAWTHORNE married ERNEST F BEHRE; she died age 26, leaving one daughter MARILYNN BEHRE, who married several times, the last husband being DUNCAN. I have not been able to find out if there were any female descendants.

--ADELINE "ADDIE' HAWTHORNE married LOUIS ALVERO BURNS; they had one son and one daughter VERYLE BURNS who married HENRY WILSON MEYER; they had one daughter, deceased in 2004, and another daughter still likely living, who would be the only other known females of my generation to carry the same H1a1 mtDNA.  I do not know if these cousins married or had children, but if they did, and had  daughters, those daughters would be the only ones to carry on the H1a1 mtDNA in our branch of the family!

Have a great day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013

Land Deeds, 1827-1828 Bledsoe County Tennessee: Heirs of JOHN ANDERSON to THOMAS RIDDLE; THOMAS RIDDLE to ROBERT SHOEMAKE

For anyone researching THOMAS RIDDLE who married MARY IGO / IGOU, here are two land deeds that may interest you. 

The second deed indicates that THOMAS RIDDLE had a land grant in Bledsoe Co Tennessee April 11, 1815, numbered 3358.

THOMAS RIDDLE married 2nd to DELILAH BURKS, and eventually moved  near Cleveland, Bradley Co Tennessee, where he died in 1859.


Bledsoe Co Tennessee Register of Deeds, Vol D page 336:

Heirs of JOHN ANDERSON decd to THOMAS RIDLE (RIDDLE)

Whereas JOHN ANDERSON now deceased executed to THOMAS RIDLE his bond for a warrant deed for sixty four acres and 26 poles of land in Bledsoe County bearing date 24th of February 1812 Nomi;  This indenture made this 22nd day of August 1826 between JAMES LOYD, Guardian for the kin of said ANDERSON, decd, of the County of Bledsoe and State of Tennessee of the one part, and THOMAS RIDLE of the County & State aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth that the JAMES LOYD guardian hath granted, bargained and sold unto THOMAS RIDLE in Compliance of said land sixty four acres and 26 poles at the price of three dollars per acre in property, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledge, hath granted bargain (illegible) and confirm until the said THOMAS RIDLE his heirs and assigns forever the land that was to be conveyed by said bond, lying in Bledsoe County, beginning at a white oak on the point of a ridge on a rock jut of the mountain, westward from where JAMES IGO now lives; thence N 15 E 46 poles to a stake at a cross fence, thence along said fence N 43  W 33 poles to a walnut; thence N 50 W 67 poles to a stake in a field, thence N 41 poles to a black (oak?), then south 70 E 126 poles to a white oak, then south 110 poles to a black oak, then west 58 1/2 poles to the beginning, wth the appurtinances and all the right title or interest of him the said JOHN ANDERSON deceased, in or or to the said above described land, to hav and to hold the same forever, and the said JAMES LOYD and the heirs of said JOHN ANDERSON will warrant and forever defend the before mentioned land against the Claim or Claims of all person whomsoever claim in presence of witnesses,  WILLIAM McDONNAUGH, ANDREW McDONNAUGH.   Signed JAMES LOYD, Guardian for the Heirs of JOHN ANDERSON, decd.

Bledsoe County Tennessee Register of Deeds Vol D page 327:

THOMAS RIDDLE to ROBERT SHOEMAKE

This Indenture made this 11th day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty eight, between THOMAS RIDDLE of the one part and ROBERT SHOEMAKE of the other part, both of the County of Bledsoe and State of Tennessee.  Witnesseth that the said THOMAS RIDLE hath this day bargained and sold unto ROBERT SHOEMAKE two tracts of land in Bledsoe County for the sum of Four hundred and eighty five dollars, the Receipt of which is hereby acknowledged and in compliance with a hand bearing date 22nd Aug 1826 bounded and described as follows, viz:  the first tract begining at a white oak, a corner to JAMES LOYD's land, running north 15 east along said LOYD's line; 46 poles to stake at the cross fence, three N 43 W 33 poles to a walnut on JAMES LOYD's line thence north 50 west 67 poles to a stake, another corner to LOYD, then north 41 poles to a black oak; a corner to WILLIAM ANDERSON, then south 70 east along ANDERSON's line, 126 poles to a white oak, then south 110 poles to a black oak, then west 58 1/2 poles to the beginning, making sixty four acres (illegible);  and also another tract nine acres adjoining the above described tract, bounded  & C beginning by a branch at white oak in a line of the above land thence east 27 poles to a chestnut, north fifty four poles to two small black oaks, then west 27 poles to stake in the line of the first described tract, then north along said line fifty four to the beginning, which tract of land was granted unto said RIDEL the 11th day of April 1815, No of Grant 3358, and the said RIDEL doth hereby convey unto the said ROBERT SHOEMAKE both the above tracts of land unto him, and his heirs and assigns forever, and also the benefit of said land clear of incumberance, and the said RIDEL doth forever warrant and defend the title of the above land unto SHOEMAKE and his heirs and assigns forever both in law and equity against the lawful claim of any person whatsoever. Signed and sealed in presence of witnesses :  JAMES LOYD Jr    HUGH LAMB Jr  signed THOMAS (his X mark) RIDEL

Recorded May 7th 1829

Have a great day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013

June 20, 1819 Bledsoe Co Tennessee; Deed of Lease, Heirs of ROBERT CARTER to WILLIAM RIDDLE

The "Robert Carter, decd" referred to in this deed was apparently ROBERT WORMELY CARTER, born about 1766 Virginia, died by Sept 8, 1817 probably Jefferson Co Kentucky, who married HEBE SMALLWOOD GRAYSON.  

The deed was filed in 1819 in Jefferson Co Kentucky on behalf of his children, but the land in question was actually in Bledsoe Co Tennessee. It sounds as though WILLIAM RIDDLE was living on a tract of land which he had purchased, but part of which was actually owned by the CARTER family, and that they were requesting that he pay a yearly rent of $20 for Lot 10.

The other court deeds from Jefferson Co Kentucky indicate that ROBERT WORMLEY CARTER was dead by 1817, and that his children requested FREDERICK W. S. GRAYSON as their legal guardian. FREDERIC GRAYSON was likely related to their mother. 

--Bledsoe Co Tennessee Register of Deeds Vol D p 57:
--ALFRED G. CARTER, JOHN CARTER, ROBERT CARTER, WILLIAM G CARTER, LANDEN CARTER, and HEBE S. CARTER (f) children and heirs of ROBERT CARTER deceased to WILLIAM RIDDLE of the County of Bledsoe and State of Tennessee, so much of a certain trac of land of about one hundred acres bought by said RIDDLE of JOHN SHROPSHIRE and on which the said RIDDLE resides, as interfered with, or is covered by the clain of the said heirs, to wit: Lot No 10, and which acres adjoins WILLIAM CHRISTY, JAMES ROBERSON and JAMES FOSTER, to have and to hold the premises aforesaid to the said WILLIAM RIDDLE for and during the term of three years from the date hereof, the said RIDDLE rendering as rent therefore at the end of every year during the said term the sum of twenty dollars. Witness the hand and seals of the parties this twentienth day of June, 1819 signed WILLIAM RIDDLE (his mark); F.W.S. GRAYSON, (guardian for the Carters listed above); ISAAC H TYLER, test.
--State of Kentucky, Jefferson County, July 20, 1819; At a county Court begun and held for Jefferson County in the state aforesaid at the court house in the town of Lewisville on the 8th day of Sept 1817, ALFRED G. CARTER, JOHN CARTER, ROBERT CARTER, WILLIAM G CARTER, LANDEN CARTER, and HEBE S. CARTER infant orphans of ROBERT CARTER deceased, being above the age of fourteen years came into the court and severally made choice of FREDERIC W. S. GRAYSON as their guardian, wherefore, the said FREDERIC together with ROBERT GRAYSON and DAVID S. WORD his securities entered into and acknowledged there five several bonds in the penalty of ten thousand dollars each with the conditions required by law.
--In testomony whereof, I , the clerk os the said county court do hereby certify tht said FREDERIC W GRAYSON and WILLIAM RIDDLE personally appeared before me in my office on this day, and acknowledged and delivered the foregoing deed of lease as and for their act and deed, the said GRAYSON as guardian (to the sons of ROBERT CARTER). I further certify that the said JOHN CARTER personally appeared before me in my office on this day and acknowledged and delivered the same as and for his act and deed, and that JOHN BELL Esq is the presiding Justice of the said County Court.
--In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the said county, this 20th day of July 1819, and in the 28th year of the Commonwealth. WORDEN POPE, Clerk.

Have a great day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013

Was MOSES RIDDLE, the Melungeon, the Father of Capt WILLIAM RIDDLE, the Loyalist from Montgomery County Virginia?

So. What are Melungeons?  According to several sources they are:

--a group of  people of uncertain ancestry in the southern Appalachians, especially of Eastern Tennessee (Merriam Webster dictionary online)

--one of numerous "tri-racial isolate groups" historically associated with the Cumberland Gap area of central Appalachia, including portions of Eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, and Eastern Kentucky; thought to be of mixed European, Sub-Saharan African and Native American ancestry;  often referred to by other settlers as of Portuguese or Native American origin (Wikipedia)

--any dark-skinned group of people of the Appalachians, in East Tennessee, of mixed Indian, white & black ancestry (Free Online Dictionary).

In actual fact, no one really knows the entire truth about Melungeons. They are an anthropological mystery.  Wild theories abound--such as they were the descendants of shipwrecked Portuguese or Spanish sailors who took spouses who were Native American or runaway slaves.  Or they were the English descendants of the lost colony of Roanoke, who took spouses who were Native American.

Recently, Y-DNA tests have shown that some--but not all-- families that are recognized as Melungeon actually stemmed from a male ancestor of Sub-Saharan African, rather than Native American origin. The theory is that a freed slave or free man of color married a white indentured servant in the very early colonial period in Virginia. This was not uncommon before the anti-miscegenation law of 1662.

Here is a link to a recent article on this subject

Another current theory is that those known as Melungeons in 1800s & 1900s claimed  Portuguese ancestry in order to avoid any social stigma or discrimination that might occur if they were believed to have African or Native American origins.

While possible, I am not certain that this is entirely true. Here's why:

In an excellent paper published 2011 by Roberta Estes, Jack H Goin, Penny Ferguson and Janet Lewis, Crain, entitled "Melungeons, a Multi-Ethnic Population", the latest Y-DNA results for the various familial surnames known to be Melungeon are presented.  Some  of the surnames/familial groups  have Y-DNA haplogroups which are Sub-Saharan African. Some  have Y haplogroups which are definitely European in origin.

This is the case with the surname RIDDLE.  It is considered to be a Melungeon surname, when occurring in southwestern Virginia, particularly Lee Co Virginia,  or Eastern Tennessee, particularly Hawkins Co or Hancock Co Tennessee.

The suspected patriarch was MOSES RIDDLE b abt 1716 probably Hanover Co Virginia.  On a 1755  tax list for Orange Co NC, MOSES RIDDLE & his wife MARY GIBSON were called "mulattoes" (bear in mind that at that time this term could mean a person of ANY mixed race, not just African & European); in the 1767 Pittsylvania Co Virginia Tax list, he is named as "MOSES RIDLE, Indian" living next to "WILLIAM RIDLE"--who is not listed as Indian.

The RIDDLE descendants who have been tested for Y-DNA so far have had the Y haplogroup R1b1b2a1b  and R1b1b2--which are European in origin.

It is thought that this "William Ridle" of the 1767 Pittsylvania Co Virginia tax list
1) was the  son of MOSES RIDDLE known as Indian or Mulatto,
2) was the Loyalist Capt WILLIAM THOMAS RIDDLE who was living in Montgomery Co Virginia at the time of the Revolution, and
3) was hung as a traitor in May of 1781.

I am uncertain what proof exists to connect the two men, beyond the fact that they and other Melungeon families such as the COLLINs, BUNCHs and GIBSONs were intermarried & migrated  together through the same areas in Virginia, Kentucky & Tennessee.

If my ggg grandmother HAPPY who married MOSES WHITECOTTON was indeed descended from these RIDDLEs, then we would have an explanation for the copper-olive skin & straight black hair that led my great grandmother to believe she was Cherokee.

(side note--the Native American ancestry of Melungeons has never been considered to be Cherokee, since the earliest Melungeons had roots in eastern Virginia--not an area in which the Cherokee ever lived)

But here is where so many questions arise.

--if Capt WILLIAM RIDDLE the Loyalist was indeed that "William Ridle" on the 1767 Pittsylvania Co VA tax list, and the son of "Moses Ridle, Indian"--why wasn't WILLIAM listed as Indian as well??  One would think that this fact would have been mentioned in the court documents that exist for the family in Montgomery Co Virginia in 1780-1782.  The court records name him as WILLIAM RIDDLE, his wife HAPPY (or HOPPE) and two of his sons (JOHN & JAMES) who were indentured or "bound out" at a very young age, after being orphaned.  I am relatively certain this is the same family  whose antecedents  migrated to Russell / Lee Co Virginia, and from there to Cumberland Co Kentucky or Hawkins, Hancock, Bledsoe & Bradley Co Tennessee (see the book "Annals of Southwest Virginia 1769-1800" by Lewis Preston Summers for transcriptions of the Montgomery Co VA court records)

 --If the RIDDLE's are Melungeon--part white, Native american & African--why doesn't that show up in my DNA test?

According to my autosomal DNA tests from 23andMe and Family Tree DNA, my ethnic admixture is 100% European.  My brother's test shows virtually the same admixture.

Two descendants of LINDLEY WHITECOTTON, the eldest son of HAPPY & MOSES WHITECOTTON, also have been tested. Their ethnic admixture is also 100% European.

Neither my brother & I nor the two descendants of LINDLEY WHITECOTTON have any Native American or sub-Saharan African DNA.  But all of us have southern European ancestry--Italian, Balkan & "non-specific"--and that can't be accounted for in my family's case (I am not certain what Portuguese ancestry would look like, but it's worth finding out!).

--Was HAPPY actually a RIDDLE, and was she actually a descendant of Capt WILLIAM RIDDLE & HARRIET "HAPPY" ROGERS?  There are some inaccuracies on the 1906 application to the Eastern Cherokee Tribe made by my great grandmother SILOAMA WHITECOTTON BRUTON.  Was she mistaken about HAPPY's maiden name? (my instincts say no--see my previous blog post).

My work has just begun on this family.  There is, apparently, a lot of confusion & misinformation on the family of MOSES RIDDLE & MARY GIBSON, and the family of Capt WILLIAM RIDDLE & HARRIET "HAPPY" ROGERS.  Not all information I have found online or in books is actually based on the records available.

I am hoping to eventually be able to separate fact from fiction.

Have a great day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013

HAPPY RIDDLE, the wife of MOSES WHITECOTTON

As a preface, I must say that I have spent the last 15 years trying to find any clue as to the maiden name of HAPPY who married MOSES WHITECOTTON b 1804 Knox Co Kentucky.  And I know that there are many, many other Whitecotton researchers out there who have probably spent longer than that searching.

As I wrote in my previous blog post, a short while ago I finally obtained access to the complete National Archives file of the application to the Eastern Cherokee Tribe that was made in 1906 by my great grandmother SILOAMA KINNER WHITECOTTON BRUTON, her son JAMES JASPER BRUTON,  and her daughter (my grandmother) MINTTIE MAY BRUTON HUBER.  Previously I had only been able to find an abridged record, which  listed only the names of applicants, the date of application and the fact that tribal status was denied.

The 1906  Eastern Cherokee Tribal application of SILOAMA KINNER WHITECOTTON BRUTON  is the only primary source document I have ever found which indicates the maiden name of HAPPY, wife of MOSES WHITECOTTON.

In the application SILOAMA calls her grandmother "APPIE" RIDDLE.

Lots of researchers have speculated that HAPPY's maiden name was LINDLEY, because she named her eldest son LINDLEY--and I can't fault the logic in this, as it was a common practice in the south.  However, I have never been able to connect HAPPY with any southern LINDLEY family.

For a long time I researched the family of THOMAS LINDLEY b 1706  & RUTH HADLEY, Irish  Quaker immigrants who migrated through Chester Co Pennsylvania, and ended up in North Carolina.  I suspected they were HAPPY's ancestors, but search though I might, I never did find a connection.

I now believe that HAPPY's maiden name was indeed RIDDLE.

And while this line of research is a work in progress, I believe there is enough circumstantial evidence to  call  her  "HAPPY RIDDLE" in my family tree.

Here's what  is known about her:

HAPPY & MOSES WHITECOTTON were living in Jackson Co Alabama for the 1830 census, next door to MOSES' father ISAAC NEWTON WHITECOTTON (who married ELIZABETH STUMP).  The original census record is very difficult to decipher, and the surname was mistakenly  transcribed in the census index as "WILCOLTON". The record shows a couple in their 20s, with 3 young sons under 10, and one elderly man age 60-69 (no idea who this might be).

In the 1840 census, HAPPY WHITECOTTON is listed as a widow with several children, living in Bledsoe Co Tennessee.  I have always wondered:  Why would she move her family from Alabama to Bledsoe Co Tennessee???  Her son LINDLEY M WHITECOTTON b 1823 & wife SUSAN HORN married in Bledsoe Co Tennessee, and remained there, while his mother & siblings moved south.

From 1843-1848 approximately, HAPPY WHITECOTTON & her children JAMES MONROE, ISAAC M, ELIZABETH, WILLIAM, PLEASANT & HARRISON WHITECOTTON  lived in Bradley Co Tennessee. This information was gleaned from documents written by the Thompson family, whose two daughters, Malinda & Sarah "married" JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON, Happy's son.  Once again, I have wondered: Why Bradley Co Tennessee?

And in the 1850 census, HAPPY WHITECOTTON b 1805 Virginia,  was listed as a widow with children, as listed above, in Decatur, Morgan Co Alabama.  Her son, JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON, his wife SARAH (THOMPSON),  their daughter SILOAMA K WHITECOTTON and son JAMES J WHITECOTTON (died young) are listed on same page, just down the road, as it were.

So to answer my own two questions:  HAPPY RIDDLE WHITECOTTON moved to Bledsoe Co Tennessee and then Bradley Co Tennessee because she had kin there-- an uncle, aunt & cousins, and possibly parents & siblings.

It is now my theory that HAPPY RIDDLE WHITECOTTON was the granddaughter of Capt WILLIAM THOMAS RIDDLE b abt 1740 Orange Co North Carolina, who married HARRIET "HAPPY" ROGERS (some sources say ROBERTS) and lived at the time of the Revolution in what became Montgomery Co Virginia.

Capt WILLIAM THOMAS RIDDLE was, according to several accounts, a Loyalist who was hanged for treason in 1781 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, along with his son MOSES RIDDLE age 15.  His wife HARRIET "HAPPY" ROGERS married 2nd) to WILLIAM INGRAM / INGRAHAM, a Rev War Veteran; she may have died in Hawkins Co Tennessee in 1785.

Here are the known surviving children of Capt WILLIAM THOMAS RIDDLE & HARRIET "HAPPY" ROGERS:

--JAMES RIDDLE b abt 1773 Virginia, died 1851 Crawford Co Indiana; married SARAH DAVIS in Russell/Lee Co Virginia.  When his father died in 1781, he was bound out as an orphan to JAMES McCORKLE, according to Montgomery Co VA court records. Lived Lee Co Virginia & Cumberland Co Kentucky before moving to Indiana.

--JOHN RIDDLE b Feb 10, 1775 in Montgomery Co Virginia, died April 14, 1833 in Pulaski Co Missouri, married SARAH JOHNSON in Russell/Lee Co Virginia. When his father died in 1781, he was bound out as an orphan to JAMES NEWELL according to Montgomery Co VA court records.

--HARRIET "HAPPY" RIDDLE b 1776 Montgomery Co Virginia, died after 1860 Hancock Co Tennessee; married HENRY FISHER. 

--ISAAC RIDDLE b 1777 Montgomery Co Virginia, twin of JOSEPH, below; died Nov 30, 1861 Titus Co Texas; married ANNA GRIZZEL/GRISWOLD

--JOSEPH RIDDLE b 1777 Montgomery Co Virginia, twin of ISAAC, above, died Sept 4, 1856 in Cumberland Co Kentucky; married RHODA MONK

--WILLIAM RIDDLE II b 1779 Montgomery Co Virginia; died after 1850 Bradley Co Tennessee; married ELLEN HOLT, prob d/o WILLIAM HOLT,  of Lee Co Virginia; WILLIAM RIDDLE and WILLIAM HOLT are in tax list & deeds there (along with WILLIAM's brothers THOMAS & JAMES) from  1800-1806; they moved to Bledsoe Co Tennessee by 1815 according to tax list, and lived there until at least 1826 as they are both in deeds. WILLIAM lived in Bradley Co Tennessee as of  1850 census, with MARY HOLT age 100, quite possibly his mother-in-law, and MARY MANDLEY age 66, relationship unknown.  Some researchers indicate his wife's name as  ELIZABETH or ELLEN CHOAT (a supposed Cherokee), but as no CHOAT or CHOATE  family lived in Russell or Lee Co Virginia at the time of his marriage, I'm highly dubious.  

--THOMAS RIDDLE b 1781 Montgomery Co Virginia, died August 1856 in Cleveland, Bradley Co Tennessee.  He married 1st MARY IGOU / IGO, and 2nd DELILAH BURKS in Bledsoe Co Tennessee, and moved to Bradley Co Tennessee before the 1840 census. He is buried outside of Cleveland, TN.

As you can see, both WILLIAM RIDDLE II and THOMAS RIDDLE spent a considerable number of years in Lee Co Virginia, Bledsoe Co Tennessee and Bradley Co Tennessee.  They seemed to migrate together.

Either one of them could be the father of HAPPY who married MOSES WHITECOTTON, but I am leaning in favor of WILLIAM RIDDLE, since HAPPY & MOSES named a son WILLIAM--a name that was uncommon in the Alabama branch of the Whitecotton family.

So why this particular RIDDLE family? Let me count the ways:

1) They had a tradition of naming girls "HAPPY".
--Starting with the grandmother HARRIET "HAPPY" ROGERS (ROBERTS?) b abt 1740 who married Capt WILLIAM THOMAS RIDDLE & WILLIAM INGRAM;
--an aunt HARRIET "HAPPY" RIDDLE b 1776 who married HENRY FISHER and settled in Hancock Co Tennessee;
--a first cousin HARRIET "HAPPY" RIDDLE, daughter of JOSEPH RIDDLE & RHODA MONK; this HAPPY married JACOB BRAKE in Cumberland Co Kentucky;
--a first cousin HARRIET ELIZABETH "HAPPY" RIDDLE, daughter of ISAAC RIDDLE & ANNA GRIZZEL; this HAPPY married HOLLIS RIGGS and died in Titus Co Texas.

And there may be more; this was a family that was apparently very happy to name or nickname daughters "HAPPY".

2) At least two of the sons of Capt WILLIAM THOMAS RIDDLE & HARRIET "HAPPY" ROGERS lived in Bledsoe Co Tennessee and Bradley Co Tennessee--where HAPPY WHITECOTTON lived.

( Interestingly, WILLIAM INGRAM / INGRAHAM, 2nd husband of HARRIET "HAPPY" ROGERS,  also moved from Illinois back to Bledsoe Co Tennessee by 1834, when he applied for his Rev War Veterans' pension. )

3) According to the 1850 Decatur, Morgan Co Alabama census, HAPPY WHITECOTTON was born 1805 in Virginia.  Most of this Riddle family  was living in Lee Co Virginia until about 1807--particularly the two youngest sons, THOMAS & WILLIAM.

In the 1850 Decatur, Morgan Co Alabama census HAPPY WHITECOTTON was living next door to a single woman about the same age named NANCY WELLS or MILES (?), also born Virginia.  I am wondering if NANCY WELLS / MILES might be HAPPY's sister or a cousin.


So what about the copper-olive colored skin and straight black hair that seems to be so prevalent in descendants?

It has been suggested that Capt WILLIAM THOMAS RIDDLE's parents were MOSES RIDDLE b about 1716 Hanover Co Virginia, and MARY GIBSON, who are believed to be Melungeons. 

But more on that in the next post.

Have a great day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013

They Believed They Were Cherokee: the 1906 Application of SILOAMA WHITECOTTON BRUTON to the Eastern Cherokee Tribe

This past week I was finally able to access the entire application to the Eastern Cherokee Tribe that was made in 1906 by my great grandmother SILOAMA K  WHITECOTTON BRUTON, her son JAMES JASPER BRUTON,  and her daughter MINTTIE MAY BRUTON HUBER (my grandmother).

Previously I had only found an abridged record, with just the names of the applicants and the date that the applications were rejected.

The entire application and all correspondence are in a file at the National Archives.  I was able to obtain scanned copies of the original file via the website Fold 3.

The application was rejected and tribal status was denied based on SILOAMA's claim of Cherokee blood through her father JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON b 1825 Jackson Co Alabama.  She claimed that MONROE was a half-breed Cherokee, his father (whom she mistakenly names as  EPHRAIM WHITECOTTON in the application) was a full-blood Cherokee, as was his mother, whom she named as "Grandmother STUMP".

This was entirely untrue and incorrect. Thus tribal status was denied.

It's also important to note that no other members of this particular branch of the Whitecotton family ever made application to the Eastern Cherokee Tribe.  None of JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON's brothers or his sister, many of whom lived in Arkansas,  ever made such a claim. Neither did any of MONROE's aunts, uncles or cousins in Jackson Co Alabama or Texas--most likely because they actually knew their grandmother ELIZABETH STUMP WHITECOTTON, mother of  MOSES WHITECOTTON who married HAPPY (MONROE's parents).

Here is the 3 page application of SILOAMA K WHITECOTTON BRUTON to the Cherokee Tribe:

Included in the file was a hand-written letter by my grandmother's brother, JAMES JASPER BRUTON.  There was also a letter by my grandmother, MINTTIE MAY BRUTON HUBER, but unfortunately it was so faded that I could not easily transcribe it.

Here is a transcription of JAMES J BRUTON's letter to Hon. GUION MILLER of Washington DC, my notes in red:

Sparta, Mo.   June 26, 1908

Hon. Guion Miller, Washington, D.C.

I received your letter of the 15th and ...(illegible)...with care.

1) I do not know whether any of my race was enrolled or not.  If any of them was enrolled I never heard them say anything about it.  

Grandpa said there was something coming from the old settlement, but he did not know how to get at it.  All I know is what they taught us, Grandpa and my mother (MONROE WHITECOTTON and Mrs SILOMA KINNER BRUTON).

2) None of my ancester were slaves.

3) We pass as white in our community.

4) I do not know whether any of my ancestors were parties to the treaties of 1835-6 or 1846, or not. When the Cherokees left Georgia, Tennessee & Alabama, he, MONROE WHITECOTTON remained.

5) MONROE WHITECOTTON is the ancestor through whom we claim our right to share in this fund. There was not but one or two of Granfather's people that could write. All we know is what Grandfather's people or ancestors taught him and he taught us.

Grandfather WHITECOTTON's grandmother was a STUMP by name. He said she was a full-blood Cherokee. He said his father was mixed blood (Note: this is entirely untrue and incorrect; MONROE's grandparents were ISAAC NEWTON WHITECOTTON & ELIZABETH STUMP; the STUMPs were German/Swiss immigrants who settled in the Valley of Virginia, in what is now West Virginia. ISAAC NEWTON WHITECOTTON's father was JAMES WHITECOTTON, a Rev War veteran, also a settler in the Valley of Virginia.  Both families are easily traceable and in records in Hampshire & Hardy Co VA, now W VA. MICHAEL STUMP Sr, the grandfather of ELIZABETH STUMP, had his land grant surveyed by a young surveyor from Virginia named GEORGE WASHINGTON)  

Grandfather (MONROE WHITECOTTON), my mother (SILOAMA WHITECOTTON BRUTON) and myself are of a copper color, long straight black hair, high cheek bones. My mother's hair was nearly four feet long.  We have Cherokee characteristics. Grandfather said he was with the Cherokee about 15 years. He died about two years ago, age 82 years of age. My mother died 28 of March, 1908.

S K BRUTON is my mother's name, not S K BENTON (referencing an error in Miller's previous letter) 

Grandfather's Grandmother Stump, she said, was 104 years of age when she died. (Note: ELIZABETH STUMP WHITECOTTON died at age 82 in Jackson Co Alabama; she lived with her daughter Nancy Whitecotton Ross according to the  1850 census, and with her daughter Sarah Whitecotton Davis according to the 1860 census) 

She taught him he was Cherokee.  He taught us.

Grandpa (JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON) died in Jackson County Alabama.  Hollywood was his P.O. 

I would give you his Indian name if I wasn't afraid that I would not spell it right. I know it but can't spell it.

Very Respectfully yours,

James J Bruton

My mother (SILOAMA BRUTON WHITECOTTON) said she remembered being with the Cherokee when little, going to dance. My mother was a fortune teller.

 (NOTE:  The myth of Cherokee ancestry was likely started by JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON himself; he was a thief, a scaliwag and a womanizer--having at least five known "wives" and several illegitimate children.)

The two most important pieces of information that I found on the above application was

1) SILOAMA's full name (SILOAMA KINNER WHITECOTTON; she married BENJAMIN B BRUTON in Sparta, Christian Co Missouri)  and

 2) the  maiden name of HAPPY who married MOSES WHITECOTTON. In the application HAPPY is named as "APPIE RIDDLE".

So, if the Whitecottons and Stumps were not Cherokee, what is the source of the copper-olive colored skin and black hair that is so prevalent in descendants of JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON?

The answer might lie in the ancestry of HAPPY RIDDLE WHITECOTTON, which I will address in my next post.

Have a great day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013

Blogoversary!

Wednesday August 21 will be my 5 year blogoversary!  Will reflect on this in an upcoming post.

Looking forward to more adventures in genealogy!

Have a great day!

Betty

PS does anyone know how to get rid of or block Vampirestat?  They are showing up in my stats list as an originating source for my blog.

© Betty Tartas  2013

They Believed They Were Cherokee--Mystery Solved!

It's been three years since I wrote the blog post about my father's family's long-held belief that my grandmother MINTTIE MAY BRUTON was part Cherokee.  The blog post was entitled "Mystery Monday: They Believed They Were Cherokee".  My father's family believed that the Whitecotton family was Cherokee, and in particular my gg grandfather JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON b 1825 Jackson Co Alabama.

Well, I can honestly say that the mystery has now been solved, and I have proof that neither the Whitecottons nor my paternal grandmother MINTTIE MAY BRUTON had any Native American blood.

Since 2010,  I have been tested by the three different DNA testing companies, and each one has clearly indicated that I have NO Native American DNA whatsoever, and that I am in fact 100% European.

My brother's tests show the same results.

And I now have DNA evidence that the Whitecotton family was in fact completely European, as several from that family have now been tested, and so far none show any Native American ancestry. One of them is the descendant of  LINDLEY M WHITECOTTON, who was the brother of my gg grandfather JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON, another is a male with surname Whitecotton, but from a different branch of the family. They are all testing out at 100% European.


Here is a screen shot of my own Ancestry Composition from 23andMe

So where did this long-standing belief come from?  Where did it all start?

Well, I have discovered that, too!

In 1908, when my grandmother and her siblings made application to the Cherokee tribe, their great uncle, JOSIAH BLAIR THOMPSON, age 76 (census shows that he was actually age 70), made a sworn affidavit in Cherokee Co Oklahoma, where he was living at the time,  that JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON, the grandfather of the applicants was a half breed Cherokee, claiming MONROE's father MOSES WHITECOTTON was full blood Cherokee. The claims were, unfortunately, based on hearsay, conjecture or fabrication, were  completely untrue, and could be easily disproved--as was indicated by the fact that the application was rejected by the tribe.

(In the affidavit JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON was said to be nicknamed "Indian Whitecotton" and while he was not Native American on his father's side as claimed, he was a relentless womanizer, often "shacking up" with women & begetting children without benefit of marriage. He was arrested & jailed for stealing at least once in Bradley Co TN in 1857, and was held in Nashville in 1864 near the end of the Civil War on suspicion of being a bushwhacker {he wasn't, his first cousin back in Alabama was}. All in all,  MONROE probably behaved in a VERY  uncivilized manner....and some of his cousins & one uncle were even worse! )

Anyway. While there are some grains of truth in the document,  there are some egregious misrepresentations, the worst being that JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON moved in 1849-1850 to Cherokee Co North Carolina (1850 census shows MONROE with wife & children, living near his mother HAPPY WHITECOTTON in Decatur, Morgan Co Alabama), and that JOSIAH himself accompanied MONROE to work for a company prospecting on Turtle Creek. This seems odd because JOSIAH was born 1838 and would have been eleven years old! The 1850 census shows JOSIAH living at home with his parents in Bradley Co Tennessee.

It seems that JOSIAH either truly believed what he said in the sworn affidavit--or else he was just trying to help his impoverished grand nieces & nephews.  And it is quite possible that as a young boy JOSIAH idolized MONROE (who did "marry" two of JOSIAH's sisters, after all), and that MONROE was the kind of dashing, lawless figure who would linger larger than life a boy's imagination.

Here is a copy of the 1908 affidavit by JOSIAH BLAIR THOMPSON concerning JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON aka "Indian Whitecotton".

Have a great day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013

An Easy Method for Figuring out Kinship or Cousinship

Here's a easy way to figure out how you are related to someone!

--If you share the same parents--you are siblings

--If you share the same grandparents--you are first cousins

--If you share the same great grandparents--you are second cousins

--If you share the same great great grandparents--you are third cousins

--If you share the same great x 3 grandparents--you are fourth cousins

--If you share the same great x 4 grandparents--you are fifth cousins


And so on, and so forth.

So how to figure out the dreaded " first/second/third cousin removed" part?

Here's an example.

My first cousin "B" and I share the same grandparents, Alonzo Cox Huber & Minttie May Bruton.  "B" got married and had three children.  Her three children and I are  first cousins 1 x removed.

Several of "B"s children have had children, so they are my first cousins 2 x removed.

If I had had children, they would have been 2nd cousins to "B"'s children, sharing the same great grandparents (Alonzo Cox Huber & Minttie May Bruton).

Or to show it another way:

ALONZO COX HUBER & MINTTIE MAY BRUTON

My father                                                          His sister      (siblings)
|                                                                         |
Me                                                                  "B"                 (first cousins)
                                                                          |
                                                                        "B"s  children (first cousins 1x removed)


Have a great day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013



          

A Friend of Friends Friday: African American Slaves Named in the 1834 Will of JOHN GAMBRELL of Anderson District, South Carolina

Note: "A Friend of Friends" was a password used on the Underground Railway

WILL of JOHN GAMBRELL
South Carolina Anderson District.
I, JOHN GAMBRELL, of the State & District aforesaid do make and ordain this my last will & testament for the disposal of such property as I may die possessed of.

First- I give to my wife BARBARA GAMBRELL a negro woman Slave named JANE together with all the household and Kitchen furniture in fee Simple forever- I also give and bequeath to my wife a negro man Slave named FRANK during her natural life & after her death the said Slave to my Son MATTHEW GAMBRELL in fee Simple forever.

I also direct my executors to invest the sum of five hundred dollars (to be raised out funds as hereafter directed) in the purchase of such property as in their discretion shall be best adapted for the comfortable Support & maintenance of my wife, to remain with her during her life & at her death Such of Said property as may not have been necessarily consumed for her support to be sold by my Executors & the proceeds thereof to be equally divided between all my children-

Second- I give and bequeath to my Executors hereafter appointed the following property in trust for the uses and purposes hereafter named to wit Negro Slave MASNECK & negro woman named ELIZA together with her four children RACHEL, GRACE, MARIA & JENNY with their future increase and also a tract of land situate on waters of Broadmouth Creek containing one hundred & Eighty acres more or less and adjoining lands of Reuben Cox beginning on a maple 3 S72 E 40, 50 t o B.O. 3X S 12 W 16-75 to a Pine 3X on a branch thence down the branch to a Sassafras 3X s 4 0 W 39-50 to an ash 3X on the reedy fork branch, thence up that branch to the begining. The Said Negros & Land to be held by my Executors in trust as aforsaid for the support, use and benefit of my Son HENRY GAMBRELL during his life and at his death to be equally divided between the heirs of his body and SUSANNAH his wife for the purpose of carring the forgoing provisions into effect my said Executors as trustees are hereby invested with full & complete discretion in the execution of Said Trust & may either hire the property & rent the land from time to time accounting to my Son HENRY for the proceeds thereof or may permit the Same to remain the possession of the Said HENRY for any length of time or during his life as to them shall seem best and my Said Executors are also invested with full power to distribute the said property Real & personal amongst the Sd. heirs of the Said HENRY after his death either by selling the same and dividing the proceeds or distributing the property if in their opinion it be Susceptible of equal distribution.

Third- My will is that all outstanding debts be collected and that all the balance of my property of which I may die possessed be Sold by my executors on such terms as to them Shall seem best and out of this fund my debts to be paid- Five Hundred Dollars to be used by them as directed in the first clause for the benefit of my wife- One Hundred Dollars to be paid to my Son HENRY GAMBRELL and the balance of said money to be equally divided between all my children Vis. WILLIAM GAMBRELL, HENRY GAMBRELL, JOHN GAMBRELL, JAMES GAMBRELL, DAVID GAMBRELL, MATTHEW GAMBRELL, ELIZABETH COX, NANCY BRAZEALE-

Fourth- Having heretofore advanced to my children various descriptions of property & which I cannot now enumerate Some by deed & others by parole I hereby ratify & confirm all such gifts if need be & declare it to be my intention that the Same is not hereafter to be taken in to estimate in making divisions among the children-

Fifth- I appoint my Sons JOHN GAMBRELL & MATTHEW GAMBRELL Executors of this my last will & testament-
Given under my hand and Seal this tenth day of may one thousand eight hundren and thirty and in the fifty fourth year of the Independence of the United States of America.

JOHN GAMBRELL

Signed and sealed in the presence of Samuel Hammond, Elijah Griffin, Barbara Casey
Recorded in Will Book A page 500
Recorded September 29, 1834
Proved September 29, 1834
John Harris, O. A. D.
Roll No. 228

Have a Great Day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013

Betty's Tips for Beginning Genealogists

While I may have touched upon some of these items in previous blogs, I wanted to post them again in the hopes that this list might help someone else get started!

1) Write down what you know--or what you think you know.  Use a printed out pedigree chart or fan chart, or if you have Ancestry.com, start a tree.  Even if you only get as far as your grandparents, that's okay!  Write down everything you know, where they were born, died, marriage date & location if you have it.  The "hints" on Ancestry.com can sometimes be very helpful for beginners.

2)  Check the most recent records first.  For recent ancestors in United States, start with the 1940 census and work your way backwards, check military records, birth, marriage & death certificates.  Many states have now digitized birth, death & marriage certificates and they are accessible online.  And it's not difficult to obtain them from county courthouses, even if they aren't online. You just need to know in which state & county the birth, death, marriage occurred.  Birth certificates give both parents' names; death certificates are a little less reliable, depending on who filled them out (I have found mistakes in my own family's death certificates). 

3) See if anyone else has researched your family already.  Check Ancestry.com public trees,  or do an advanced search on Rootsweb.com online family trees.  You may be surprised!  One caveat:  there can be errors and/or misinformation in online trees.  People tend to copy blindly what is already online, whether it is correct or not.  Use only information that is sourced (i.e. the info came from census, reputable books, actual records, etc).  If the person has cited only someone else's online tree as a source, be very skeptical.  Don't be tempted to copy someone else's work without going back & checking the records for yourself!

4) Pinpoint the exact location(s) where your ancestors lived.  This is almost as important as knowing their names.  JOHN JONES who was born in TN and died Peoria, Illinois  is likely not to be the same person as JOHN JONES born in TN who died in Huntsville, Alabama.  Try to find as many sources as possible for the locations.  Check for biographies, local histories, etc.  These sources can sometimes offer great insight into your ancestor & his/her neighbors.  (I have been known to research the entire populations of certain small towns in order to find information about my ancestors' origins, spouses, etc). 

5) Ask a living relative what they know about your family.  Notice this is not number one in my list.  While family stories are really wonderful, many many researchers have been sent on an ancestral wild goose chase stemming from a relative's penchant for story telling or embellishment--myself included!   Compare your relative's  stories with the records you have found.  Sometimes there is a grain of truth in family stories, and in some cases, it may be the only clue we have to go on.  Ask if your relative has photos, bible records, or other documents to share. 

6) Stay organized and source  the information that you find.  If you are collecting paper documents & records, it might be a good idea to scan them and/or make back-up copies.  I use an accordion file with sections for each surname I'm researching for hard copies & paper documents.  If you are using Ancestry.com,  be sure to attach sources, not only the sources that they have available on that website as hints, but also any other books, periodicals, etc, that you may find.  If you click on the "Source" button, you will be able to add a source, which includes, title, author, publisher name & location & date.  You will have to fill in "details"  ( I put in the page numbers there) and then you can check off boxes showing which information was found in the source (birth date, marriage date, name, etc).  If you find scanned copies of original records, attach those to your tree also.  

7) Make at least one back-up copy of your tree.  I have a paper copy of my tree back five generations.  I also use the program Family Tree Maker as a back-up to Ancestry.com    With Family Tree Maker, I can make gedcoms (online family tree files),  and upload them to Rootsweb.com for free.  Another back-up, in case Ancestry.com ever has a problem!!

Have a great day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013

A Friend of Friends Friday: African American Slaves Named in the will of THOMAS MOXLEY Sr of Fairfax County, Virginia

Note: "A Friend of Friends" was a password used on the Underground Railway


 In The Name of God Amen. I, THOMAS MOXLEY of Fairfax County in the Coloney of Virginey being sick and weakly butt of Parfit minde and memory and calling to mind the uncertety of this life and that mankind is borne to die when please God to call them, doe make and ordain this my Last Will and Testament as Followeth.  Viz. Implore my soul to God who gave it me and my bodey to the dust to bee bured at discretion of y Exrs as is hereafter mentioned and after my just debts paid which I jsutly doe owe I Give as Followeth 

Itam I give to my two sons JAMES and JOHN MOXLEY foare Negerows GENEY, HARRY, WINEY and YOUNG HARRY to be Equely devided between them. 

I give to my son JOSEPH MOXLEY a tract of land situated and Lying on Tuskeroro run to him and his heirs continuing and hundred and fifty acres and one negerow girle called HANAH to him and heir heirs. 

I give to my son THOMAS MOXLEY one Negerow boy called DICK and the Child that GENEY is big with now and a horse now in his posseshon to him and his heirs forever. 

Item I give to my well beloved wife and my two sons JAMES and JOHN MOXLEY three fether beds and furneture to be equeley devided amongst the three. 

 I give to my Daughter ELIZABETH DANIEL foare pounds of Cash. 

 I give to my Daughter JEMIMAH WINSER the rent of my Plantation above Goose Creek that is dew now. 

Item I Leave the remainder part of my Estate to be eqully devided between my wife and JAMES MOXLEY and JOHN MOXLEY and THOMAS MOXLEY and MARY ANN MOXLEY.   Onely two cows and calves I give to my daughter MARY ANN MOXLEY. 

I give to my son JAMES MOXLEY my sorrell horse.

 I give to my brother WILLIAM MOXLEY one thousand pounds of tabacco to be paid by my Executors. 

Lastly I leave my two sons THOMAS MOXLEY and JOSEPH MOXLEY  my whole and sole Excutes of this my Last Will and Tesstament Revoaking and disanulling all wills heretofore made whare unto I have set my hand and fixed my seale this Sixth day of January Anno Dom 1749. - Signed by THOS MOXLEY {Seal} 

 Signed Seled and Delivd in the present of us: Francis Porker; Jane Moxley; John (his mark) Innileven (Swileven)

Written in margin: Item:  I give to my well beloved wife my black horse.  I give to my son THOMAS my fether bed and furniture.

27 March 1750 appeared THOMAS MOXLEY and JOSEPH MOXLEY to present will of THOMAS MOXLEY deceased, proved by oaths of Jane Moxley, John Swileven, two of the witnesses.

Have a great day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2013