Whence I Came

 How is it possible that John White of early King William County had TWO men that referred to him as "... my well beloved son in law John White..."? The answer lies in a change of meaning over time for the term "son in law". Michelle Norris a historian, researcher, and author wrote an article on this very subject entitled The Language of Colonial Relationships . In a nutshell, Norris informs us that we can't always apply 21st century terms when analyzing American colonial documents. Norris references Val D. Greenwood's book The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy in which Greenwood dedicated a section on "Evolution of the Language".  Specifically, Greenwood stated: In earlier times people often stated that an in-law connection existed when there was actually a step relationship. Any relationships created by legal means, including step relationships, were often identified simply as "in-law". This understanding helps us see that J...

Three years after Elizabeth White became of age and acknowledged her right in the previously discussed deed , John White had a new wife named Mary. On January 21, 1705, both Joseph Brown ( also of the 1702 deed involving Elizabeth ) and Thomas Ellet signed deeds of gift to the couple. These two deeds of gift provide us with information about all the parties relationships to one another.  The first deed of trust was issued by Thomas Ellet who gave John and Mary White 150 acres of land plus five head of cattle. Ellet refers to the five cattle as, "... called by the name of daughter Mary's cattell...". Ellet also refers to John White as "... my well beloved son in law...". Ellet's deed of gift tells us that by January 21, 1705: 1.      John White was no longer married to Elizabeth, but to Mary 2.      Thomas Ellet, was "of" King William County, the father of Mary, and father-in-law to John White 3.      John and Mary White were gifted ...

There are a number of books and old genealogies which connect John White of early King William County as the ancestor of the Hanover County White family. These same books and genealogies also state that this John White was the ancestor to the White family of early Albemarle County. But this cannot be true as the two White families of Hanover and Albemarle Counties are genetically different based upon YDNA testing.  Placing books and old genealogies aside, it is time to dig into the original documents for John White of early King William County (hereafter just referred to as John White). The earliest records that this researcher could find pertain to his two wives - YES, TWO WIVES! So, for this entry, we will focus on the documentation for his first known wife, Elizabeth.   Disappointingly, in 1885 there was a fire at the King William County courthouse and many of the original records were burned. Fortunately some pages from the earliest deed books were saved and one such ...

While researching the Starke family of early Hanover County, it became clear that there is a lot of "online confusion" involving Major John Starke and Colonel John Starke. Online trees showed that their military ranks were so interchangeable that I began to wonder if the two men were actually just one man. To know for sure, I decided to do a land tax analysis for Major John Starke and Colonel John Starke.  But before we get to the results of the land tax analysis, a quick summary of military rank should be explored. Today, a Colonel holds a higher officer rank than a Major. But did the same hold true during the 1780s? Fortunately,  Steven A. Bingaman's  The History of American Ranks and Insignia   provides an excellent description of military rank during the Revolutionary War and confirms that as early as 1775, Colonel was a higher officer rank than Major. With this in mind, please take a look at the land tax analysis d isplayed in the below table followed by a descr...

  In 1753, John and Joseph Holt along with seventeen other individuals purchased one acre of land lying in the southeast portion of Louisa County from Arthur Slayden. Those involved in the purchase as well as the land itself are described within the below Louisa County deed. Access to the property was detailed as "a road from the said land into the adjacent road commonly called the Three Chopt Road". Two other purchasers mentioned in the deed were Elisha and William White ( brothers in law to John and Joseph Holt ).  Louisa County VA DB A page 514 This deed is such a great record which tells us so much in regards to the society of friends that John and Joseph Holt kept which included several known dissenters and participants in the spreading of the Virginian evangelical movement. In Rodger M. Payne's New Light in Hanover County: Evangelical Dissent in Piedmont Virginia, 1740-1755  , Payne described the role of a few of the individuals mentioned in the deed including: Tuc...

Sisters Edith and Helena Maria White (daughters of Mr. John White and his second wife, Katherine) married brothers, John and Joseph Holt. The double marriage in these two families came to light in the below 1758 Louisa County, Virginia deed where John and Joseph Holt, as husbands of Edith and Helena Maria, signed their permission to lend Katherine Brain (Brane) the real and personal property which their wives inherited from their father's estate, plus a female slave named Lydia. The deed explains that when Katherine's "natural life" ended, the properties would then return to her children. Other signers of the deed include Elisha and William White (brothers to Edith and Helena Maria), Thomas King (husband of sister Tillah White), and Sackville Brewer (husband of sister Martha White).   Louisa County VA DB C pages 72-73 So, who were John and Joseph Holt? And is there evidence that they were brothers? Find out more in the next blog entry .  copyright©2024 Deborah Thurman...