Whence I Came

A few years back, I came across the below 1778 Virginia Gazette advertisement while researching my Thurman family.  This Revolutionary War era ad created more questions for me than answers.  I couldn't help but wonder why "Mr. John Thurman", a young man originally from rural Hanover County, was acting on behalf of Dr. William Pasteur , the eminent 18th century Williamsburg surgeon and apothecary.  Pasteur's Beaverdam Creek plantation, mentioned in the ad, was comprised of 700 acres on the north side of the James River.  Today, there is a historic home known as Mount Bernard which proudly stands on a small portion of the original plantation which maintains sweeping views of the James River valley.  According to a historic survey of the property prepared by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources , it is believed that Mount Bernard was built upon an 18th century foundation - the time frame of the below subject ad.    1778 Virginia Gazette...

White is not the only Hanover County surname that I research.  And sometimes, researching multiple surnames can lead to unexpected surprises.  Such was the case while researching my Wade family connection with friend and fellow researcher Sydni Thurmond-Hamill. Sydni has a very lively and well connected Instagram presence.     A great passion of hers is to follow historic architecture and landscapes.  One of her favorite Instagram architectural historians is Gray O'Dell  who one day posted a photo of Quietude , a historic home in Hanover County off McClellan Road.  In the post, O'Dell mentioned Edmond Wade/Waid (herein after Wade) and his possible lineage.  Knowing of my Wade family interest, Sydni excitedly texted me and we were off and running in trying to determine Edmond Wade's ancestors by taking the "follow the land" approach. Sydni began identifying Wade properties that were labeled on various Civil War era maps. Using these old ma...