The Two Wives of John White of Early King William County, Virginia: Part 3

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 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 John White of early King William County didn't have two fathers in law at the same time, in 1705. But rather Thomas Ellet was what we would refer to today as a father in law, being the father of John White's wife, Mary. Joseph Brown on the other hand had a different type of relationship with John White. One possibility is that Joseph Brown was a step father to John White. This would help explain many of the details of the 1702 King William County deed . 

More research needs to be done to pin down the exact relationship between Joseph Brown and John White. Perhaps the answer lies in extant King and Queen County, Virginia documents. But meanwhile, we must all be mindful when assigning relationships based upon terms used in American colonial documents. 


copyright©2024 Deborah Thurman Parks 

Location: King William County, VA, USA

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