Whence I Came

The many intricacies of Lieutenant Elisha White's life did not end with his being arrested , removed from company command, and serving as a Continental Army Recruiting Officer in Virginia . To add to the many mysteries surrounding Elisha's life, h e left a most unusual will dated January 4, 1781 in Henrico County, Virginia comprised of only two sentences: Henrico County, VA Will Book 1 page 10 In the name of God amen. January 4th 1781 I, Elisha White of Henrico County being in perfect sences do make this my last will and testament. Itum  to my wife Theodotia White I do give and bequeath all my estate real and and personly after my debts being out the same. Test                                                                                 ...

While researching the Burnetts of Hanover County, Virginia, the name William Reynolds Burnett came up repeatedly.  Apparently, William took his middle name of "Reynolds" very seriously as he is referred to in full Christian name in many early records.  The first entry of his full name is in the 1739 St. Paul's Parish procession record for Precinct 19.  In the same precinct, Abraham Burnett was also listed but with no middle name or initial.  In fact, most of the Burnetts in the extant Hanover County, Virginia records were recorded with only a first and last name.  Occasionally, a middle initial would be used to differentiate Burnett men with the same first name.  But rarely was the full middle name used with such emphasis; William Reynolds Burnett.  Below is an example of Burnett's full name copied from the 1763 Hanover County Quit Rent Roll (transcribed) showing that he paid his land tax for 100 acres to the King of England. Each time I came acro...

What a BIG SURPRISE it was to learn that the Lucy Stone who married John White in 1784 Henrico County was the widow of William Stone!  Of course, this new information prompted lots of new questions and curiosity.  In hopes of finding more pieces to the Stone/White puzzle, I turned to William Stone's estate settlement.  I was not disappointed. On April 10, 1781, one of Stone's executors, Smith Blakey, began an accounting for Stone's estate settlement which continued for nine more years.  In all, Stone's estate settlement is comprised of 5 pages which provide a bounty of information.  The first page (shown below) is so rich in material to be analyzed for genealogical purposes that it will be the focus of this entry.  Some of the names and entries from this page are addressed below to help provide a broader image of the Stone's family circle of acquaintances. Henrico County VA Wills and Settlements Vol 2 page 142 Lucy Stone William Stone did not leav...