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 ...