Whence I Came

Although we don't know the exact marriage date for John Thurman and Judith Hooper, we do know that they were living in Goochland County, Virginia by October 7, 1777.  This was the day that "John Thurman and Judith of Goochland" signed a Charlotte County deed to sell 460 acres of land on a branch of Cubb Creek to Charles Jordan.  A transcribed version of the deed is provided below. Exactly how John and Judith came into possession of these 460 acres is uncertain.  However, a year and a half before the Thurmans sold their land to Jordan, John Thurman was listed as part of an indenture with Meredith Catchings and Ann Catchings in the Charlotte County Virginia Order Book 4, page 81.  As you can see from the below entry, the purpose of the order was not made clear and finding this indenture in the Charlotte County deed books has proven fruitless.  Another look for the indenture is certainly warranted.  But it is possible that this indenture pertained to Joh...

Jeremiah Burnett of the 1763 Hanover County Quit Rent Roll has always bothered me. The first time I saw Jeremiah's name in the 1763 alphabetical Quit Rent Roll listing, I noticed that preceding him was William Reynolds Burnett and Isaac Burnett. 1763 Hanover County VA Quit Rent Roll My mind imagined that the three Burnett men were all of the same family - probably living near one another.  So, I decided to cross check their names with the St. Paul's Parish Vestry Record to see if their lands were processed in the same precincts.  Here's what I found: William Reynolds Burnett was included in the extant St. Paul's Parish procession records from 1739 to 1779.  Although his name was listed with the same interested landowners over the years, the precinct number changed from 19 to 18 and finally to 4.  Other Burnetts listed in the same precinct with William Reynolds Burnett included Abraham and Bond Burnett.  A procession was conducted in 1763 (same year ...

Black Creek Baptist Church During a time of great political and religious upheaval in Hanover County, the Black Creek Baptist Church was established in 1777 by Elder John Clay, father of statesman Henry Clay.  The original meeting house was constructed on the east side of the road which extended from the New Castle Ferry to Bottom's Bridge, near the headwaters of Black Creek and the New Kent border.  Today, this road is known as McClellan Road, and Black Creek Church is now located on the west side of the road.  Below is a Civil War era map which shows the early location of Black Creek Church and its vicinity. Map of the Vicinity of Richmond and Part of the Peninsula courtesy Library of Congress According to the book, A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia written by Robert Baylor Semple in 1894, the first pastor of Black Creek Church was William Barnes.  The earliest known extant record for William Barnes in Hanover County is the ...

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...

The men and women who settled in early Hanover County were an adventurous breed.  Life was full of challenges, as well as opportunities.  Neighbors were indispensable and often times became kin through the marriage of children.  One such marriage was the union between John R. Thurman and Judith Hooper. Thurmans and Hoopers The Thurmans and Hoopers lived in an area of Hanover County that fell within the boundaries of St. Paul's Parish.  Although the parish was connected to the Church of England and provided worship services for the parish's inhabitants, the parish was also charged with many civil duties, such as holding regular land processions to maintain an ongoing record of ever changing property boundaries.  It is from one such procession record that we learn the Thurman and Hooper families lived near, if not adjacent, to one another. The Thurman family had been processioning land in the same area of St. Paul's Parish, with the same surrounding land own...

Did Littleberry Wade Jr. die after Littleberry Wade Sr. as suggested by the St. Paul's Parish personal property tax transcription ?  It makes logical sense that a senior would pass before a junior, but can we verify the sequence of their life events?  Dates inscribed upon their tombstones would be very helpful, but their grave sites have not been located.  And given that Hanover County lost so many historical records during the Civil War, there are few extant records.  What may help in this quest are the St. Paul's Parish land tax records which extend from 1782 forward in time, just like the transcribed personal tax list.  An analysis of these land tax records may be helpful in verifying when the two men died.  Let's begin by taking a detailed look at Littleberry Wade Jr's land tax information. Littleberry Wade Jr. The first known land record for Littleberry Wade Jr. is shown below.  The snippet shows all the land owners who were enumerated in St...

For years, maybe even for over a decade, I thought Littleberry Wade Sr. died in 1804.  After all, why wouldn't I think that?  The St. Paul's Parish personal property tax list indicates that Littleberry Wade Sr. was no longer taxed for being a free male above the age of twenty one, or as owning any taxable personal property as shown in the below transcription.  It would appear that he had died in 1804. Hanover County Taxpayers Saint Paul's Parish transcribed by William Ronald Cocke, III Other interesting information gleaned from the personal property tax transcription is that minors Hampton and Robert Wade were both listed as having lived with Littleberry Wade.  We know from the below snippet image from the Daughters of the American Revolution transcribed version of the Robert Waid (Wade) Bible that Robert's father was Berry Wade.  So, perhaps Hampton Wade was also a son. Bible Record of Robert Waid (Wade) Family of Hanover County, Virginia DAR Gene...