documenting my very southern genealogy from the plantation to the frontier
(Note: this post has been updated from a previous version) Joseph Townsend was my 6th great-grandfather. He was born in Virginia, and is likely the Joseph Townsend found on the 1810 census in Frederick County, Virginia. By 1814, he had moved to Overton County, Tennessee where he was granted 55 acres on the Roaring River. … Continue reading Will of Joseph Townsend, Carroll County, Tennessee, 25 August 1843
The Butlers of Carroll County, Tennessee were a long-lived and exceptionally prolific clan. They were also fond of repeating names, making sorting Butlers almost as difficult as sorting Dickens. "My" Thomas Butler lived near at least three other Thomas Butlers, two in Carroll County and one more for good measure in neighboring Madison County. There … Continue reading Thomas Butler, 1792-1866
Robert Latimer was my 8th great-grandfather on my one and only New England line. His detailed will and later estate inventory reveals a prosperous man, with numerous tracts of land, herds of livestock, and luxury items such as featherbeds "check'd coverlids" and 24 books. The tracts of land mentioned are easily identified as being on … Continue reading Will of Robert Latimer, New London, Connecticut, 12 August 1727
John Burney was the father of this John Burney and my 6th great-grandfather. I have been researching him for the last week—going down a Scots-Irish rabbit hole!—and I have more information to write about, but I first wanted to make his will available as a separate post. Note the mention of "my Negroe man Jeffrey." … Continue reading Will of John Burney, Guilford County, North Carolina, 22 August 1794
A couple of weeks ago I started on another pandemic-inspired genealogy project. While it didn't lead to a fully conclusive result, I did learn some interesting things along the way. I have always wondered whether the black Bembrys who come out of eastern North Carolina are connected to "my" Bembrys. As Bembry is such a … Continue reading Looking into North Carolina Bembrys
Winifred Perry Darnall was my 6th great-grandmother, and wife of Joseph Darnall. Some of the slaves that were bequeathed to her by her husband in 1812 appear in her 1829 will. An estate record shows who bought them after her death.William Darnall, Elizabeth Smith, and Joseph R Darnall were all Winifred's children. The deceased Jane … Continue reading Will of Winifred Perry Darnall, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 31 August 1929
I am still working on my Rives line, and yet more wills and estate records have popped up. Joseph Darnall was my 6th great-grandfather, born in 1741 in Culpeper County, Virginia. His daughter, Jane or Jennie Darnall, married Nathaniel Cunningham. Joseph died in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in 1812. Joseph's wife and Jennie's mother, Winifred … Continue reading Will of Joseph Darnall, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 12 August 1812
Nathaniel Cunningham was my 5th great-grandfather. I have actually posted his will before, however, that was transcribed from a barely legible copy in a court record. Recently, I found the original will, which is not only easier to read, but differs slightly from the copy. This version makes clear that Nathaniel effectively put his property … Continue reading Will of Nathaniel Cunningham of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 26 Oct 1830
Slaveholding families held much of their wealth in human capital. And so, they often argued about slaves. When they did, they left court records which provide a lot of information about both themselves and the enslaved people that they were arguing about. David Neal's family is a case in point. In his will, dated 4 … Continue reading Reconstructing an Enslaved Family from Court and Probate Records
I am still unearthing more Virginia ancestors, and finally got "back to the boat" on this one. My 7th great-grandfather, David Neal, was an Irish immigrant. His daughter, Eleanor, married William McGuffey Rives. The grandchildren listed in the will are her children, William Rives, my 5g grandfather, and his sister Joanna Rives Turner. David Neal … Continue reading Will of David Neal, Amelia County, Virginia, 4 June 1775
