My 6x great-grandfather Richard Rowell, born about 1694, is first mentioned in his grandmother’s will dated 23 August 1717. Margaret (————–) Cooper Hodge Hunnicutt’s will mentions her daughter Elizabeth Rowell, wife of Edward Rowell as well as her son Richard Rowell.^[1] If you missed my post about the immigrant Edward Rowell click Here!

Richard Rowell next appears in the Surry County records when mentioned in his father’s 29 March 1727 will where like his siblings he was left 30 shillings. His father owned no land or slaves to provide his children. At his father’s death Richard Rowell was bout 33 years old. He made is first known land purchase on 19 October 1730 from James Judkins of Brunswick County. The image is badly smudged rendering the acreage is unreadable.^[2]  

Then on Jan 9, 1732. Richard Rowell and wife, Mary Rowell, and Anne Warren, sold to William Gray Jr., 300 acres in Surry County bounded by Indian Spring Branch and Thomas King.^[3] I initially thought Mary Rowell might be a Warren, but that does not appear to be the case. In a 2001 article by researcher Eve Kinney, she provides an analysis concerning the unborn child of Thomas Crews. She provides a well-reasoned argument for Richard Rowell having married the widow of Thomas Crews [will dated 21 January 1727/8; proven on 17 July 1728].

Kinney notes that Thomas Crews’ will, after leaving legacies to his children says his wife is pregnant and directs “if the child is a boy, he is to have one-half of a tract of land on the northside of Cypress Swamp (part I bought of Ann Warren) 300 acres. If a girl, the land to remain in common.”  Kinney suggests this is the same 300 acre tract sold on 9 January 1732 by Richard and Mary Rowell and Ann Warren to William Gray, Jr. bounded by Indian Spring Branch and Thomas King.

Kinney further states “The relationship between Thomas Crews and the Rowells can be inferred by the 1741 Surry County deed (Surry County Deed Book 4 p. 38) from William Gray of New Kent County to Gilbert Gray of Surry County of 100 acres in Grays Creek, bounded by the mouth of Cross Creek, the Mill Swamp, Crews’ land whereon Richard Rowell now lives, thence along Crews’ line to Augustine Hunnicutt’s Spring, then to the Middle Neck Gut.

She goes on to add [in part] “300 acres is conveyed by Ann Warren to Thomas Crews. Thomas Crews dies and his widow, Mary, marries Richard Rowell. In 1732, Richard and Mary Rowell and Ann Warren sell the 300 acres to William Gray. Why was Ann Warren a seller in 1732? I’ve seen this in deeds where the title to the land was not absolutely clear. In other words, the Rowells were covering their behinds by including Ann Warren as a co-grantor. Getting back to the will of Thomas Crews, if the unborn child was a boy, he was to get 150 acres. If the child was a girl, the 300 acres was to be left intact. Four years later, the Rowells and Ann Warren sell the 300 acres. What does this mean? Either the unborn child turned out to be a girl, or was a miscarriage, or the terms of the will were ignored. But if the terms of the will were ignored, the heirs would have taken the Rowells and Ann Warren to court. I cannot find such a suit.”^[4]

There is further evidence to support Kinney’s conclusion. In a deed dated 15 November 1734, Henry Foster sold 100 acres to William Gray, Jr. and described its location as “bound by Grays Creek, the Cross Creek, the Mill Swamp, Crews land whereon Richard Rowell now lives and Augustine Hunnicutt’s Spring Run.”^[5]  

This tells us that Richard Rowell was living on Crews’ land from at least 1734 to 1741. Having land of his own, he would not have been a tenant to Crews, strongly suggesting he was the husband of Crews’ widow. This makes sense in that the widow Crews had at least four children while Rowell was a bachelor prior to his marriage about 1730.  

In a deed dated 9 September 1741 and recorded 16 September 1741, William Crews^[6] and wife Margaret, and Richard Rowell conveyed 100 acres on Gray’s Creek in Southwark Parish and bounded by the orphans of John Hartwell and the said William Crews to William Clinch.^[7]     

The connection between the Rowells and Crews continued into the next generation. First, on 15 December 1761, Richard Rowell II (son of Richard and Mary) was appointed guardian of his half nephew William Crews, son of his half-brother – also named William Crews (named above referencing the 1741 deed).^[8]  Second, in 1769, William Crews (the nephew) gave Richard Rowell II two slaves named Jenny and Sarah “for his trouble bringing up my brothers and sisters now dead.”^[9]  That was a very generous gift and supports the thought that the elder William Crews was Richard Rowell II’s half-brother and the younger his half-nephew.          

In a deed dated 17 October 1738 and recorded 16 May 1739, Richard Rowell of Surry County bought 200 acres in Southwark Parish on the western branch of Crouches Creek from John Chapman of Brunswick County. His half-brother William Crews was a witness.^[10] On 30 August 1743, Richard Rowell received a patent for 500 acres in adjacent Brunswick County, Virginia described as being “on the south side of Rockey Run, bounded by Walton, Quarrel Swamp and Rattlesnake Creek.”^[11] The family did not end up moving to Brunswick County as Richard Rowell wrote his will on 5 Oct 1743:^[12]

In the name of God Amen.  I Richard Rowell of the County of Surry & Parish of Southwark being of perfect mind and memory do make, ordain, constitute, and appoint this to be my last will and testament in manner and form following –

My soul I recommend to the mercy of God who gave me my body to be committed to the Earth according to the discretion of my Executor hereafter named & all of my worldly goods I dispose of as followeth Viz

I give unto my loving wife Mary the use and labor of two Negroes Jobby and Jenney during her life and after her decease I give the said Negroes and their increase to my two sons Robert Rowell & Richard Rowell to them and their heirs forever.

I give unto my son Robert Rowell a Negro man named Peter and Negro girl Pat

I give to my son Richard Rowell a Negro girl Sarah and a Negro boy Harry

I give and bequeath to my two sons Robert and Richard all that Tract of land lying in Brunswick County to be equally divided between my sons to them and their heirs forever.            

I likewise desire my land in the County of Surry called Fishets be sold at public sale when my two sons come to lawful age and the money to be equally divided between my wife and two sons Robert & Richard and lastly, I do appoint my loving wife Mary Rowell my sole Executrix of this my last will and testament given under my hand this 5 of October Anno Dom. 1743. Take notice I give to my Loving Wife the aforesaid Negro Jenney is now pregnant with to here and her heirs forever.

Signed and acknowledged to be                                 Richard Rowell

His last will in presence of

Joseph John Clinch

William Clinch

Will of Richard Rowell dated 5 October 1743; probate granted 16 April 1746

Richard Rowell probably died soon after his will was made, but it was April 1746 when his widow and executrix Mary Rowell presented his will at Surry County Court, which was partially proved by the oath of witness Joseph John Clinch and was granted probate. In May, the will was further proved by the oath of the other witness William Clinch and ordered recorded. Finally, in August the Inventory and Appraisal of Richard Rowell’s estate “lying and being in Brunswick and Surry Counties were returned and by the court ordered recorded.^[13] It is apparent that Richard Rowell believed his future and that of his sons was in Brunswick County, which compared to Surry County were new lands, the county having only been formed in 1720. It was not to be as eldest son Robert Rowell died in 1752^[14] at about age 21, unmarried and without children and sole heir Richard Rowell II – and his descendants – remained in Surry County.

Richard Rowell managed to live the “English Dream” of his day, which was to acquire land and slaves to provide economic prosperity for his family as well as to provide a legacy for his sons. When his estate inventory was submitted to the court in August 1746, the value of his Surry and Brunswick estate was valued at more than £300 representing a significant increase over what his own father was able to acquire before his 1727 death.

Next time we will explore the life of his son Richard Rowell II (c.1733-1792/3) who would make a decision regarding slavery that would dramatically change the course of the Rowell family forever.

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^[1] Surry County, Virginia Will Book 7, p. 132

^[2] Surry County, Virginia Wills, Etc. 8, 1730-38, p.56

^[3] Surry County Deeds, Wills, Etc. #8, p. 265

^[4] Kinney, Eve. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~evekinn/rowell.htm (accessed 18 September 2020)

^[5] Hopkins, William Lindsay. (1994). Surry County, Virginia Deeds & Estate Accounts 1734-1755 (Athens, GA: Iberian Publishing Company), p. 3   

^[6] This William Crews was a son of Thomas and Mary (———-) Crews. Richard Rowell, Mary (——–) Crews now husband was included in this deed in the same way Ann Warren was earlier – to ensure clear title. Mary (———-) Crews Rowell likely had a dower interest in the property

^[7] Hopkins, William Lindsay. (1994). Surry County, Virginia Deeds & Estate Accounts 1734-1755 (Athens, GA: Iberian Publishing Company), p. 37  

^[8] Surry Co. Order Book (1757-63), p. 308.

^[9] Hopkins, William Lindsay. (1995). Surry County, Virginia Deeds & Estate Accounts 1757-1786 (Athens, GA: Iberian Publishing Company), p. 46  

^[10] Hopkins, William Lindsay. (1994). Surry County, Virginia Deeds & Estate Accounts 1734-1755 (Athens, GA: Iberian Publishing Company), p. 24

^[11] Hopkins, William Lindsay. (1988) Virginia Land Patent Book 21 Pages 1-674 (1742-1743) Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 26, Number 3, p. 228

^[12] Surry County Wills, Etc., 9, 1738-1754, p. 531-532, Reel 6, Library of Virginia

^[13] Haun, Weynette Parks. (1996). Surry County, Virginia, Court Records 1746-1748, Book IX, pp. 1, 7, 17

^[14] Hopkins, William Lindsay. (1994). Surry County, Virginia Deeds & Estate Accounts 1734-1755 (Athens, GA: Iberian Publishing Company), p. 43

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