Virginia focused genealogy and history
Tag: asonofvirginia
My wife and I were in Louisville, Kentucky recently with friends. While we were there, we had the opportunity to visit Cave Hill Cemetery to pay our respects to several of my ancestors who are interred there. Regular A Son of Virginia readers will recall that I have some Kentucky roots as my mother, maternal … Continue reading Exploring the Life of Henry Eisenbeis (1826-1902): From Bavaria to Kentucky (my 3x great grandfather)
If you missed my earlier posts about My Blanton Family Roots check them out here: My 7x great grandfather Thomas Blanton I of Old Rappahannock County and Essex County, Virginia: https://asonofvirginia.blog/2024/01/22/my-blanton-family-roots/ Thomas Blanton II and John Blanton see My Blanton Family Roots - Part 2 – The Second Generation here: https://asonofvirginia.blog/2025/04/07/my-blanton-family-root-part-2-the-second-generation/. Richard Blanton I of … Continue reading My Blanton Family Roots Part 4: Sorting out Richard Blantons
Virginia Chancery Court records are an invaluable resource for genealogists. But once in a while, they do more than confirm dates — they unlock secrets. That’s exactly what happened when I stumbled upon an 1805 court case involving the family of my 7x great-grandfather Richard Gray of Lawnes Creek Parish in Surry County, Virginia. A … Continue reading An Aunt with a Conscience Leads to a New Branch on My Family Tree: Richard Gray of Surry County
Nathaniel Randolph Berryman was born about 1805 in Surry County, Virginia, a son of Joseph Berryman (1774-1819) and Keziah (Holt) Berryman (1776-1830). Eliza Ridley Williams was born in Surry County on 10 May 1822, a daughter of John M Wiliams (c.1785-1850) and Mary Thomas.(c.1787-c.1842). Despite a 17 year age gap, John M Williams gave his … Continue reading An Antebellum Education in Surry County, Virginia: Nathanial Randolph Berryman (1805-1878) and Eliza Ridley Williams (1822-1899) – my 3x great grandparents
On 1 April 1685, my 7x great grandfather John Hatchett entered the Virginia record when he appeared before a Henrico County Court: “John Hatchett a servant boy belonging to Jno Farley being by him brought before the Wor[shipful] Court is adjudged ten years of age.”[1] Henrico County court record dated 1 April 1685 where John … Continue reading The Life of my 7x great grandfather John Hatchett: An Indentured Servant in Virginia
If you missed my earlier post My Blanton Family Roots, which is about my 7x great grandfather Thomas Blanton I of Old Rappahannock County and Essex County, Virginia, you can check it out here: https://asonofvirginia.blog/2024/01/22/my-blanton-family-roots/ For sons Thomas Blanton II and John Blanton see My Blanton Family Roots - Part 2 – The Second Generation … Continue reading My Blanton Family Roots – Part 3 – The Second Generation (2nd installment): Richard Blanton I of Spotsylvania County, Virginia (c.1688-c.1734) – my 6x great grandfather
If you missed my earlier post My Blanton Family Roots, which is about my 7x great grandfather Thomas Blanton of Old Rappahannock County and Essex County, Virginia, you can check it out here: https://asonofvirginia.blog/2024/01/22/my-blanton-family-roots/ Thomas1 Blanton left a widow and six children when he died in 1697/8, none of whom had reached adulthood thus all … Continue reading My Blanton Family Roots – Part 2 – The Second Generation
Researching one’s early Colonial Virginia ancestors tends to focus on the men who dominate the records kept not for us researchers, but for them to conduct the business of the day. Sometimes we get lucky and learn more about a female ancestor. Such is the case with my 8x great grandmother Margaret (------------) Cooper Hodge … Continue reading Bad Behavior In Surry County: Margaret (——–) Cooper Hodge Hunnicutt (c.1655-1718) of Surry County, Virginia – my 8x great grandmother
On 1 October 1803, the Virginia Argus newspaper ran the following communication sent by my 5x great grandfather Rodophil Jeter of Amelia County which began, “An attempt having been made by Nancy Ford to injure the reputation of my daughter Elizabeth, by a false and slanderous report, it became my duty to have recourse of … Continue reading Defending a Daughter’s Honor: Rodophil Jeter of Amelia County, Virginia – my 5x great grandfather (with a surprise ending for Jeter, Ligon and Ford researchers)
If you missed parts 1 & 2 you can check them out here: https://asonofvirginia.blog/2024/11/20/the-jones-family-of-slate-river-buckingham-county-virginia-part-1/ https://asonofvirginia.blog/2024/12/11/jones-family-of-slate-river-buckingham-county-virginia-part-2/ In parts 1 & 2, we built the Slate River Joneses family tree above, which begins with my 7x great grandfather Thomas Jones (c.1690-c.1768) by using land grants, deeds, property tax records and a lawsuit. We also established Thomas Jones … Continue reading Jones Family of Slate River, Buckingham County, Virginia – Part 3 (the Falling River Joneses)
If you missed part 1 you can check it out here: https://asonofvirginia.blog/2024/11/20/the-jones-family-of-slate-river-buckingham-county-virginia-part-1/ In Part 1 , we examined an 1803 Buckingham County deed and a 1793-1799 Prince Edward County District Court case file that provided proof of kinship and a significant amount of family history for the Joneses of Slate River in Buckingham County, Virginia. … Continue reading Jones Family of Slate River, Buckingham County, Virginia – Part 2
My connection to the Joneses is through my 5x great grandmother Martha (Jones) Walker Holland (c.1755-c.1821). She married (1) Capt. Henry Walker who was killed in 1779 at the Battle of Stono Ferry in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War and (2) Capt. Richard “Dick” Holland (c.1750-c.1803). By her first husband she had two children … Continue reading The Jones Family of Slate River, Buckingham County, Virginia – Part 1
In 1757, my 6x great-grandfather Robert Vaughan I (c.1710-c.1779) and his brother Abraham Vaughan (1721-c.1795) served as interpreters and guides during the French & Indian War (1754-1763). Both men were sons of Nicholas and Ann (----------) Vaughan of Prince George County, Virginia. In 1757, Robert Vaughan was living in Amelia County having settled there by … Continue reading Brothers Robert Vaughan and Abraham Vaughan – French and Indian War Interpreters and Guides
Robert Vaughan III (c.1770-c.1819) was born in Nottoway Parish, Amelia County, Virginia [1] to Robert II and Elsie (Motley) Vaughan. You can read about Robert Vaughan II here: https://asonofvirginia.blog/2024/08/11/robert-vaughan-ii-c-1736-c-1805-of-amelia-and-nottoway-counties-virginia/ In 1800, Robert Vaughan II bequeathed Robert Vaughan III a 484 acre tract in Henrico County, which Robert III sold in 1802 never having lived there.[2] … Continue reading Robert III (c. 1770 – c. 1819) and Sarah (Truly) Craddock Vaughan (c.1770-1839) of Amelia County, Virginia
![Robert Vaughan II [c.1736-c.1805] of Amelia and Nottoway Counties, Virginia](https://asonofvirginia.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/june1780.jpg?w=624&h=172&crop=1)
On 22 April 1756, Robert & Martha (----------) Vaughan gifted their son Robert Vaughan, Jr., 200 acres of land on the lower side of Flat Creek for the “natural love and affection they bear unto thee the said son.” The deed mentions that the tract crossed Vaughan’s Creek [formerly Frank’s Creek] below Robert Vaughan’s plantation … Continue reading Robert Vaughan II [c.1736-c.1805] of Amelia and Nottoway Counties, Virginia
On 24 March 1740, for £4 of “good and lawful money” my 6x great grandfather Robert Vaughan I received a grant for 800 acres described as “lying and being in the County of Amelia on the lower side of Flatt Creek.” The bounds are given as “Beginning at his lower corner Poplar on said Creek … Continue reading Robert Vaughan I (c. 1710-c.1779) of Amelia County, Virginia – my 6x great grandfather
This c. 1900 photograph was given to me by my paternal grandmother Marian Berryman (Rowell) Craig (1914-1979). Of the many family photographs I have been fortunate to acquire, this is one of my favorites. The seated couple are my 2x great grandparents Patrick Henry “Pat” Rowell (1834-1916) and Sarah Judkins “Sallie” (Berryman) Seward Rowell (1844-1933). … Continue reading A Call to Arms – the Rowell Brothers of Surry County, Virginia
On the 24th of February 1823, Richard Rowell and Francis Holt bound themselves to the James Pleasants, Governor of Virginia in the amount of $150. This was for a marriage bond that reads in part “whereas a marriage is shortly intended to be had and solemnized between the above bound Richard Rowell and Rebecca Holt, … Continue reading Richard IV & Rebecca (Holt) Rowell of Surry County, Virginia – my 3x great grandparents – and their seven sons
Several weeks ago I met Claude Morris when he accompanied a group of my Morris cousins to two Morris cemeteries in Buckingham County. See my earlier blog post A Field Trip to Buckingham County – meeting cousins and making new friends: https://asonofvirginia.blog/2024/05/11/a-field-trip-to-buckingham-county-meeting-cousins-and-making-new-friends/ Claude descends from Nicholas Hudson Morris (c.1770-c.1846) called “Hudson” while I descend from … Continue reading A Field Trip to Buckingham and Prince Edward Counties – Finding Morris’s Mill: John Morris, Esquire (1779-c.1862) of Buckingham County – my 4x great grandfather
When someone finds out I am a genealogist, the first question I am usually asked is “How far back can you go?” As someone who focuses on their Virginia genealogy, I usually tell them that I have identified more than 100 ancestors who arrived in Virginia before the American Revolution including seven (so far) that … Continue reading How Far back can You Go?
A Son of Virginia 