A WORK in PROGRESS:

A WORK in PROGRESS:

EDWARD and Mary of Mawhipponock Creek, Virginia

compiled by Linda Sparks Starr February 2008

LSS note: I know too well how confusing the multiple William and Edward Traylors can become. This "work in progress" is offered as a temporary bridge between William Traylor who died in Wilkes Co. Georgia and Martha's son Edward. The case for Martha having "at least two TRAYLOR sons" is presented in the link from William under MARTHA'S FAMILY in the Intro. The case for three Edwards in early Henrico County, Virginia records is presented under the Edward link in the same MARTHA'S FAMILY section. This work concentrates on Martha's grandson Edward, son of her son Edward. The source of the confusion is: Martha had another grandson named Edward (son of her son William and his wife Judith) and both grandsons "Edward" named a son "William." Earlier researchers merged the two "grandsons named Edward" and the two "great-grandsons named William" into two individuals instead of the four they really were. Proof there were two great-grandsons named William comes from the guardian records for the minor son of Edward who died 1746. Without doubt, William son of Edward (died 1746) was born between 1738 and 1740. He is thus not the William whose birth was recorded in 1733. The timeline for Martha's grandson Edward (who died 1746) is found under William and Judith's Family in the Intro. This time line covers her grandson, Edward, who was son of her son Edward. In 1702 Martha's son Edward purchased 100 acres from his brother William; that same 100 acres was sold by her grandson Edward and his wife Mary in 1750.

 

1700-1710 estimated birth year Edward Traylor, son of Edward / grandson of Martha. They settled on Mawhipponock Creek in present day Dinwiddie County, Virginia.

1733 June 12 birth William Traylor, son of Edward & Mary, in Bristol Parish, Virginia [Chamberlayne, p. 102] LSS note: This is the only child we can document.

1735 August 1 Land grant to Edward Traylor, 395 acres in Prince George Co. in the Fork of Mawhipponock Creek adjacent Leadbitor Jones. [Hudgins, vol. IV, p. 81; Patent Bk 16 p. 109]

1750 January 29 Edward Traler of Prince George Co. Gent. to Joseph Dickerson of same, Gent., for £11, land in Dale Parish on Appomattox River, 100 acres, bounded as within lines of Thomas Andrews, Richard Andrews and John Dyer and the river. Witnesses: Joseph Holgross, Richard (x) Dickerson, John Dickerson. /s/ Mary (circle +) Traler. [Chesterfield Co. Deed Bk #1, p. 284; Weisiger p. 26]

LSS note: This Edward and Mary Traylor are surely the same couple, who in 1733 appear on the Bristol Parish Birth Register as parents of a son, William. My proposal the above seller (grantor) of this 100-acre tract is the son of the Edward who purchased that tract can be answered with: "There is only one Edward involved." My first response is the several births for Martha's great-grandchildren (grandchildren of William & Judith) which appear in the Bristol Parish birth register, dating from the late 1720s into the 1740s. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to say "William born 1733 to Edward & Mary" is another great-grandchild of Martha (instead of grandson.) I believe additional evidence for two Edwards (Martha's son and his son) is found in Amelia County records. "Grandson Edward" and his wife Mary lived on Mawhipponock Creek in Dinwiddie County, but parts of that creek aren't far from the Amelia County line. And perhaps my strongest point: there is no "known" Edward among descendants from William and Judith who could be this Edward in 1750s records.

1753 February Amelia Co. Court: Edward Traylor Pltf vs John Carr, Deft. Petition for £3.0.8 per Account. This day came the Pltf by his attorney and the Defendant came not. The Pltf having proved by his own oath that £3.0.8 was justly due to him from the Deft. ordered that he recover the same against the deft together with costs. [Amelia Co. Orders Bk #3 p. 84; T.L.C. p. 86]

1754 July Amelia Co. Court: Henry Randolph to pay Edward Trayler for 1 day's attending as witness for him against John Roberts and for once coming and returning 30 miles. [Amelia Co. Orders Bk #3 p. 184; T. L. C. p. 195]

LSS note: This brings us to several unanswered questions, which is the reason why this is still "a Work in Progress." Dinwiddie County is near the top of the list of Virginia counties that lost the most court records in 1865. Therefore answers aren't easy to come by and more neighboring counties need to be searched. What happened to Edward and Mary? Did they live out the rest of their days on the banks of the Mawhipponock Creek? In 1787 there are four Traylors listed on the Dinwiddie County tax list: Humphrey, John, Joseph and Edward. Edward's tithe was paid by Thomas Dance -- why? Is this 1787 tithable Edward the same Edward who was "father of William born 1733"? Humphrey (born 1736-1746, son of Humphrey / grandson of William & Judith) died in Dinwiddie Co. about 1802. His son John is too young to be the above tithable, and Humphry (Jr.) and his wife didn't name sons Joseph and Edward. (At least not from the records I was able to locate on this couple.)

William (born 1733) son of Edward and Mary, arrived in Halifax County, Virginia 1780 with enough money to immediately purchase an almost 600 acre tract. He identifies himself within the deed as "William Traylor of Dinwiddie County." (That's the basis for my proposal this William is the son of Edward & Mary per the Bristol Parish birth register.) How did William get so much "ready money?" Logically, the answer is by selling his father's land which he, William, inherited when Edward died. But William's wife could be the one who inherited property from her father. Or one of them may have received a large legacy from another source. Adding to the possibilities, an Edward Traylor, exempt from paying the county tithe, died in Halifax Co. in 1791. Was the exemption for age or disability? His will identifies two daughters (Mary Traylor and Fanny Poynor) and three Poynor grandchildren. Other Traylors appear in the Halifax County records about the time that William (born 1733) left Virginia for Georgia. What is the relationship between these other Traylors in Halifax County and William of Georgia and Edward who died there?

Sources

Births from the Bristol Parish Register of Henrico, Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia 1720-1798 transcribed by Churchill Gibson Chamberlayne, Clearfield, Baltimore, MD 1999

Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, volume Four: 1732-1741, edited by Denis Hudgins, Virginia Genealogical Society, Richmond, VA 1994

Chesterfield County, Virginia Deeds 1749-1756 abstracted by Benjamin B. Weisiger III, Richmond, VA 1991 reprint.

Amelia County, Virginia Order Book No. 3 1751-1755 by T.L.C. Genealogy, Miami Beach, FL

 

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