Friend of Friends Friday: Estate Inventory of Mayo Children, Legatees of William Isbell

When my 6th-great-grandfather William Isbell passed away, he left 57 acres of land and three slaves to the children of his deceased daughter Ann (Isbell) Mayo, my 5th-great-grandmother: William Mayo, Mary W. Mayo, James W. Mayo, Thomas Mayo, Elias L. Mayo, Jacob D. Mayo (my 4th-great-grandfather), and Stephen L. Mayo. The children's father, my 5th-great-grandfather Stephen Mayo, acted as their guardian.

Guardians' Account Book, 1794 - 1852. Fluvanna County, Virginia. Microfilm reel 24 or 59, Library of Virginia.

An inventory of the estate of William Mayo Mary W. Mayo James W. Mayo, Thomas Mayo Elias L. Mayo Jacob D. Mayo and Stephen L. Mayo Infants of Stephen Mayo and Legatees of William Isbell deceased which hath come to my hands as Guardian for the said Infants to wit.

The 13th Lot of Land containing fifty seven acres lying in the County of Goochland

One negro woman named Minny	}	Received from the admin-
One negro Girl named Aikey (?)	}	istrators of William Isbell
One negro Boy named Barnett	}	deceased.

                                                          Stephen Mayo Guardian
                                                          July 25th 1808

At a Court held for Fluvanna County on monday the 25th day of July 1808. This Inventory of the estate of William Mayo Mary W. Mayo James W. Mayo Thomas Mayo Elias L. Mayo Jacob D. Mayo and Stephen L. Mayo Infants of Stephen Mayo and Legatees of William Isbell deceased was this day returned by the said Stephen Mayo their Guardian and ordered to be recorded.
                                                            Teste
                                                                     John Timberlake C. F. C.

52 Ancestors: #27 Stephen Mayo, Revolutionary War Patriot

When I became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, I qualified through my 5th-great-grandfather Stephen Mayo. Stephen was born in Virginia about 1757. He was the son of James Mayo and Martha Williamson. In 1776, he entered the military in Albemarle County, Virginia. He was a minuteman in Captain Thompson's company under Major Campbell. On 4 February 1777, he enlisted again and joined Captain Moses Hawkins' company, Colonel Charles Lewis' 14th Virginia regiment, as a private. He participated in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown. He was discharged at Valley Forge in March 1778. He enlisted again in 1779 and was a private in Captain Hatcher's Virginia company, where he guarded prisoners at Albemarle Barracks. He enlisted once more in 1781 and was a private in Captain Anthony Hayden's Virginia company.

In February 1783 in Goochland County, Virginia, Stephen married Ann Isbell, my 5th-great-grandmother. They had seven children: William, Mary, W. James W., Thomas, Elias L., Jacob D. (my 4th-great-grandfather), and Stephen L. Ann had died by February 1805, when Stephen married Susanna Trent. Stephen had more children with Susanna. On 24 November 1834 in Fluvanna County, Virginia, Stephen married Rebecca Dawson. They had a daughter, Martha. Rebecca was the second to last surviving pensioned Revolutionary War widow. Stephen died in Fluvanna County, Virginia on 16 March 1847.

Stephen Mayo compiled service record. Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. NARA microfilm publication M881, roll 1081. Virginia, Fourteenth Regiment. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.

Stephen Mayo pension file. Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service. NARA microfilm publication M804. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.

The Battle of Brandywine September 11, 1777. Steel engraving by George W. Boynton, 1830. In Sparkes, Jered. The Life of George Washington. Boston: Tappen & Dennet, 1843. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Brandywine_1777.jpg.

Battle of Germantown. History Department, United States Military Academy. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Germantown.Dean.USMA.edu.history.gif.
 

Plan of the Battle of Yorktown. Goodrich, S. G. A Pictorial History of the United States. Philadelphia: J. H. Butler & Co. 1875. Available from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plan_of_the_Battle_of_Yorktown_1875.png.

Stephen Mayo pension file. Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service. NARA microfilm publication M804. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.

Stephen Mayo pension file. Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service. NARA microfilm publication M804. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.

Goochland County, Virginia. Marriage Register, 1730-1853 (Virginia State Library ms compilation). Library of Virginia microfilm reel no. 38.

Fluvanna County, Virginia. Guardians' Account Book, 1794 - 1852. Library of Virginia. Stephen Mayo was appointed guardian for his children with Ann Isbell after they received an inheritance from their maternal grandfather William Isbell.

Virginia Statehood Day

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789. Richmond, state of Virginia. In convention, Wednesday, the 25th of June, 1788. Available from American Memory. 

On 25 June 1788, the Virginia Ratifying Convention voted in favor of ratifying the United States Constitution, and Virginia became the 10th state. The convention met in Richmond in the temporary capitol building and was made up of 170 people. The Federalists favored ratification. The Anti-Federalists opposed ratification because they did not want the central government to be too powerful. The vote was close (89 to 79).

Some of my ancestral families (including the Mayo, Isbell, and Gordon families) lived in Virginia at the time of ratification.

References and Additional Resources
Virginia Ratifying Convention Journal, June 25, 1788 (Virginia Memory)
Journal Notes of the Virginia Ratification Convention Journal Proceedings (June 25, 1788)
Virginia Ratification Bicentennial Stamp, 25 June 1988

NGS 2014: Day 1

Today was the first day of the National Genealogical Society's 2014 Family History Conference. And what a busy day it was for me! In the opening session, Sandra Gioia Treadway, Librarian of Virginia and State Archivist, talked about the Library of Virginia and its modernization. I then went to the Exhibit Hall and found many books that I needed to add to my collection. At 11:00, I heard Eric Grundset speak about the challenges of researching early Virginia ancestors and possible ways to break through those brick walls. I then attended the Virginia Genealogical Society luncheon. Conley L. Edwards shared some of the experiences he had had working with genealogists over the years. At 2:30 PM, I heard Kathy Huber speak about the records of the Southern Historical Society. She mentioned some of the articles that were published in the Southern Historical Society's papers. One was on Rock Island Prison. My 3rd-great-grandfather's brother John G. Gatlin was imprisoned there. I will have to track down that article. At 4:00, I heard Nathan W. Murphy speak about colonial ancestors who arrived as transported convicts. With all the black sheep in my family, I would not be at all surprised to find out that one or more of my ancestors arrived as a transported convict. I then visited the tables of some Virginia genealogical and historical societies. Some of them, such as the Augusta County Genealogical Society and the Goochland County Historical Society, focus on areas where my ancestors lived. Finally, I headed to the Library of Virginia. The library had special late hours and was open until 9:00 PM. I found an indenture for an apprenticeship for a Chapman Gordon who may be my ancestor. I found an estate appraisal for Andrew Corn; I wonder if he was the father of my ancestor Elizabeth Corn. I also found my ancestor William Isbell's estate inventory, an account of guardianship for my Mayo ancestors (my 5th-great-grandfather was guardian of his children with my 5th-great-grandmother Ann Isbell, because they had received bequests from William Isbell, their maternal grandfather). I found my ancestor Edward Lucas' will and estate appraisal. I found deeds for land transactions involving my ancestors Russell Blakely and Abel Gower. It was a long but very productive day!

Library of Virginia

Today I visited the Library of Virginia in Richmond. I came prepared with information about documents that I wanted to find, and I was able to locate most of the items that I was looking for. The biggest find for me was the 1855 Louisa County, Virginia will of Chapman Gordon. It mentioned the heirs of his deceased daughter Eliza Mayo (my 4th-great-grandmother). Now I have actual evidence of her father's identity! I also found Goochland County, Virginia marriage register entries for Jacob D. Mayo and Eliza Gordon (Chapman Gordon was listed in the Security and Witnesses column), Stephen Mayo and Ann Isbell (my 5th-great grandparents, and Jacob D. Mayo's parents), and other members of the Gordon and Mayo families. I found the Frederick County, Virginia will of Rebecca Lucas (my 7th-great-grandfather's sister), the Fluvanna County, Virginia estate administration of my 6th-great-grandfather James Mayo (Stephen Mayo's father), and Augusta County, Virginia wills and deeds for members of the Hardgrave family.