Job Lucas

Job Lucas was born 259 years ago today, on 2 November 1757 in Virginia. He was the son of my 7th-great-grandparents Edward Lucas and Elizabeth Corn.

From May 1776 to October 1777, he served as a private in the 8th Virginia Regiment. He was a waggoner.

Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. NARA microfilm publication M881, roll 1047. Virginia, Eighth Regiment. The National Archives at Washington, D.C. Available from Fold3.

In 1778, he served as a private in the 4th Virginia Regiment. He died at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on 15 May 1778.

Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. NARA microfilm publication M881, roll 975. Virginia, Fourth Regiment. The National Archives at Washington, D.C. Available from Fold3.

According to family Bible records, the cause of death was smallpox.

Friend of Friends Friday: Runaway Slave of Mark Edwards, Petersburg, Virginia

Virginia Gazette,4 July 1777, page 8

                                                                   PETERSBURG, June 8, 1777
RUN away from the Subscriber, the 25th of May, a Negro Fellow named POMPEY, about 5 feet 4 Inches high, he is very tender footed, about 40 Years of Age, the Corner of his right Eye Lash is off; he had on when he went away an Osnabrug Shirt and Breeches. The above Slave was bought of Julius Allen about 5 months ago Whoever will bring the said Negro to me in Pocahantas shall receive Twenty Shillings Reward, besides what the Law allows.
             #                                                            MARK EDWARDS.

Sub-Committee of Vigilance for the Neighborhood of Locust Creek, Louisa County, Virginia

Richmond Enquirer, v. 372 no. 28, 14 August 1840, page 3

LOUISA COUNTY

At a meeting of a part of the sub-Committee of Vigilance for the neighborhood of Locust Creek, Louisa County, held at Locust Creek Tavern, on the 6th inst., Capt. Albert G. Bowles was called to the Chair, and Dr. Archibald Anderson requested to act as Secretary
––it was
    1. Resolved, That our confidence in the intelligence, honesty and patriotism of Martin Van Buren, President of the U.S., is still undiminished, and that every effort which is fair and honorable shall be made by us to secure his re-election.
    2. Resolved, That the manner in which the Honorable Richard M. Johnson has discharged the duties of Vice President of the U.S., recommends him to the support of the voters of the county of Louisa.
   3. Resolved, That the following names be added to the sub-Committee of Vigilance for the neighborhood: Thomas A. Hope, Lindsay Richardson, Robert Armstrong, George W. Gregory, Wm. J. Crowder, Garland Tate, Thompson Tate, George Strong, John R. Cheek, John Swift, Joseph Harris, John T. Smith, John Sims, David Sharp, David Sims, Elder James M. Bagby, John Longdon, Thomas Duke, Hardin Duke, Hardin L. Duke, Thomas C. Anderson, Andrew B. Armstrong, Robert Foster, C. W. Gentry, Robert Duncan, Dr. Wm. Meridith, James Johnson, Edmond Wash, Wm. Wilsher, David Armstrong, (F,) Wm. Gammon, Wm. W. Pulliam, Wm. Cockran, Wilson Laine, R. K. Bowles, William Crutchfield, William C. Lindsay, Jesse T. Bowles, John Moss, John A. Harris, Daniel Perkins, Robert Perkins, Robert S. Halsall, Rev. William J. Winston, Col. Thomas Loyal, John Shelton, Edmond Swift, John S. Smith, Matthew Loyd, Thomas Loyd, sr., Thomas Loyd, jr., Elkanah Brooks, John Atkisson, Samuel Hollins, John S. Woodson, Capt. Garland Anderson, Matthew Farrar, Garland Farrar, Dr. Wm. S. Fowler, James Brooks, Dudley Gibson, Robert Duggins, Simeon Foster, Robert Corker, William Foster, John Johnson, Thomas Saunders, Thomas Bourn, Jas. Duke, John Tate, James Hall, Wm. Lafaun, Wm. C. Thomas, John C. Hawkins, Chas. L. Cocke, John Grubbs, William Corker, John W. Jackson, Andrew Jackson, Jesse Prophet, Jas. E. Hardaman, Samuel Trenham, John Austin, Granville Timberlake, Chapman Gordon, Wm. Saunders, Thomas F. Armstrong, Hezagad Cosby, Wm. Adams, James Adams, Z. W. Perkins, Micajah Parrish, and James Sims.
  4. Resolved, That these proceedings be signed by the Chairman and Secretary, and a copy transmitted to the Editor of the Enquirer with a request that they be published in the Enquirer and Crisis.
                                                          ALBERT G. BOWLES, Chm'n.
  ARCH'D ANDERSON, Sec'ry.


In 1840, my 5th-great-grandfather Chapman Gordon became a member of the sub-Committee of Vigilance for the neighborhood of Locust Creek, Louisa County. The  sub-Committee of Vigilance was working to get President Martin Van Buren re-elected in the election of 1840.

Following the Panic of 1837, the United States experienced a depression. The Whigs blamed Van Buren, and called him "Martin Van Ruin". The men of Locust Creek disagreed; they saw Van Buren as intelligent, honest, and patriotic. They may also have supported Van Buren because, although he was personally opposed to slavery, he had promised to oppose its abolition in states where it existed. Unfortunately, Chapman Gordon owned slaves.

This resolution has given me more information about Chapman Gordon: his political views; his neighborhood in Louisa County, Virginia; the names of his associates in the community; and the name of the local tavern.

Source: Martin Van Buren

Friend of Friends Friday: Saundy, Slave of Andrew Estave

Virginia Gazette, 6  July 1776, page 7

RUN  away from the Vineyard, a little below Williamsburg, a negro man named SAUNDY, 5 feet 6 Inches high, about 27 Years old, knock kneed ; had on, when he went away, a dark red Newmarket Coat. I have been informed he is lurking about Williamsburg. Whoever brings him to me shall have 15s. reward, besides what the law allows.
                                                                               tt       ANDREW ESTAVE. 

Friend of Friends Friday: Scrub, Runaway Slave of Richard Benneham of Orange County, North Carolina

North Carolina Gazette or Impartial Intelligencer, 29 July 1784, page 6

Thirty Dollars Reward. 

Ran-away from the subscriber, the 15th day of May last,

A Likely Negro Fellow, named SCRUB, about twenty-five years old, well made, a good countenance, has scarcely any beard, rather of a black complexion, very flexible, strong and active ; he is a pretty good groom, having taken care of a stud horse for several years past : He carried with him a good deal of cloathing, mostly home-spun, and I believe about fifteen or twenty pounds hard money. I have owned him for 13 years past, and always found him remarkable honest and of good behavior ; he is a tolerable good gardner and waggoner, and will probably endeavor to be employed as the latter, or as a hostler : I expect he will attempt to go to Norfolk (where he was raised), and pass as a free man by the name of Charles Thompson, or Charles Fry; and as he has great notions of freedom it is very probable he will try to make his escape by sea. All persons are cautioned from taking him out of the country. The above reward will be given and reasonable expences to any person who will bring him to me, or fifteen dollars to have him secured in any goal in this state or Virginia, so that I get him again.
                                                                   RICHARD BENNEHAM.
  Orange County, August, 1784.

Tombstone Tuesday: Peter Montague

Photo by Ray - Find A Grave Contributor

My 10th-great-grandfather Peter Montague was born in England about 1603. He arrived in Virginia in 1621, aboard the ship Charles. He represented Nansemond County in the House of Burgesses from November 1652-1653, and represented Lancaster County in the House of Burgesses in 1657-1658. He died in Lancaster County, Virginia in 1659.

Mappy Monday: Finley's 1827 Map of Virginia

Map of Virginia. Finley, Anthony, A New General Atlas, Comprising a Complete Set of Maps, representing the Grand Divisions of the Globe, Together with the several Empires, Kingdoms and States in the World; Compiled from the Best Authorities, and corrected by the Most Recent Discoveries. Philadelphia, 1827. Map provided by Geographicus Rare Antique Maps. Public domain. Available from Wikimedia Commons. 

Anthony Finley's 1827 map of Virginia shows counties, rivers, mountains, and other features. It also gives the locations of court houses. What is now West Virginia is included.

Follow Friday: Tax Lists for Tax Day

Since today is Tax Day, it seemed an appropriate time to share some tax lists that are freely available.

New River Notes provides information about the Upper New River Valley of Virginia and North Carolina. It includes a 1787 Wilkes County, North Carolina tax list. My 6th-great-grandfather Francis Hardgrave is listed in Captain A. Trible's District, along with his Greer brothers-in-law. There is also a 1797 tax list for Wilkes County, North Carolina. By then, Francis Hardgrave had left Wilkes County. Other tax lists on the site are the 1774 list of tithables for Surry County, North Carolina; 1790 Surry County, North Carolina tax list; 1782 Montgomery County, Virginia land and personal property tax lists; 1802 Tazewell County, Virginia personal property tax list; 1806 Giles County, Virginia personal property tax list; 1810 Patrick County, Virginia personal property tax list; 1815 Ashe County, North Carolina tax list; 1831 Floyd County, Virginia personal property tax list; 1838 Smyth County, Virginia personal property tax lists (there is a separate list for free persons of color); and 1842 Carroll County, Virginia personal property tax list. There are numerous tax lists for Grayson County, Virginia and Washington County, Virginia.

Cape Fear Clans has the following tax lists: 1763 Bladen County, North Carolina tax list; 1755 Cumberland County, North Carolina tax list; 1801 list of taxable property for Captain Watson's district, Robeson County, North Carolina; and the 1825 tax list for Rockfish district, Cumberland County, North Carolina.

The Russell County, Virginia GenWeb has tax lists for Russell, County Virginia.

Images and partial transcriptions of the 1837 and 1838 Smith County, Tennessee tax lists and images of early Upcountry South Carolina tax lists are available at kenshelton.com.

The Sumner County, Tennessee Archives has Sumner County tax lists, 1795-1801. John Mills, the future husband of Francis Hardgrave's daughter Nancy (they married in 1820), was taxed in 1799 and 1800.

These are just a few examples. It's worthwhile to search and see if there are any free tax lists for your areas of interest. Although no one likes paying taxes, the taxpayers left us something useful: records of their residence in a particular place at a particular time, and possibly additional information.

Friend of Friends Friday: Slaves of Barnett Mitchell

In 1799, eight slaves (a woman and her seven children) which belonged to the estate of Barnett Mitchell were sold in Louisa County, Virginia.

Louisa County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1753-1913. John Mitchell, et al. vs. Admr. of Barnett Mitchell et al., 1801-011. Local Government Records Collection, Louisa Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. Page 12. Available from http://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=109-1801-011

Louisa County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1753-1913. John Mitchell, et al. vs. Admr. of Barnett Mitchell et al., 1801-011. Local Government Records Collection, Louisa Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. Page 16. Available from http://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=109-1801-011

In obedience to an annexed Decree of the worshipful Court of Louisa County we the subscribers proceeded on the 10th day of January 1799 to sell the Negroes belonging to the Estate of Barnett Mitchell Decd, on Eighteen Months Credit when William Carpenter purchasd Betty, Harry and Lucy for the sum of one hundred twenty pounds and gave Phillip Carpenter for security, John Mitchell purchasd [?] for Eighty two pounds and gave William Carpenter and Abram Davis for security, Chapman Gordon purchasd Lucretia for seventy three pounds and gave Wm Mansfield and James Dickson for security, William Chewning purchasd Judith for one hundred and twenty five pounds and gave Joseph Cannon for security, William Carpenter purchasd Robin for the sum of thirty nine pounds and gave Phillip Carpenter for surety - John Mitchell purchasd Esther for the sum of ninety three pounds and gave Wm Carpenter and Abram Davis for security. The Bonds were taken payable to us and are in our possession for the order of said Court. Witness our hands this 9 Day of August 1799

                                                                                          Wm Cooke
                                                                                          Overton Harris
                                                                                          Robert Harris junr.

My 5th-great-grandfather Chapman Gordon was married to Elizabeth (Lane) Mitchell, the widow of Barnett Mitchell. (Thanks to Neil Gregory for that information and for telling me about the chancery court case!) John Mitchell was the son of Elizabeth and Barnett Mitchell, and William Carpenter and William Chewning were their sons-in-law.

Lucretia may have been the oldest slave in Chapman Gordon's household in 1850 (a black female age 60) and in the household of his widow Mary (Layne) Gordon (his second wife) in 1860 (a black female age 75). The ages may be approximate. Earlier census records are consistent with the slave being a child purchased in 1799. The 1810 census indicates that there were two slaves in Chapman Gordon's household. The 1830 census shows that his household contained one male slave under 10, one female slave under 10, and one female slave 24-35. The 1840 census shows that there were one male slave 10-23, one female slave 10-23, one female slave 36-54 in his household.

Follow Friday: Unknown No Longer

Unknown No Longer (http://unknownnolonger.vahistorical.org/) contains the names of slaves mentioned in the unpublished documents of the Virginia Historical Society. Digital images of the documents are included. As of September 2011, more than 1,500 names had been entered into the database. This number will grow larger over time; the database is a work in progress. The Virginia Historical Society has more than 8 million unpublished documents; it will take a long time to look through them all.

It is possible to search by first name, last name, owner's last name, gender, date range, location, occupation, and record type. Record types include account, account book, advertisement, affidavit, agreement, appraisal, autobiography, Bible record, bill of lading, bill of sale, bond, broadside, certificate, church records, commission, commonplace book, contract, court records, deed, deed of emancipation, deed of manumission, deed of trust, diary, indenture, insurance policy, inventory, lease, letter, letterbook, list, manumission certificate, memoir, mortgage, newspaper clipping, notice, pardon, pass, patent, petition, receipt, recollections, record book,  register, report, resolution, sales book, scrapbook, summons, voucher, will, and writ of execution. There is also an "other" category. It is also possible to browse by record type and by location.

The site also includes a message board and a list of related resources (online projects and primary and secondary sources.)

Sunday's Obituary: Zachary T. Mayo

Nashville Tennessean, 9 September 1907, page 9

         ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
                 ZACHARY T. MAYO
                       GONE TO REWARD

  ––––––––––––––––

           Liveryman Passes Away – Is Survived by 
                          Large Family Connection.

––––––––––––––––

Zachary Taylor Mayo, for many years one of Nashville's most prominent citizens and a descendant of one of the fine old Virginia families, died at a late hour Saturday night. In his death the community losses [sic] one of its most valued and generally liked citizens.
   Mr. Mayo's father, Samuel Lee Mayo, crossed the mountains from Virginia in the forties when a mere boy and settled in this county. He was the descendant of the old and well known Mayo, Lee, and Gordon families of the Old Dominion, who made her famous in war and peace.
  Mr. Mayo has for many years been engaged in the livery business and at the time of his death was connected with Wilkerson Bros. on Second avenue, north.
  He is survived by his wife and the following children: Wyley J. of St. Louis; Zachary Taylor, Robert Z., Mises Effie, Cora, and Eva Mayo, and Mrs. Howard Tanksley, all of this city. He also leaves four brothers, Dr. William D., Samuel Lee, Charles A., and Alonzo M. Mayo, and one sister, Mrs. W. J. Hudson, of this city.
  Mr. Mayo has been a quiet and honorable citizen, blessed with Chritsian [sic] fortitude and characterized by devotion to family and neighbors. Hiss [sic] loss will be felt by all who knew him.
  The funeral will take place this afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at McFerrin Memorial church.

       ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Zachary Taylor Mayo was the son of Stephen Lee Mayo and Amanda Ezell. He married Julia Frances Walker on 11 December 1873 in Yalobusha County, Mississippi.

Zachary's father Stephen Lee Mayo was the brother of my 3rd-great-grandmother Angeline Mayo. Their parents were Jacob Dillard Mayo and Eliza Gordon. This obituary gives me a helpful clue.  I know that Eliza's father was Chapman Gordon, but I don't know anything else about her ancestry. Maybe Chapman Gordon's unknown first wife was a Lee.

Jacob D. Mayo's household was enumerated in Davidson County, Tennessee in the 1840 United States Census. Samuel Lee Mayo probably "crossed the mountains from Virginia" in the thirties, not the forties.

Sunday's Obituary: Mrs. Mary Wray

Nashville Tennessean and Nashville American, 5 March 1911, page 8

        ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
                         LIVED ONCE IN NASHVILLE
                                      ––––––––––––––––
      Negro Woman Centenarian, Dead in Seattle, Was Slave of John Lovell.

SEATTLE, Wash., March 4. – Mrs. Mary Wray, who was born a slave in Virginia in February, 1807, died here yesterday in her 106th year. In her childhood she was sold to John Lovell of Nashville, Tenn., on whose plantation she lived until the close of the war. She helped to cut and haul ties for the first railroad built into Nashville. She is survived by two children, aged 82 and 88, in Nashville.

Sibling Saturday: Mayo Brothers in the Revolutionary War

My 5th-great-grandfather Stephen Mayo was a private in the Revolutionary War. He was a minuteman in Captain Thompson's company under Major Campbell, a private in Captain Moses Hawkins'/Capt. John Overton's company, Colonel Charles Lewis' 14th Virginia regiment, a private in Captain Hatcher's Virginia company, and a private in Captain Anthony Hayden's Virginia company.

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.Available from Fold3.

Stephen's brother Benjamin was also in the 14th Virginia regiment. They were at Valley Forge together.

Benjamin 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.Available from Fold3.

Their brother Joseph was a 2nd lieutenant in the Fluvanna County, Virginia Militia.

McAllister, J. T. Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War: McAllister's Data. Hot Springs, Virginia: McAllister Publishing, 1913. Page 23. Available from Internet Archive. 

Their brother James was in the Albemarle County, Virginia Militia. Their half-brother Valentine Mayo was a private in the Continental Troops. Other Mayo brothers may have served as well. 

Funeral Card Friday: Rebecca (Dawson) Mayo

Image from shamurah on Ancestry.com

Rebecca Dawson was born in Virginia on 5 January 1814. On 24 November 1834, she married my 5th-great-grandfather Stephen Mayo. They had a daughter, Martha. Stephen died on 16 March 1847. By 1850, Rebecca lived with her daughter in Newbern, Pulaski County, Virginia. She died on 7 March 1904. She was the second to last surviving Revolutionary War widow.

Mappy Monday: Map of Virginia and Maryland

A Map of Virginia and Maryland. Francis Lamb. The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain, 1676. Huntingfield Collection, MSA SC 1399-1-197. Image from the Maryland State Archives, Charts and Maps Used by the Early Settlers of Maryland.

This map, which has been made available by the Maryland State Archives, depicts colonial Virginia and Maryland during the 1600s. Some of my ancestors lived in Maryland and Virginia during this time period.

Friend of Friends Friday: Will of Maindort Doodes

Signature and seal photographed from the will of Minor Doodes. William and Mary Quarterly 11(3),  Jan. 1903. Available from Archive.org.

My 10th-great-grandfather Maindort (or Meindort, Mindote, or Minor) Doodes wrote his will on 13 December 1677. It was recorded in the clerk's office of Middlesex County, Virginia. The seal has the impression of a galley. Maindort Doodes was a Dutch sea captain. In 1665, he lived in Lancaster County, Virginia. He was also recorded as being of Nansemond in Lower Norfolk County, Virginia records. ("Minor Family." William and Mary College Historical Magazine 8, 1900, pp. 196-200. Available from Google Books.)

William and Mary College Historical Magazine 8,1900, pp. 198-199. Available from Google Books.

     In the name of God Amen I Mindote Doodes being weake in body but of sound and perfect Memory doe Ordaine this my Last will and Testamente Firste I doe bequeathe my sole to God. that give it and my body to be buried in Christian buriall at the discretione of my Executor or Executrix hereafter nominated.

     Item My Debts being first paide I leave my hole persnall estate in the hands of my loving wife Mary Doodes during the time of her widowhood and if Inkase she should marry again then my will is thatt my sonn Doodes Minor's children shall have the one half of my Negroes forthwith delivered into the possession of there father for the sole use & behoufe of them while such time that it shall please God to take him away & then to Redound to the use of there Mother during the time of her widowhood & afterwards to them solely & Inkase of the Mortality of Ither without issue the Survivore to succeed thereon and the other half to be forthwith delivered into the possession of Peter Montague for the sole use of his wife whitch is now living and afterwards to the sole use of her children & inkase of the Mortality of Ither of them without Issue the Survivore to succeed thereon as abovesd & soe to Remaine them & there Increase male and female & not to be sould nor Mordgaged & furthere Increase male and female & not to be sould nor Mordgaged & further my will is that the two ould Negroes Degoe & Pallis his wife shall serve but ten years after my desease & then to be free & Doe make my loving wife Mary Doodes & my loving friend William Chance my sole Executor & Executrix to see my will truly performed in witness whereof I here unto sett my hand and seale the 13th day of December 1677.
     & None of My other Negroes to serve any longer than fourty five yeares a. sold them nor there Increase.

                                                                                         MAINDORT DOODES (Seal).
William Chance
Silvt Blizard
                               Probat in Cur Com Midds die January 1677 at Recordat 9 die sequent  Teste Chr Robinson Clerk.

This is the first record that I have found where one of my ancestors or collateral relatives makes provisions for the freedom of slaves. I hope to find more records like that! I hope that Degoe and his wife Pallis were surviving when the ten years had passed and that they were freed, as Maindort Doodes wanted.

Friend of Friends Friday: Slaves of Chapman Gordon

Excerpt from will of Chapman Gordon, written 14 April 1853, proven 10 September 1855 in Louisa County, Virginia. Louisa County (Va.) Circuit Court. Records, 1742-1858.  Miscellaneous reel 461, Library of Virginia. 

When he wrote his will on 14 April 1853, my 5th-great-grandfather Chapman Gordon of Louisa County, Virginia left his wife Mary two slaves: "one negro boy named Tom, and one negro girl named Sally". His will was proven on 10 September 1855.

The 1850 United States Census slave schedule indicates that there were 5 slaves in Chapman Gordon's household.

1850 United States census, Louisa County, Virginia, slave schedule. Available from Ancestry.com. 1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

The 1860 United States Census slave schedule shows a larger number of slaves in the household of Mary (Layne) Gordon, the widow of Chapman Gordon. The image was light and difficult to read. I have darkened it, but it is still somewhat unclear.

1860 United States census, Southern District, Louisa County, Virginia, slave schedule. Page 63. Available from Ancestry.com. 1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

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: Week 12 "Same": Alpha Madeline Boe

At first I was not sure which relative I wanted to feature for 52 Ancestors Week 12, "Same." But then I read Schalene Dagutis Jennings' Week 12 post about her relative who wrote a book on one of her ancestors and his descendants. I have a relative who did the same thing: Alpha Madeline Boe, my maternal grandfather's first cousin.

Alpha Madeline Boe was born on 12 November 1901 in Swift County, Minnesota. She was the daughter of Hans Adolph Boe (the brother of my great-grandfather John Boe) and Unni (or Eunice) Severina Saterlie. In 1905, she and her family lived on the Saterlie farm in Milan, Chippewa County, Minnesota. The family then moved to Williston, Williams County, North Dakota. In 1915, the family moved to Arnegard, McKenzie County, North Dakota. Alpha attended high school in Williston; she graduated from Williston High School in 1919. Alpha was enumerated twice in the 1920 United States census: once with her parents and siblings in St. Louis, Missouri, and once in Arnegard, as a boarder in the home of Walter and Josephine Robb. In both censuses, she was listed as a school teacher. She and her father were both listed in the 1920 Little Rock, Arkansas city directory as well. She taught intermediate grades for three years in Arnegard. She also taught in Montana.

She married Melvin Brodshaug in Arnegard on 27 December 1927. In 1928, the couple moved to New York City, where Melvin studied at Columbia University and received his Ph.D. Alpha worked at B. Altman and Co. and taught at Altman Continuation School. She and Melvin had two daughters.

Melvin worked for Erpi Classroom Films, which became Encyclopedia Britannica Films. Erpi moved from New York to Wilmette, Illinois in 1945. Alpha was on the Board of Deaconesses of the Congregational Church in Wilmette.

The family moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1954, when Melvin became the Dean of the School of Public Relations, Boston University. Alpha was on the Council of the Old South Church. She did volunteer work at Boston City Hospital as a member of the Rotary Anns. She was a member of the Boston University Women's Council. She was a board member of the Boston University Women's Guild.

The Brodshaugs moved to Virginia for five years in the mid-1960s, after Melvin retired and became a communications consultant for Norfolk State College. They then moved back to Massachusetts and lived in Harwich Port, Barnstable County, on Cape Cod. Alpha and Melvin went into the production of educational sound filmstrips. Alpha belonged to the Pilgrim Service League of the Congregational Church in Harwich Port.

In 1973, Alpha and Melvin traveled to Bø, Telemark, Norway, where her (and my grandfather's) paternal grandparents had been born. They met with the local genealogist, Johannes Saga. They traveled to Bø again in 1976, along with one of their daughters and three of their grandchildren. They visited the house where her (and my grandfather's) grandfather and his ancestors had been born. They also visited the Otterholt house, where her (and my grandfather's) grandmother had lived.

Alpha and Melvin compiled the book Boe (Bø) and Halvorson-Otterholt; Shared Roots in Telemark, which was published in 1984. The book contained information about the ancestral families of her (and my grandfather's) paternal grandparents, Jorgen Boe and Aaste Halvorsdatter Otterholt, and also covered their descendants. Alpha and Melvin contacted family members and requested information. I remember providing information about myself for the book. I was in high school at the time. Although I did not start researching my family history until later, when my family received our copy of the book, I read it and was fascinated.

Alpha and Melvin compiled another book on her mother's side of the family: Saterlie – Fedje: Common Roots in Sogn. It was published in 1986. Melvin also published additional works on his family.

Alpha died on 4 December 1997. Her husband Melvin had died nine years earlier, on 18 May 1988.

In the acknowledgements at the beginning of Boe (Bø) and Halvorson-Otterholt; Shared Roots in Telemark, Melvin and Alpha wrote "Hopefully, some one will pick up the challenge and extend this genealogy both in breadth and depth." I think they would be pleased that I have continued to research the family.

 

Keiter Directory Co.'s Williston City and Williams County, North Dakota Directory, 1918-1919. Norfolk, Nebraska: Keiter Directory Co. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Alpha was living apart from the rest of her family while she attended high school.

References
Boe (Bø) and Halvorson-Otterholt; Shared Roots in Telemark. Compiled by Melvin and Alpha M. (Boe) Brodshaug, 1984. Published by Arlene (Boe) Christensen and Marjorie (Boe) Bergee. Printed by Anundsen Publishing Co., Decorah, Iowa. 
Rural Cass County: The Land and People. West Fargo, ND: Cass County Historical Society, 1976.

Religious Freedom Day

January 16 is Religious Freedom Day. It commemorates the passage of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, which was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and passed on 16 January 1786. A presidential proclamation has been issued annually since 1993. The First Freedom Center holds a commemorative event each year.

The Establishment Clause in the First Amendment (Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion) was based on the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom.

My 9th-great-grandparents Benjamin and Margaret (Woodley) Scott  left Widdington, Essex,England because they wanted to be free to practice their religion. They were Quakers. In England, they could be fined for not attending the Church of England. In 1672, Margaret was fined for not going to church. Benjamin Scott was one of the London Commissioners that was sent to West Jersey in 1677 to purchase land from the Lenape.

References
First Freedom Center: About Us
National Religious Freedom Day
ReligiousFreedomDay.com
Religious Freedom Day Guidebook