William Vestal listed by John Cope 1715 Bradford, Chester CO PA son of Oliver and William Vestal has a 1745 Frederick CO VA will. William Vestal's mother Alice was a Quaker convert to the Kiethian Baptist religious movement 1697 but her son reverted back to the Quakers in Bradford, Chester CO PA....and were part of the Hopewell Quakers.

William Vestal, Jr, born 1694 in Birmingham Twp., Chester County, PA; died Bef. 03 Mar 1744/45

in Frederick County, VA. He was the son of William Vestal, Sr. and Alice Olive Glover. He married Elizabeth Mercer 1716 in Westtown Twp., Chester County, PA.

(Elizabeth Mercer, born 1694 in Northampton, England; died 1743 in Cane Creek, Alamance County, NC. She was the daughter of Thomas Mercer, Sr. and Mary Greenaway.)

Notes for William Vestal, Jr:

J. E. Norris in his History of the Shenandoah Valley, p. 58 states, "William and John Vestal made a settlement at a very early date at Vestal's Gap on the Shenandoah River in Frederick County, VA. (about 6 miles east of

Charles Town). While they were building a stone house, they were attacked by Indians and driven across the

river to the mountains. When they returned, one of them brought a yellowish stone from across the river, which

marked the point where they left off building in consequence of the attack. This house still stands but the inscription on one end has been 0partly obliterated, which has given rise to a dispute as to the name being Vest, Vesta or Vestal.

The author (Norris) has found in the 'List of Surveys made by George Washington for Lord Fairfax' the name three times occurring Vestall."

More About William Vestal, Jr:

Burial: 1745, Rocky River, Frederick County, VA

Moved: Aft. 1729, VA

Occupation: 1729, Carpenter

Residence: Bef. 1729, Chester County, PA

Settled: Bef. 1729, Brandywine Creek, Chester County, PA

(More About Elizabeth Mercer:

Moved 1: Aft. 1737, Hopewell MM, Jefferson County, WV

Moved 2: 07 Oct 1751, Cane Creek MM, NC

Of: 03 Aug 1737, Concord Monthly Meeting, PA)

More About William Vestal and Elizabeth Mercer:

Marriage: 1716, Westtown Twp., Chester County, PA

From Ancestry.com WFT research Brandywine Creek, Pennsylvania, until 1729/34 when he sold it and movedto Virginia. and John Vestal made a settlement at very early date at Vestal's Gap onthe Shenandoah River in Frederick County, Va. While they were buildinga stone house they were attached by indians and driven across the riverto the mountains. When they returned one of them brought a yellowishstone from across the river, which marked the point where they left offbuilding inconsequence of the attack". "This house still stands, but theinscription on one end has been partly obliterated, which has given riseto a dispute as to the name being Vest, Vesta, or Vestal. "

Vestal, John Trade, Richardson Stevenson and Daniel Burnett for theconstruction of an iron bloomery for the making of bar iron on theplantation of William Vestal. This iron blommery is said to have beenthe first one erected east of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. (onemile east of Mechanicsville, West Virginia) Jefferson County, West Virginia. Vestal's Gap is now known as Key's gap. written by Denise Ann Martin, 1982. Shenandoah River, about seven miles south of Harper's Ferry. Thedistrict around the bloomery is still known as the Bloomery neighborhood. They ran a ferry there on a route connecting E - W destinations known as"Alexandria-Warm Springs Road". On George Washington's first trip awayfrom home at age 15, with a surveying party, he probably met theVestals. On Washington's first military expedition (French and IndianWar) he documented paying for bacon and ferriage to John Vestal. Laterin this war, Braddock's army crossed the Shenandoah on the Vestal ferry.The site of his iron furnace was at the confluence of the Shenandoah andEvitt's run, just north of the present Route 9 bridge crossing theShenandoah River. The existence of this iron source may have been one ofthe reasons Harper's Ferry was selected as the site of the nation's firstarsenal. Iron from this bloomery could possibly have been used to buildthe frame for a boat to be used on the Lewis & Clark expedition. JohnVestal voted for George Washington in his first two elections. Baptist faith, but it appears that sometime after 1717, he later joinedthe Friends Society. Elizabeth Mercer was disciplined by the FriendsSociety for marrying out of the church.