Anne Thornton

Biography

Anne (Youell) Thornton was born in November 1654 in North Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia, Colonial America. Her parents were Captain Thomas Youell, II and Ann (Sturman) Youell.

Anne married Luther T. Thornton in 1675 in Farnham, VA, United States. Together they had the following children: Luke Thornton, Jr.; John Thornton, Jr.; Elizabeth (Thornton) Brown; Matthew Thornton; Ann (Thornton) Mountjoy; Mark I. Thornton, I; Dr. Thomas Thornton, Sr.; Roland Thornton.

She died on October 5, 1725 in North Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia, Colonial America.

Reasons why Luke Thornton's wife Anne is Anne Youell

A Luke Thornton left a Will in Richmond County, Vriginia in 1725/6. Because he likely had a son Luke (who would thus be "junior"), the father is sometimes referred to as Luke "senior". There is information about him in John Bennett Boddie's "Southern Families". There it states that, within a year or two before his death, Luke had deeded some property, and his wife at the time of the deeds was named Ann. The issue here is, what was Ann's maiden name. I would like to propose as a THEORY that she was born Ann Youell (a/k/a Yowell, Youill, Yuille and Ewell), circa 1651 in Westmoreland County, to Thomas and Ann (Sturman) Youell. Why? Clues. Clue 1. A Youell Boston lived in Orange County, Virginia in and prior to 1786 (see Orange Road Orders). He is widely believed to have been the son of Robert and Margaret (Thornton) Boston, who were married in Richmond County, Virginia in September 1727. (See North Farnham Parish Register)

Clue 2. Margaret Thornton was likely born between 1705 and 1710, and given her name and location, there is a strong possibility (even probability?) that she was the daughter of Luke and Margaret (James??) Thornton of Richmond County.

Clue 3. This Margaret Thornton would have known her paternal grandmother, Ann (Youell??) Thornton personally, because Margaret was born before 1710 and her grandmother did not die until 1724 or so. There is a very real possibility that Margaret Thornton would have learned the maiden name of this grandmother. (Not to be a "sexist" but I believe there is a form of "female lore" concerning family history, and women pay particular attention to their maternal lines, and the maiden names of their mothers and grandmothers.)

Clue 4. Luke and Ann (Youell??) Thornton had several children besides Luke "junior". These included a son Thomas and a daughter Ann.

Clue 5. In those more tradition-bound times, couples often (altho not always) named children for the grandparents.

Clue 6. According to Boddie (and I quote), "Luke Thornton first appears in the records of Westmoreland Co., Va. Sept. 26, 1677 (O. Bk. 1675/6-1688/9, p. 341). However, he moved very soon thereafter to old Rappahannock (later Richmond) Co., where he was deeded land successively in 1679, 1681, and 1685 (Rappahannock D. & W. 1677-82, pp. 255 and 310; 1680-88, p. 169). He and his son, Luke Thornton, Jr., were deeded additional land in Westmoreland Co. May 29, 1700 by Randolph Kirk (Westmoreland O. B. 1698-1705, p. 81a)."

Clue 7. In Westmoreland County had lived Thomas and Ann (Sturman) Youell. This couple had a daughter named Ann, born before 1754. She received a bequest in the Will of her maternal grandmother, Ann Sturman, in 1654. She also received a bequest in the Will of her own mother, Ann (Sturman) (Youell) Hull in 1670. Nothing is ever "easy" however, and there is some confusion about this 1670 Will. Someone has transcribed the name of Ann and her sister Winefred as "Hull", but they were plainly born Youell, as established in the 1654 Will of their grandmother. Alternatively, the county clerk, in copying the Will into the county record books, might have introduced error and called these girls "Hull" (like their mother) out of a misunderstanding or inattention to the task at hand.

Clue 8. In the 1670 Will of Ann (Sturnam) (Youell) Hull, she specifcally noted that her daughter Ann was still single at that time.

Clue 9. Luke Thornton, who was in Westmoreland County by 1677, and likely had married an Ann about 1673, and then named two of his children Thomas and Ann, could quite possibly have married Ann Youell.

Clue 10. I have searched the Latter Day Saints site (www.familysearch.org) and lots of trees posted on World Connect (www.rootsweb.com), and looked at as much information as I have so far been able to find on this Youell family, and I have not found anyone claiming to have identified the husband of this Ann Youell.

Clue 11. The last known child of Luke and Ann (Youell??) Thornton was Thomas, born April 05, 1688 (per North Farnham Parish Register). IF he was Ann's last child, then she was likely born somewhere between 1648 and 1651.

Conclusion. Through geographic proximity, proper timing, and naming clues, there is some substantial circumstantial evidence that Ann, the wife of Luke Thornton, Sr., might have been born a Youell. If anyone has information that would support OR discredit this theory, please post here and/or contact me directly at duaenaboggs@live.com.

pjsroots originally shared this on Ancestry.com 13 Feb 2011 story