Capt. William Cabell, MD

William Cabell was born March 9, 1687 in Wiltshire, England. He was the son of Dr. Nicholas Cabell and wife Rachel Hooper. He studied medicine at the London College of Surgery and Medicine. Upon graduation he joined the Royal Navy, attaining the rank of Captain. He came to Virginia in c.1724. He married (1) Elizabeth Burks, daughter of Samuel Burks and Mary Davis, and (2) widow Margaret Meredith.

The first really authentic record of William Cabell is in 1726, when he was deputy sheriff in St. James Parish, Henrico county, an office of great importance at that time. Probably some time in 1726 he married Miss Elizabeth Burks, and in 1728 removed to a settlement on Licking Hole Creek, in what is now Goochland County, where he was elected a justice of the first county court, held from May 21 to June 1 1728. In November of the same year he was made a member of the first grand jury, and in December was qualified as a coroner, his knowledge of medicine and surgery fitting him for the office. From 1730 to 1734 he spent much time in locating lands for settlement in the region west of the mouth of the Rockfish river, being the first Englishman to make such an attempt.

In 1733, having located a large tract of land, he "entered for" it, but, before finally securing the legal right to the land, was obliged to go to England, leaving his wife and two friends as his attorneys. The survey was made in 1737, extending for twenty miles along both sides of the James river. In 1738 a patent for 4,800 acres of land was issued to him by Gov William Gooch, and in 1739 a grant of 440 acres was added. Dr. Cabell returned in 1741. In 1743 he was granted 1,200 acres adjoining his patent of 4,800 acres, and soon after his return from England he removed from Licking Hole Creek to the mouth of Swan Creek in what became Nelson County.

In 1744 Albemarle County was formed, and he was one of the first justices; in August, 1746, he was commissioned coroner, and in September assistant surveyor of the county. In December, 1753, having increased his land by about 26,000 acres, he gave up his surveying business to his son William, resuming his medical practice at that time.

He wrote his will on January 3, 1769, leaving his whole remaining estate to his youngest son, Nicholas, whom he appointed his whole and sole executor. He is buried at Liberty Hall, Warminister,

His wife Elizabeth died in 1756. On Sept 30, 1762, he married Margaret, widow of Samuel Meredith

He died April 7, 1774 and was buried in the family cemetery on Liberty Hall Plantation. His grandson, Joseph C. Cabell commissioned a large monument to be placed on his grandparents' gravesite. The inscription on the monument reads:

Near this spot lie the early remains of Dr. William Cabell of Wiltshire, England, the founder of the family in Virginia which bears his name. Those of Elizabeth Cabell, his wife, and the mother of his children, who died Sept. 21, 1756 lie by his side. A Christian lady greatly beloved of her family and friends, and a pattern of domestic virtue, William Cabell emigrated from Warminster, England to the Colony of Virginia about 1723, or 1724.

Born March 9, 1687

Died Apr. 12, 1774

In honor of their memory was this stone erected by the piety of their grandson, Joseph C. Cabell

Note: the Cabell Plantation on Swan Creek in current Nelson County, Virginia, was not known as “Liberty Hall” during the lifetimes of William Cabell and Elizabeth Burks. It was originally "Swan Creek" plantation, and was occasionally referred to as "Warminster Plantation," from the town the grew up near by. It was renamed “Liberty Hall” during the American Revolution, by their son Nicholas, who had inherited the property. See http://www.cabell.com/libertyhall.html.

Children of William Cabell and Elizabeth Burks:

• George Cabell
• John Cabell
• Col. Joseph Cabell
• Nicholas Cabell
• William Cabell II
• Mary Cabell

▼References

1. The Cabells and their kin : a memorial volume of history, biography and genealogy, 22, 35.
2. MacKenzie, George N. Colonial families of the United States of America: in which is given the history, genealogy and armorial bearings of colonial families who settled in the American colonies from the time of the settlement of Jamestown, 13th May, 1607, to the battle of Lexington, 19th April, 1775. (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1912; 1966; 1995), Seven volumes, 8105.
3. The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans ... By John Howard Brown.
4. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=73531273&ref=wvr