Dr. William Lynn Born about 1690 in Ulster, Ireland

Ancestors ancestors

Son of William David Lynn [uncertain] and Margaret (Patton) Lynn [uncertain]

Brother of Elizabeth (Lynn) Hutchenson, Sarah Cameron (Lynn) Patton, Thomas Andrew Linn, Margaret (Lynn) Lewis, John Lynn, Audley Lynn, Charles Lynn and Ann (Lynn) Miller

[spouse%28s%29 unknown]

Father of Ann (Lynn) Finnie

Died 1758 in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County, Virginia Colony

Biography

Dr. William Lynn, brother of Charles Lynn, Audley Lynn, Elizabeth (Lynn) Hutchenson, and Margaret (Lynn) Lewis, wrote his will on October 21, 1757 and named these four siblings (describing Audley as deceased) and no more. He named no sons in his will but made bequests to his daughter Ann and to several more distant relatives back in Ireland. (Note: The .pdf files attached to this profile are Dr. Lynn's will and my transcription thereof. Loretta (Lynn) Layman)

A birth date for Dr. Lynn earlier than 1690 seems unlikely since, in his 1757 will, he expressed the expectation that his daughter might bear a son sometime in the future.

On January 2, 1715/16, an apothecary named William Lin petitioned the Londonderry Common Council for admission as a freeman of the city of Londonderry, Ireland.[1] Apothecaries in that day had earned the status of skilled practitioners and often served as physicians. At the same time, it wasn't until the 19th century that the medical professions as a whole were fully established in their modern institutional forms. It may be no coincidence that one Roger Dixon appears in the Londonderry minute book just twenty-five days later - Dr. Lynn bequeathed certain of his property to "my friend Mr. Roger Dixon". Several men named Dent, which would become the married name of Dr. Lynn's daughter Ann, also appear in the Londonderry minute book as contemporaries of William.

In two later Virginia land acquisitions, Dr. Lynn was described not simply as a doctor of Spotsylvania County but as a "Gent. & Practitioner of Physick". In his will, he described himself as a "doctor of physic", which in that era meant a doctor of medicine while the field of physics was part of what then was called "natural philosophy", referring to the study of the natural world.

Leaving a number of relatives in northwest Ulster, Dr. Lynn crossed the Atlantic sometime in or before 1727 and settled in the colony of Virginia. In 1727, he and Robert Brooke, Jr., Robert Lewis, James Mills, William Lewis, and Beverly Robinson petitioned the Governor and Council of Virginia for "Fifty Thousand Acres ... on the head branches of the James River to the West and Northwestward of the Cow Pasture [River] ... lying among the great North Mountains, being about Two Hundred Miles at least from any landing ..." They also asked to be allowed six years to seat the land with "one Family for every Thousand Acres".[2][3] The Cowpasture River flows from Bullpasture Mountain in the north to just south of Iron Gate, Virginia, where it empties into the James River. It passes Staunton, Virginia roughly 25 miles west of the city.

In the early 1730s, Dr. Lynn's brother-in-law John Lewis, along with James Patton, requested a patent for "30,000 acres along the Calf Pasture River, west of Beverley Manor and next to William Lynn's grant". This patent was granted in 1739.[4] The Calf Pasture River flows from Gordons Peak in the Allegheny Mountains to Maury River, which then empties into the James. It passes Staunton roughly 16 miles west of the city; thus, William Lynn's property lay on the west side of John Lewis's.

In about 1743, Dr. Lynn made a permanent home 150 miles away in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. On June 9 of that year, he purchased Lot 22 in Fredericksburg from Humphrey and Frances Hill of King and Queen County for 310 pounds. On October 1, 1745, he purchased Lot 60 from Richard Todd of King and Queen County for 40 pounds. On March 12, 1754, he was conveyed Lot 13 in Fredericksburg by the estate of Gilson Berryman of Stafford County, Virginia.[5] In the fifteen years between 1743 and his death in 1758, Dr. Lynn acquired numerous properties in Spotsylvania, Orange, and Culpepper Counties, seven of which - totalling more than 1,500 acres - are described in his will. Dr. Lynn apparently had disposed of the Cowpasture land as it is never mentioned again after 1739.

While still new to Fredericksburg, "Dr. William Lynn, a recent arrival from elsewhere in the Colony", was one of three non-residents of Fredericksburg included in a 1744 "new commission of the peace" sent from Williamsburg to the sitting justices of the court of Fredericksburg. In the commission, the three men were to be made new justices. Protocol was that sitting justices were to nominate men for the position and the Governor would then act on the nominations. Having these three men added as justices without being nominated by the sitting justices was offensive to the sitting justices, who all resigned. Within a month, however, they acquired a new commission of the peace, and Lynn's name never appeared again as a justice for Fredericksburg, although he had taken the oath.[6]

Though removed from Augusta County, Dr. Lynn still had associations there. In November 1751, he was the plaintiff in an Augusta County lawsuit in which he was described as the "Irish Doctor William Lynn of Fredericksburg". Interestingly, the defendant was "Irish Doctor John Lynn, of Augusta". In the following year, it was noted in a lawsuit captioned Wright vs. Linn that Dr. John Linn had left Augusta County.[7] While supporting evidence is lacking, it has been suggested that the two men were brothers. Dr. John, however, was not named in William's will; and it is possible that they were not brothers but cousins.

On January 16, 1752, Dr. Lynn ran unsuccessfully for Spotsylvania's Representative in the House of Burgesses. He placed third out of five candidates with 32 votes to the winner's 159.[8]

Dr. Lynn also served in the Colonial army of Virginia. On January 26, 1753, he was commissioned as Captain of the Independent Company of Foot, composed of the "Gentlemen Inhabitants of the Town of Fredericksburg". He took the oath on February 7. On July 29, 1755, William Lynn, Gentleman was commissioned as Major.[9]

About this time, Dr. Lynn's health began to fail. He wrote his will on October 21, 1757; then added, dated, and signed the appointment of an additional executor on February 16, 1758. The will was probated less than a month later, on March 7, 1758. Thus, Dr. Lynn must have died between February 16 and March 7, 1758. In his will, he made bequests to his "friend Mr. Roger Dixon" and the following relatives ...

   "my Daughter Ann Dent" 

   "my reputed Daughter, Mrs. Hannah McCauley" 

   "Mary McCauley, daughter of the aforementioned Hannah McCauley", 

   "children of my Brother Charles in Ireland ... his eldest son, William Lynn" 

   "the Daughter of my Brother Audley Lynn, Dec'd, named Ann, now living in London with her Mother who married Doctor Paul" 

   "my sister Elizabeth Hutchenson in Ireland and ... her children ... Her two oldest David & William" 

   "my kinsman Moses Lynn near Strabane in Ireland ... [and] his sister Elizabeth, who first married Samuel Cook" 

   "the children of my kinswoman Margaret Stuart now living in Augusta County, in Virginia which she had by her former husband, the Rev. Mr. Paul" 

   "the female issue of Lieut. Matthew Lynn, near Londonderry, in Ireland" 

   "my Brother in Law Mr. Charles Colhoun & my sister in Law, Rebecca Colhoun, both of Letter Kenny in Ireland" 

   "my sister [blank] Lewis & my Nephews Thomas Lewis, Andrew Lewis, William Lewis & Charles Lewis ... all of Augusta Co. [Virginia]"[10] 

Many Lynn genealogists assume that Hannah McCauley was Dr. Lynn's illegitimate daughter, but it is just as likely that she was a daughter of his wife but that he had reason to believe he was not the father. In those days, when there were no paternity tests, any child born during a marriage was always legally presumed to be a child of the husband.

Images of documents concerning the life of Dr. William Lynn of Fredericksburg, taken from historical records, can be seen at this writer's website at [1]. Sources

   ↑ http://www.proni.gov.uk/la_79_2_aa_3a_1704-1720_pdf8.pdf : Corporation of Londonderry Minute Book, vol. 3A, p. 256 (p. 14 of the .pdf), Londonderry City, County Londonderry, Ireland; images of the original at : 1715 Admission of William Lin, apothecary, as a freeman of Londonderry

   ↑ Gray, Gertrude E. : "Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants", Vol. II 1742-1775, Baltimore, MD (1988), pp. 41, 47

   ↑ https://archive.org/stream/virginiamagazine13bruc#page/114/mode/1up...] : Virginia Historical Society : "The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography", vol. 13, Richmond, VA (Jul. 1905), p. 114 citing "Calendar of Virginia State Papers", vol. I, p. 214 : 1727 Petition to Governor and Council of Virginia (1875)

   ↑ Lewis, Thomas A. : "West from Shenandoah - A Scotch-Irish Family Fights for America - 1729-1783", John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Publishers, NJ (2004), pp. 27, 111

   ↑ Crozier, William Armstrong, Edit. : "Virginia County Records. Spotsylvania County, 1721-1800, Being Transcriptions, from the Original Files at the County Court House”, Fox, Duffield & Company, NY (1905), pp. 163, 171, 195

   ↑ Felder, Paula S. : "Forgotten Companions, the First Settlers of Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburgh Town", VA (1982), pp. 103-5, 133

   ↑ https://archive.org/stream/chroniclesscotc00lockgoog#page/n307/mode... : Chalkley, Lyman : "Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia : Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County 1745-1800", Rosslyn, VA (1912), Vol. I, pp. 305, 307

   ↑ Felder, Ibid., p. 237

   ↑ Crozier, Ibid., p. 516

   ↑ Spotsylvania County, VA Will Book B, 1749-1759, pp. 350-54 : Last Will and Testament of Dr. William Lynn of Fredericksburg, VA

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Lynn-159

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https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=kerrstudio&id=I5648

Event: Alt Birth Abt. 1671 ,, Ireland

Biography

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Lynn-159

Dr. William Lynn, brother of Charles Lynn, Audley Lynn, Elizabeth (Lynn) Hutchenson, and Margaret (Lynn) Lewis, wrote his will on 21 October 1757 and named these four siblings (describing Audley as deceased) and no more. He named no sons in his will but made bequests to his daughter Ann and to several more distant relatives back in Ireland.

• Residence: Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States
  • Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jul 15 2021, 2:28:08 UTC
  • (Note: The .pdf files are Dr. Lynn's will and my transcription thereof. Loretta (Lynn) Layman)
  • 1757 Will of Dr. William Lynn of Fredericksburg, Virginia < PDF >
  • Transcript of the 1757 Will of Dr. William Lynn of Fredericksburg, Virginia < PDF >

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A birth date for Dr. Lynn earlier than 1690 seems unlikely since, in his 1757 will, he expressed the expectation that his daughter, Ann, might bear a son sometime in the future.

On January 2, 1715/6, an apothecary named William Lin petitioned the Londonderry Common Council for admission as a freeman of the city of Londonderry, Ireland [Corporation of L.Derry Minute Book, v. 4, p. 51]. Apothecaries in that day had earned the status of skilled practitioners and often served as physicians. At the same time, it wasn't until the 19th century that the medical professions as a whole were fully established in their modern institutional forms. It may be no coincidence that one Roger Dixon appears in the Londonderry minute book just twenty-five days later - Dr. Lynn of Fredericksburg bequeathed certain of his property to "my friend Mr. Roger Dixon". Several men named Dent, which would become the married name of Dr. Lynn's daughter Ann, also appear in the Londonderry minute book as contemporaries of William.

Leaving a large number of relatives in northwest Ulster, Dr. Lynn crossed the Atlantic sometime in or before 1727 and settled in what would become Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 1727, he and Robert Brooke, Jr., Robert Lewis, James Mills, William Lewis, and Beverly Robinson petitioned the Governor and Council of Virginia for "Fifty Thousand Acres ... on the head branches of the James River to the West and Northwestard of the Cow Pasture ... lying among the great North Mountains, being about Two Hundred Miles at least from any landing ..." They also asked to be allowed six years to seat the land with "one Family for every Thousand Acres". ["The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography", v. 13, Richmond, VA (Jul. 1905), p. 114]

In 1727, Dr. Lynn, Robert Lewis, William Lewis, and others petitioned the Governor and Council of Virginia for 50,000 acres of land "on the Cow Pasture and James Rivers, 'lying among the Great North Mountains'”. [Virginia Historical Society : “The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography”, Vol. 13, Richmond, VA (Jul. 1905), p. 114; citing "Calendar of Virginia State Papers", Vol. I, p. 214] The Cow Pasture River at one point lies about forty miles west of Staunton, Virginia, home of Dr. Lynn’s sister Margaret (Lynn) Lewis and her family. It runs north and south with its south end joining the James River. The “Great North Mountains” presumably refers to some part of the Appalachian range. However, Dr. Lynn had a second home in Fredericksburg near the Chesapeake Bay.

On 9 June 1743 and 1 October 1745, William Lynn of Fredericksburg, Doctor of Physic, purchased lots in the town of Fredericksburg. The first was lot no. 22 purchased from Humphrey and Frances Hill of King and Queen County for 310 pounds. The sale was recorded on 5 July. The second was lot no. 60 in Fredericksburg from Richard Todd of King and Queen Co. for forty pounds. [William Armstrong Crozier, F.R.S., Edit. : “Spotsylvania, Virginia County Records, 1721-1800”, pp. 163, 171; citing Spotsylvania County Deed Book D (1742-51)].

Dr. Lynn also served in Virginia’s Colonial militia. On January 26, 1753, he was commissioned as “Captain of the Independent Company of Foot, composed of the Gentlemen Inhabitants of the Town of Fredericksburg” ["Virginia Magazine", Ibid., p. 246]. He took the oath on February 7. On the same day, his son-in-law John Dent took the oath as Lieutenant to William Lynn, Gentleman, Captain of the Independent Company of Foot. [Crozier, Ibid., p. 516; citing Spotsylvania County Order Book 1749-55 at pp. 246-7]

Dr. Lynn served well and was commissioned a Major as William Lynn, Gent., on 29 July 1755. His son-in-law, John Dent, Gentleman, had been commissioned new Captain of the Fredericksburg Company seven days earlier. ["Spotsylvania County, 1721-1800; being transcriptions ... (etc.)", Fox, Duffield & Co., NY (1905); Crozier, Ibid., p. 516; citing Order Book 1755-65].

Dr. Lynn’s military commissions in 1753 and 1755 underscore the improbability that he was born earlier than 1690. Even with 1690 as a birth year, he would have been 63 when first commissioned.

Dr. William Lynn's son-in-law preceded him in death. On 6 April 1756, William Lynn posted a bond of £100 as administrator of the estate of John Dent, decd., with Roger Dixon as security. [Crozier, Ibid., p. 163]. John was the husband of William’s daughter Ann. Sometime after John's death, Ann married James Finney.

On 2 December 1766, James Finnie and Ann, his wife, daughter of Dr. Wm. Lynn, sold Ann’s interest in lot 22 in Fredericksburg to James Duncanson for 90 pounds. The transaction noted that Ann had received the lot from her father in his will and, further, that she was at that time the wife of John Dent and was now party to the 1766 sale. [Crozier, Ibid., p. 252].

Dr. Lynn had fallen ill and executed his will on 21 October 1757. On 16 February 1758, he added, dated, and signed the appointment of an additional executor. The will was probated less than a month later, on 7 March 1758, so that Dr. Lynn must have died between 16 February and 7 March 1758. [Spotsylvania County Will Book B, 1749-1759 : pp. 350-54]. In the will, he described himself thus : "I William Lynn of the Town of Fredericksburgh in Virginia Doctor of Physic being now but in a bad state of health but of perfect mind and memory & knowing the uncertainty of life, do make this my last will & testament revoking all other wills by me hereto made, and after committing my soul to God with hopes of a remission of my sins at the general resurrection thr’o my Saviour & Redeemer Jesus Christ ..."

A complete verbatim transcript of the 5-page will, as well as an image of each page of the original, are at http://www.house-of-lynn.com/Dr_William_Lynn.html. It is comprised of the original will and the codicil, both written by Dr. Lynn's hand. While the signatures to the will and the codicil are in identical handwriting, the Court clerk's signature, "Wm. Waller", to the two statements added at probate is very different from Dr. Lynn's, as easily seen by comparing the letters "W" and "l".

The will provides good details of Dr. Lynn's family :

• "my Daughter Ann Dent"
• "my reputed Daughter, Mrs. Hannah McCauly"
• "Mary McCauley, daughter of the aforementioned Hannah McCauley"
• "children of my Brother Charles in Ireland ... his eldest son, William Lynn" Here, it is too bad Dr. Lynn didn't specifically name Charles's other children.
• "the Daughter of my Brother Audley Lynn, Dec'd, named Ann, now living in London with her Mother who married Doctor Paul"
• "my sister Elizabeth Hutcherson in Ireland and ... her children ... Her two oldest David & William" [Again, would that he had named the other children.]
• "my kinsman Moses Lynn near Strabane in Ireland ... [and] his sister Elizabeth, who first married Samuel Cook"
• "the children of my kinswoman Margaret Stuart now living in Augusta County, in Virginia which she had by her former husband, the Rev. Mr. Paul"
• "the female issue of Lieut. Matthew Lynn, near Londonderry, in Ireland"
• "my Brother in Law Mr. Charles Colhoun & my sister in Law, Rebecca Colhoun, both of Letter Kenny in Ireland"
• "my sister [blank] Lewis & my Nephews Thomas Lewis, Andrew Lewis, William Lewis & Charles Lewis ... all of Augusta Co. [Virginia]" This sister clearly is Margaret (Lynn) Lewis, whose son Brigadier General Andrew Lewis, distinguished himself in the American Revolution.

The only other possible sibling of Dr. William Lynn is Dr. John Lynn, whom William had sued in 1751 in Augusta County, Virginia [Lyman Chalkley : "Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia", Vol. I, Rosslyn, VA (1912), pp. 305, 307]. Since there was a lawsuit, it would be understandable if William simply chose not to name John in his will. It has since become a legal requirement to name all possible heirs and give them $1 each in to avoid later legal battles. Dr. John Lynn reportedly attempted, unsuccessfully, to make a claim on William's estate, though I personally have not seen a record thereof. In any case, there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that William had a brother named Andrew.

One question remains. Exactly who was Dr. William Lynn's "reputed Daughter, Mrs. Hannah McCauly"? One popular assumption is that she was Dr. Lynn's illegitimate daughter. However, it is just as likely she was the daughter of his wife conceived while she and Dr. Lynn were still married but by someone other than Dr. Lynn. Any child conceived during a marriage is presumed under the law to be a child conceived of the husband; in that day, unfortunately, there was no way to either prove or disprove paternity since DNA tests were not then available. In such cases, the husband could refer to the child as “reputed” (in the same manner, e.g., as “This treatment is a reputed cure for cancer, but studies haven’t confirmed that claim.” Notably, Dr. Lynn's widow failed to appear to participate in or respond to the probate of his estate.

About this time, Dr. Lynn's health began to fail, and he wrote his will on October 21, 1757. On February 16, 1758, he added, dated, and signed the appointment of an additional executor. The will was probated less than a month later, on March 7, 1758, so that Dr. Lynn must have died between February 16 and March 7, 1758. In addition to the siblings listed in the first paragraph above, William bequeathed land to his "friend Mr. Roger Dixon".

Additional details of Dr. Lynn's life taken from historical records, along with images and a transcript of his will, can be seen at this writer's website at http://www.house-of-lynn.com/Dr_William_Lynn.html.

~ Loretta (Lynn) Layman)

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The following provided by Mary D. Taffet at http://genforum.genealogy.com/lynn/messages/2519.html ... Virginia County Records Dr. William Lynn's will was witnessed by John Holloday, William Houston, Robert Duncanson. Executors were Colo. John Thornton, William McWilliams, Junr., and Roger Dixon, to whom is given a suit of mourning of the price of 12 pounds current money, each. Leg[atee]. My body to be decently interred in my garden. Additional specific bequests : Daughter Ann Dent, plantation in Culpeper Co. bought of William Eddings, also tract of land adjoining, bought of Alexander Waugh, during her natural life, then to the heirs of the said Ann Dent, and in event of said Ann Dent dying without issue, then to be divided among the children of my reputed daughter, Mrs. Hannah MaCaulay, of her lawfully begotten; to Ann Dent, my house and lot on the Hill in Fredericksburg. To my reputed daughter, Mrs. Hannah McCauley, use of my let tenement houses, garden, etc. which I now rent to William Houston in Fredericksburg, and also a lot of ground bought of Gibson Berryman, also tract of land in Culpeper Co., which I bought of William Eddings. To Mary McCauley, daughter of the aforementioned Hannah McCauley, a tract of land in Culpeper Co. which I hold by deed from the proprietors of the Northern Neck. Wife and children of Francis Cochland, who is sister to Mrs. Cook in Strabane. Friend Roger Dixon, land in Orange Co. Directs his executors to sell three tracts of land in Culpeper Co., and a third tract purchased of John and Edward Daugherty, also two tracts of land in Prince William Co., which I lately agreed with Mr. Isaac Savage, of Boston, in New England, for the purchase of. A codicil to the above, dated Feb. 16, 1758, and witnessed by William Finnie, William Houston and Lewis Willis; appoints his friend, Col. Fielding Lewis as one of the executors.

At a Court held for Spotsylvania Co. Aug. 2nd, 1758, Ann Dent, widow, (since the wife of James Finnie) having been legally summoned to appear and make objection, if any she had, against the proof of the will of William Lynn, Gentl. deced. to whom she is heir at law, etc. etc. (Page 350)"

Notably, Dr. William Lynn's widow failed to appear in Court concerning his will.