Elizabeth Jordan

Biography

Retrieved from https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reynolds-233 and then edited

Elizabeth Reynolds was the daughter of Christopher REYNOLDS and Elizabeth MATHEWS. She was born about 1644 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia Colony, and died after 1701 in Surry County, Virginia Colony.

Note: Elizabeth was unmarried and under the age of 15 when mentioned in her father's will dated May 1, 1654, indicating that she was born no earlier than 1640. If she had been born before 1640, she would already have been of age at the time of her father's death.

Elizabeth REYNOLDS married Richard JORDAN between May 1654 and Jun 1667 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia Colony. He was the son of Richard Jordan (died 1687) and his first wife.

Note: The will of John Reynolds, brother of Elizabeth, is dated 1 Mar 1668. At the time of her brother's death, Elizabeth is already married to Richard Jordan and has a son named Richard Jordan, who is also mentioned in his uncle John's will.
Note: US and International marriage records indicate that Elizabeth and Richard were married May 1654. The date on the marriage record may be incorrect since Elizabeth was born after 1640 there would have been a long span before the birth of their first child, Richard III, in 1668. Richard III's birth date is calculated based on information from his Uncle John Reynold's will and the Surry titheables.

Elizabeth married Richard Jordan, II circa 1672 in what is now Gates Co, near Coropeake.

Together they had the following children:

1. Elizabeth Fort;
2. Margaret Jordan;
3. Rachel Jordan;
4. Robert Jordan, III;
5. John Jordan;
6. Sarah Jordan.

She died after 1699 in Surry County, Virginia, United States.

Children listed in Will of Richard Jordan:[see his profile]

1. Richard III Jordan
2. Charles Jordan
3. Robert Jordan
4. Rachel Jordan
5. Elizabeth Jordan
6. Margaret Jordan
7. Hannah Jordan
8. Mary Jordan
9. Sarah Jordan

Notes

Note: Analysis of court records indicate that Christopher Reynolds was the father of Elizabeth Reynolds and that she was the spouse of Richard (II) Jordan rather than Richard (I) Jordan

John Reynolds Left Will 11 Mar 1668/9-3May 1669 Names Brother George Rivers, brother Richard, sister Jane, Sister Elizabeth Rivers and her dau Mary and sister " Elizabeth JORDAN and her SON RICHARD JORDAN" (II).[2]

3) Elizabeth Reynolds, born about 1638, Cypress Creek & Pagan River, Warrosquyoake, Virginia, married Richard Jordan about 1653/1654 [erroneous data]

Supporting data

Elizabeth Reynolds  (c.1640-44 – aft 1700)  She was unmarried and under 15 when her father’s will was written in 1654.  The fact that she had already received livestock from him implies she was older than an infant, perhaps not many years younger than 15.  Her brother’s will of March 1669 calls her “sister Eliza Jordan”, with a son named Richard Jordan.  Though many researchers have assumed she married the Richard Jordan mentioned in her father’s will, the evidence actually favors the theory that she married his son Richard Jordan Jr.  Richard Jordan Sr. does not appear in any records with a wife named Elizabeth, the first appearance of a wife being one named Alice in 1679.  However, his son Richard Reynolds Jr. appears in the records as a witness in January 1662 and again in 1667, and as a head of household in the Surry County tithables of 1673, making him much too old to have been the child of Elizabeth Reynolds.  Richard Jordan Jr.’s own son, Richard Jordan III, is a tithable of his father beginning in 1685, implying a birth date of 1668/9, and making him the obvious candidate to be the son mentioned in John Reynolds’ will.  Richard Jordan Jr. did, in fact, have a wife named Elizabeth, though her first appearance in the records is fifteen years after the will, a release of dower on 4 November 1684.  However, his will calls her the mother of a minor son born c.1677, indicating they were married at least by then.  That will, dated 10 September 1695 and proved 7 November 1699, makes Elizabeth his executor and names nine children: Richard, Charles, Robert, Elizabeth Fort, Margaret House, Rachael, Mary, Hannah, and Sarah (the latter three under 16).  Elizabeth Jordan was alive as late as 7 May 1700 when she presented her husband’s appraisal but does not appear in any records thereafter.  See the separate page on Which Richard Jordan Married Elizabeth Reynolds for a more thorough discussion of this topic.  Also see the separate Jordan document for this family in general.

(Abstract found in Wills and Administrations of Isle of Wight County, VA, 1647-1800, Chapman)

Reynolds, Christopher, Planter: Leg. Son Christopher land that Richard Jordan liveth on; son John; son Richard; daughter Abbasha; daughter Elizabeth; daughter Jane; George Rivers; unborn child; wife Elizabeth. May 1, 1654. Wit: Sylvester Bullen, Anthony Matthews. Page 46, P.2.

(Transcript from document image by Laura Knight):

In the Name of God Amen the first day of May 1654, I Christopher Reynolds of the Isle of Wight County in Virginia, planter, being healthful in Body and sound in Mind & Memory make this my last Will & Testament in manner and form as followeth: First I give and Bequeath my Soul into the Hands of God my Creator and Maker and my Body to be Buried in sure and certain Hope of Resurection to Eternal Life thro the only Merit & Satisfaction of Jesus Christ my only Saviour & Redeemer.

Imprimis I Give & Bequeath unto my Son Christopher Reynolds all my Land on the Southerly side of the Cypress Swamp that Richard Jordan now liveth upon.

And I give unto my Son John all my Land on the Northerly side of the said Cypress Swamp and one Cow and he to enjoy the said Land at Twenty one Years of Age.

And unto my son Richard I give all my Land I now live upon and one Cow and he to possess this land at twenty one Years of Age.

And my Daughter Abbasha I have given unto her a Portion already which was two Cows and two Calves.

And I give unto my Daughter Elizabeth one Heifer of two Years old besides the Stock I gave her formerly.

And unto my Daughter Jane I give one Cow and on Yearling heifer.

And I give unto George Rivers one Yearling Heifer.

And I give unto the Child my Wife now goeth with if it lives two Cows to enjoy them at three Years old.

And if any of my Children dye my Will is that the other should Succeed what Estate they leave.

And unto Elizabeth my loving Wife I give all the rest of my Estate both Goods & Chattles Movable & Unmovable and Debts that are due to me from any person or persons whatsoever and my two Servants she paying all my Debts truly & justly.

And I do Constitute and Ordain Elizabeth my loving Wife my whole & sole Executrix.

And my Will is that my Wife Elizabeth shall have the ordering & bringing up John & Richard my Sons until they be sixteen Years of Age And Elizabeth & Jane until they be fifteen Years of Age.

In Witness whereof I, the sd Christopher Reynolds have hereunto set my Hand & Seal this Day & Year first above written.

Signed and seal.

Sealed Subscribed and Delivered in the Presence of Sylvester B. Bullen, (mark) Anthony A. Mathews (mark) Examined and truly Transcribed Teste. Ja. Baker Clerk

Baird note: Christopher Reynolds Jr. was the eldest son, according to a later patent [see entry below for 10 May 1679] and was evidently already of age when this will was written. Note that sons John and Richard were to receive their land at age 21, but Christopher received his immediately. The will also tells us that John and Richard Reynolds were under 16, and Elizabeth and Jane were under 15. Abbasha was apparently over 15 but not yet married. The “child my wife now goeth with” almost certainly refers to an unborn child. George Rivers, later called “brother ” in the will of John Reynolds, was apparently a stepson.

LK note: I formerly disagreed with Baird on this point, but after parsing all the records and relationships, I've changed my mind. The probable gap between the birth of the older children and the fact that Elizabeth was again pregnant at the time of the will raises questions. More than that, there is a division between the families of Christopher and Richard (John dies young) that becomes more and more apparent as one looks at the documentary record that is available.

As for Christopher’s reference to “my sons”, that wasn’t unusual at all as an expression. Also, frequently, a father would assign guardianship away from the wife in his will. The sons were, effectively, the property of the father. That he made no stipulation about George Rivers doesn’t tell us much. Was George under age, but under the guardianship of his mother? Or was he of age to receive an inheritance? The fact that he was only given a cow suggests that he might have had his own inheritance either already in hand or pending. If George Rivers was of age (16 at least), then his mother was probably Reynolds only wife.

The date of birth of Jane Reynolds is completely unknown. We don’t know if she was a very small child, or close to the age of maturity. It may be that there was not such a large child-bearing gap after all.

I agree with Baird that it is interesting that Christopher divided land he did not live on between his sons Christopher and John, and left his home plantation to Richard. This suggests something of favoritism toward Richard; perhaps he was seen by his father as stronger, smarter and more competent. And, referring back to my speculation that there is some fundamental difference between the lines of Christopher and Richard, a difference of character, perhaps the best solution is that Christopher and Abbasha were children of a different mother?

1654 - Jordan, Richard and Elizabeth Reynolds, daughter of Christopher Reynolds. 1654. Bk. A, p. 46. W.&D. B. 2, p. 62

LK Note: Since Elizabeth was apparently under the age of 15 at the time of her father’s will above, she must have turned 15 shortly after and was thus permitted to marry. Of course, it is difficult to know for sure because many marriages from Chapman’s compilation are inferred. See the entry for Richard Jordan SR for more data.

1668 Mar 11 – Death of John Reynolds. Leg. My brother George Rivers; brother Richard; sister Jane; sister Elizabeth Rivers; to Robert Driver; to Elizabeth River’s daughter Mary; to my sister Elizabeth Jordan a bill of Robert Clothier’s at her decease to her son Richard Jordan. D. March 11, 1668. R. May 3, 1669. Wit: Anselm Baylie, William Bradshaw. Richard Reynolds executor, with securities Ambrose Bennett and Benjamin Beale. [Isle of Wight County Deed Book 2, p 62] P. 7 Chapman.

Baird Note: We can safely infer that John Reynolds died unmarried and childless. This will seems to clarify that George Rivers was a stepbrother. The use of “brother ” together with the fact that he leaves him a legacy suggests the possibility (but doesn’t prove) that he and George Rivers may have had the same mother. Note also that he mentions four of his siblings but not Christopher or Abbasha, who were perhaps already dead.

The identity of “sister Elizabeth Rivers ” is mysterious, as Christopher Reynolds ’ will doesn’t mention her - his daughter Elizabeth was married to Richard Jordan who is still alive at this time. Elizabeth Rivers could be a stepsister, but she had a child, thus Rivers was presumably her married name. Although the language in this will does not indicate she was the wife of George Rivers, that seems to be the most plausible possibility.

LK Note: I think it is also interesting that John left no legacy to the son of his brother, Christopher, i.e. Richard (b. 1657); after all, he left a legacy to the son of his sister, Elizabeth. Why would he exclude a boy who may have been only 14 yrs old? (Or younger.) Nor did he mention a widow of his brother, Christopher. Again, this may suggest two sets of children of Christopher Reynolds, Immigrant, from two mothers

Testifying on deed is Robert Hicks and Henderson Luten. Luten was known parent of Evans. Neighbors of John Jordan and Charles Jordan was John Parker, Paul Palmer, Epaphraditus Benton, John Goodwin, Job Meador, Samuel Woodward Richard Beacken

Residence: www.eastcarolinaroots.com/early-rountree... Francis Harrell, of Nansemond Co., Va., to Richard Baker. 50 acres East side Northwest Swamp, adjoining lands of Richard Parker, Old Cheraw Richard Parker, 8ber 19, 1731. Test, James Parker, John Arline, Thomas Rountree. John Arline and wife :Mary to Michael Ward, Sept. 5, 1731. 250 acres at the head of Katharine Creek Swamp and head of Warrick Swamp.

Richard JORDAN II was born ca 1655 in Isle of Wight Co, VA . He married Elizabeth ca 1672 in Surry Co, VA. She was born ca 1655, and died Aft. 1699 in Probably Surry Co, VA. Richard Jordan (II) married Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) around 1672.

References

1. Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jun 2 2016, 2:47:52 UTC
2. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reynolds-233
3. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fww64/creynolds.html
4. [1] "Marriages of Isle of Wight Co, VA 1628-1800" Bk A p 46, WD Bk 2 p 62
5. [2] Isle of Wight Co, VA, Will Bk 2 p 62