James MAY Timeline by Teresa Goodwin Skaggs

In 1766 James & Elizabeth MAY purchased 400 acres of land on Smith's River in Pittsylvania County, VA, and on the same day, Joshua MAY, purchased 400 acres of land on Toe Clout River. (Source: Research IV: Joshua MAY of VA & KY, page 1225 by Imogene MAY BOSWELL, print date: March 6, 2003). I have copies of this material, TGS (This proves that he was not born in England, nor was he transported on the Justita)

Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia: 1745-1800,

Volume 1 by Lyman Chalkey

• March 22, 1764 - Jesse MAY - Amelia County, VA - Jesse MAY was the debtor of £9.18.10 to William FLEMING, credit for hire by wife as a servant for 3 mos. at £1.10.00. Jesse MAY was declared insolvent.
• March 16, 1768 - Caleb MAY - John Mann qualifies administrator of Caleb May
• March 20, 1770 - John MAY - John May took the oath of an attorney
• August 27, 1770 - James MAYS - no inhabitant
• March 17, 1774 - Joshua (Jos.) MAY - Road overseer: Leonard Bell from Mathew's store in the Calf Pasture to his house, to work with tithables from Wm. Black's to Jos. May's on Calf Pasture.

(I have copies of this material, TGS)

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE SWORN IN BEDFORD COUNTY, AUGUST–NOVEMBER 1777

After the fifth and last Virginia Revolutionary Convention voted in May 1776 to instruct the Virginia members of the Continental Congress to introduce a resolution to declare the colonies independent, it adopted a new constitution in June. The body also called for all officers of the new state government to take an oath of allegiance to Virginia. Prior to 1776, all men holding public office took an oath of allegiance to the king.

At the May 1777 meeting of the General Assembly, the legislature passed an act declaring that "Whereas allegiance and protection are reciprocal, and those who will not bear the former are not entitled to the benefits of the latter . . . all free born male inhabitants of this state, above the age of sixteen years, except imported servants during the time of their service, shall, on or before the tenth day of October next, take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation before some one of the justices of the peace of the county, city, or borough where they shall respectively inhabit." The law dictated the wording of the oath (which included renouncing King George III), required militia officers to disarm recusants (men who refused to take the oath), and prohibited recusants from "holding any office in this state, serving on juries, suing for any debts, electing or being elected, or buying lands, tenements, or hereditaments."

Isham Talbot, a justice of the peace in Bedford County, prepared this copy of the oath and the list of names of men in his part of the county who had appeared before him and took the oath of allegiance. The annotation indicates that Talbot sent the original list to Colonel John Quarles, the county lieutenant (the commander of the militia) of Bedford County, and that he also made a list of the recusants.

On August 24, 1777 James MAYSE both signed the Oath of Allegiance in Bedford County, Virginia along with John MAYSES (this is plural, meaning two of them), Henry BUFORD, Jeremiah PATE, Matthew PATE, Thomas PATE, Nalet (sic) SHREWBERRY, Dabney SHREWSBERRY, John SHREWSBERRY, Richard VAUGHN, William BROWN, Peter DENT, Samuel SHREWSBERRY, Benjamin ALLIN, Patrick EVANS, Charles ALLIN, Jeremiah FARMER, Thomas HUCKABEY, Benjamin WALLS, John HOLLIDAY, and David HOLLIDAY.

Settlement of Estate for John MARR

James MAY appears on the Settlement of John MARR's Estate in Henry County, Virginia in 1793 along with Caleb MAY, Joshua MAY, and John MAY. (Caleb MAY witnessed a deed of John LINDSAY in 1791 in Henry County, Virginia on Horsepasture Creek of the Mayo River.) (Source: Meryl MAY Duggar's research in Research: I - Early MAY Families of VA by Imogene MAY BOSWELL, p. 28, print date: 22 Oct 2003).
(I have copies of this material, TGS)

Tax List & Census Records for James MAY:

• Tax List - Amherst County, Virginia - 1782
• Tax List - Bedford County, Virginia - 1782
• Tax List - Bedford County, Virginia - 1784
• Tax List - Bedford County, Virginia - 1785
• Tax List - Pittsylvania County, Virginia - 1789
• Tax List - Henry County, Virginia - 1790
• Tax List - Pittsylvania County, Virginia - 1790
• Tax List - Henry County, Virginia - 1800
• Tax List - Henry County, Virginia - 1802
• Tax List - Henry County, Virginia - 1803
• Tax List - Pittsylvania County, Virginia - 1803
• Tax List - Henry County, Virginia - 1804
• Tax List - Pittsylvania County, Virginia - 1804
• Tax List - Pittsylvania County, Virginia - 1805
• Tax List - Henry County, Virginia - 1805

(I have copies of these images, TGS)

DNA evidence proves that he is the son of John MAY and Hannah Martin,

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James Harvey May was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War.

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All of this is complete speculation, no evidence that James Harvey May ever left America
Source: Online family file of Merry Anne (merryanne@bellsoouth.net): (I have not researched this myself). Merry Anne's data indicates that James was b. c. 1740 in England, d. c. 1835 Pike Co., KY. Further information: James H. - (Aka Emanuel Mills or Emanuel Mills May), served with Captain James McDaniel's Company during the Revolutionary War, and is on the list of Cox's Militia Company in 1782 & '83. James traveled with an alias due to being convicted of theft back in England, and it was said that he stole food because he didn’t have enough to eat.

Other Revolutionary War soldiers with the "May" surname, shown on the listing of Revolutionary War Soldiers of the Upper New River Valley, include: David May, Thomas May, and Caleb May. They are on the same listing with James May, but I do NOT know if they are related. Could they be brothers? Use only as a basis for further research.

From: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~genbel/mayfamily/may.html: - James was transported to America in 1771-72 on the ship Justita. He traveled under the alias of "Emanuel Mills" or "Emanuel Mills May". James was pressed into service for England as a Loyalist, in the American Revolutionary War, and can be found on the List of Captain James McDaniel's Company c. 1782. He remained in the U.S. and married Elizabeth ("Betsy") King. from North Carolina, settled in Russell Co., VA.: migrated to Pike County, KY in 1831-32 settling on the Blackberry Fork of the Tug Valley section, later moving across to Ball Fork area of Pond Creek also in Pike Co., KY. Instead of returning to England after the war, he remained in America, asking his friend Jake Smith to bring him his Bounty of 40 Pounds. On Jake's return, he declined to turn it over to him & a lawsuit was filed."

Per above source: Christening record from the LDS Family Search: 04 MAR 1739 Spitalfields Christ Church, Stepney, London, England. Parents listed as Jacob May and Elisabeth. (Needs further research since James is also shown as being married to an Elisabeth King)?

James was married a 1st to: Martha (LNU) b. c. 1770 in VA. The marriage is thought to have occurred c. 1788, possibly still in VA. (***needs further research***). From this marriage it is thought that the following children were born: William b: 13 MAY 1798 VA; Thomas S.; Charlotte; John; and Gideon May.

Possibly James' married a 2nd time to Elizabeth "Betsy" King in Onslow Co., NC (date unknown). Known children of this marriage: Samuel, Daniel, & David May. James father is also noted as being married to an Elisabeth "Betsey" King...***Needs further research*** - I have not kept my notes so cannot document the marriage of Elisabeth/Elizabeth "Betsey" King to either Jacob May or son James Harvey May (aka Emanuel Mills or Emanuel Mills May). I acknowledge a mistake is probably made in the listing of spouses for one of these men, and welcome any corrections.'

NOT SURE WHO WROTE THIS, but please add after the supporting documentation that I have added, since much of this is speculation

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• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Oct 14 2018, 7:48:17 UTC

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