John Edwards, of Brunswick County

Biography

From page 82 of The William and Mary Quarterly, Volume 15 By Earl Gregg Swem

4 John3 Edwards (William,2 William1) lived in Surry County. In 1694, he was appointed deputy clerk of Surry County Court, during the necessary absence of William Edwards, at Jamestown, as clerk of the council. Nov. 21, 1695, Anne, wife of William Edwards, of "James City" gave a power of attorney to "Brother Mr. John Edwards."
He married .— and had issue: 31 William, 32 John, who probably settled in North Carolina, 33 Benjamin, who died unmarried, 34 Nathaniel, 35 Mary, 36 Sarah, 37 Ann.

Children include:

• 31 WILLIAM EDWARDS (John,3 William,2 William1), married Sarah Hilliard, widow of Bartholomew Selden, and his will was proved in Surry County, March 20, 1744, and names five daughters:
  • 38 Mary,
  • 39 Elizabeth,
  • 40 Hannah,
  • 41 Sarah,
  • 42 Rebecca.
• 34 NATHANIEL EDWARDS (John,3 William,2 William1) settled in Brunswick County, where he was one of the first members of the county court, and where he became a major of militia. He married Jane Eaton, widow of Anthony Haynes, and his will dated April 29, 1771, was proved in Brunswick July 22, 1771. He had children:
  • 43 Nathaniel, who represented Brunswick in the House of Burgesses from 1769 to 1771, and died in the latter year,
  • 44 Sarah,
  • 45 Ann,
  • 46 ISAAC, Isaac Edwards used a book plate containing the arms of the Edwards family, which has been preserved.
  • 47 Benjamin,
  • 48 Mary, married in 1750, James Day Ridley,
  • 49 Elizabeth, married Col. Francis Willis,
  • 50 William, who in 1756 married Sarah Edmunds, daughter of Thomas Edmunds and sister of John Edmunds above.
  • 51 Rebecca married Allen (?) Jones.

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https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/edwards-isaac

Isaac Edwards was also the grandson of John Edwards (d. 1713) of Brunswick County and the brother of Mrs. Rebecca Edwards Jones, the beautiful "Indian Queen" and second wife of General Allen Jones.

Was he the father of John Edwards, Sr., of Orange County?

https://www.moonzstuff.com/edwards/john1710.html

The Brunswick Theory

Some other sources claim that John Edwards, Sr., of Orange Co., NC, was born in Brunswick Co., VA. There was a John Edwards who died in 1713 in Brunswick Co., leaving a will that names sons William, John, Benjamin, Nathaniel, and daughters Mary, Sarah, and Ann. According to an article in the William & Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. XV (Oct. 1906) (reprinted in Genealogies of Virginia Families, Vol. II (Gen. Pub. Co. 1982), p.252), John Edwards, the son mentioned in John Edwards' will, "probably settled in North Carolina" but no further explanation is given. The same article states that John Edwards who died in 1713 in Brunswick Co., VA, was the son of William Edwards (c.1615-c.1673) of Surry Co., VA. It is possible that previous researchers concluded that John Edwards, Sr., of Orange Co., NC, is the missing son of John Edwards of Brunswick. Unfortunately, I have not found any direct evidence of a connection, although many families from the Brunswick County area did migrate to North Carolina in the mid-1700's. It is certainly plausible that John Edwards of Orange Co., NC, was related to the Edwards families in Brunswick and/or Surry Co., VA. That doesn't even rule out a connection to Dinwiddie County, because Dinwiddie adjoins the northern border of Brunswick and it also adjoined Surry County until Sussex County was created in 1753. More research is needed.

References

• https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/edwards-isaac
• "Edwards Family." The William and Mary Quarterly 15, no. 3 (January 1907). 53-56. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1915757 (accessed July 29, 2013).
• Image Credits:
• [Isaac Edwards' signature]. From a warrant dated January 12, 1768. Image courtesy of Tryon Palace. http://www.tryonpalace.org
• "Isaac Edwards. North Carolina." A genealogical history. Columbia, S.C.: Printed by Ye Bryan printing company. 1900. 21. https://archive.org/stream/genealogicalhist00jone#page/n41/mode/2up (accessed July 29, 2013).