Mary Duke

NOT THE WIFE OF Richard Murphy
NOT THE SAME AS Mary Elizabeth Eastham
NO CONNECTION TO JOHN ROGERS -- See below

Biography

Mary Byrd was a daughter of William Byrd I and his wife, Mary (Horsmanden) Byrd. She was born at a house named Belvedere that was built by William Byrd I at what was called "the Falls" on the James River in Henrico County. She is named in her father's will and is named in the diary of her brother, William Byrd II. The family of William Byrd and his wife, Mary (Horsmanden) Byrd, is clearly outlined in “The London Diary, 1717-1721, and Other Writings,” by William Byrd II (1674-1744), Edited by Louis B. Wright and Marion Tinling, New York: Oxford University Press, 1958. It states (page 7),

“The first child of the marriage was a son, born on March 28, 1674, and named after his father, William. Three daughters followed in due course, Susan, Mary, Ursula. All of the children were sent to England for their education.” It goes on to state, “Mary came back to marry James Duke.”

A doctoral dissertation entitled “William Byrd of Westover: Adult Learner” by Suzanne Steffen Caswell, v.1 page 66 (footnote), submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992, disagrees with the assertion Mary (Byrd) Duke was sent to England for her education. She writes,

“William Byrd I never mentioned in his letters that she was sent to England.” She goes on to write that, “…her parents may have wished to keep her with them and supervise her education.”

Mary Byrd was married circa 1700-1704 to James Duke, of James City County and Charles City County, Virginia. James Duke served as sheriff of James City County in 1719 (see The Letterbook of John Custis IV 1717-1742, edited by Josephine Little Zuppan, page 50).

She is mentioned by her brother, William Byrd II, in his diary in an entry dated, May 4, 1711: “My sister Duke and Colonel Epes came and stayed to dinner. I ate pork and peas for dinner. In the afternoon my sister went home….” (The Great American Gentleman: William Byrd of Westover in Virginia His Secret Diary for the Years 1709-1712, Edited by Louis B. Wright and Marion Tinling, page 148).

"The London Diary, 1717-1721, and Other Writings” makes several references to James Duke and his wife, Mary (Byrd) Duke. They were the guests of William Byrd at Westover on September 17th and 19th in 1720 (pages 451-452). Byrd mentions seeing James Duke on November 14, 1720 at which time Duke told him (page 474), “…my sister and her fireside were well.” He references his sister, Mary Duke, on April 6, 1721 (page 515).

The destruction of Charles City County and James City County records resulted in many researchers in the past mistakenly attributing Mary (Byrd) Duke as being part of their family, but the publication of William Byrd II’s diaries showed that she was, in fact, the wife of James Duke, of James City County and Charles City County. She was in no way connected to the family of John Rogers (1680-1762), of King and Queen County, Virginia. She was never his wife and she was not the mother of Ann Rogers, the mother of George Rogers Clark. Aside from the fact that Mary’s husband, James Duke, is identified in her brother’s diaries, the wife of John Rogers, of King and Queen County is identified as having children as late as 1737, when Mary Byrd (born 1683) would have been in her mid-fifties. Furthermore, James Duke, who is known to be the husband of Mary Byrd, was alive at a time when John Rogers’ children were being born. The family of John Rogers is an entirely different family and unconnected to the family of William Byrd and Mary (Horsmanden) Byrd. In a similar vein, the attempt to link Mary (Byrd) Duke to the William Duke whose family settled in North Carolina and who was an ancestor of the Duke tobacco family has been disproven by DNA testing.

Mary (Byrd) Duke's exact date of death is unknown, but based on what is known, we may conclude she likely died sometime between 1725 and 1739. The destruction of Charles City County and James City County records makes it very difficult to ascertain an exact date of death. The identification of this cemetery as her place of burial is based on an untitled, unpublished manuscript on file at the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection in Knoxville, Tennessee.

For a more detailed discussion of the family of James Duke and Mary (Byrd) Duke, please see "An Account of Some Descendants of James and Mary (Byrd) Duke, of Charles City County, Virginia" found online here:

https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.duke/2268/mb.ashx

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William Thomas Stamps wrote (May 2010):

There is NO proof that Mary Byrd, daughter of "The" William Byrd of Virginia, married William Stamps. It has been years since I last confronted that controversy. I believe that there were one or two other William Byrd's, each with a daughter named Mary. Byrd family chronicles (including one Byrd correspondent) indicate that Mary did not marry or that she married a Rogers. I have a document that Mary did remove to Kentucky at about the same time as William but that they were not married. I will locate my info and document it. In the meantime, PLEASE carefully document any research you come across.

Possible alternate birth and death dates: 2/26/1682 - 1725. Mary Elizabeth "Molly" Byrd was born at Belvedere, the home of her parents.

Mary (Byrd) & James Duke (1677 - 1751) were married c. 1700, and to this union at least 4 children were born:

1. James, II (1705 – 1754);
2. Infant (1709 - 1709);
3. John (1724 – 1755); and
4. Mary Duke (1725–1805).

Find A Grave Memorial # 43689489.

GEDCOM Note

Not much is known about Mary Byrd, William's youngest daughter. It has been said that she married against his will; however, her husband, James, was the son of William's friend and fellow Burgess, Henry Duke. William left her $300.00 in his will, more than his other daughters received. 1 2

She was born at a house named Belvedere that was built by William Byrd I at what was called "the Falls" on the James River in Henrico County. She is named in her father's will and is named in the diary of her brother, William Byrd II. The family of William Byrd and his wife, Mary (Horsmanden) Byrd, is clearly outlined in “The London Diary, 1717-1721, and Other Writings,” by William Byrd II (1674-1744), Edited by Louis B. Wright and Marion Tinling, New York: Oxford University Press, 1958. It states (page 7),

“The first child of the marriage was a son, born on March 28, 1674, and named after his father, William. Three daughters followed in due course, Susan, Mary, Ursula. All of the children were sent to England for their education.” It goes on to state, “Mary came back to marry James Duke.”

A doctoral dissertation entitled “William Byrd of Westover: Adult Learner” by Suzanne Steffen Caswell, v.1 page 66 (footnote), submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992, disagrees with the assertion Mary (Byrd) Duke was sent to England for her education. She writes,

“William Byrd I never mentioned in his letters that she was sent to England.” She goes on to write that, “…her parents may have wished to keep her with them and supervise her education.”

Mary Byrd was married circa 1700-1704 to James Duke, of James City County and Charles City County, Virginia. James Duke served as sheriff of James City County in 1719 (see The Letterbook of John Custis IV 1717-1742, edited by Josephine Little Zuppan, page 50).

She is mentioned by her brother, William Byrd II, in his diary in an entry dated, May 4, 1711: “My sister Duke and Colonel Epes came and stayed to dinner. I ate pork and peas for dinner. In the afternoon my sister went home….” (The Great American Gentleman: William Byrd of Westover in Virginia His Secret Diary for the Years 1709-1712, Edited by Louis B. Wright and Marion Tinling, page 148).

"The London Diary, 1717-1721, and Other Writings” makes several references to James Duke and his wife, Mary (Byrd) Duke. They were the guests of William Byrd at Westover on September 17th and 19th in 1720 (pages 451-452). Byrd mentions seeing James Duke on November 14, 1720 at which time Duke told him (page 474), “…my sister and her fireside were well.” He references his sister, Mary Duke, on April 6, 1721 (page 515).

The destruction of Charles City County and James City County records resulted in many researchers in the past mistakenly attributing Mary (Byrd) Duke as being part of their family, but the publication of William Byrd II’s diaries showed that she was, in fact, the wife of James Duke, of James City County and Charles City County. She was in no way connected to the family of John Rogers (1680-1762), of King and Queen County, Virginia. She was never his wife and she was not the mother of Ann Rogers, the mother of George Rogers Clark. Aside from the fact that Mary’s husband, James Duke, is identified in her brother’s diaries, the wife of John Rogers, of King and Queen County is identified as having children as late as 1737, when Mary Byrd (born 1683) would have been in her mid-fifties. Furthermore, James Duke, who is known to be the husband of Mary Byrd, was alive at a time when John Rogers’ children were being born. The family of John Rogers is an entirely different family and unconnected to the family of William Byrd and Mary (Horsmanden) Byrd. In a similar vein, the attempt to link Mary (Byrd) Duke to the William Duke whose family settled in North Carolina and who was an ancestor of the Duke tobacco family has been disproven by DNA testing.

Mary (Byrd) Duke's exact date of death is unknown, but based on what is known, we may conclude she likely died sometime between 1725 and 1739. The destruction of Charles City County and James City County records makes it very difficult to ascertain an exact date of death. The identification of this cemetery as her place of burial is based on an untitled, unpublished manuscript on file at the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection in Knoxville, Tennessee.

For a more detailed discussion of the family of James Duke and Mary (Byrd) Duke, please see "An Account of Some Descendants of James and Mary (Byrd) Duke, of Charles City County, Virginia" found online here:

https://www.genealogy.com/forum/regional/states/topics/va/31897/

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Origins

The children of William Byrd I and Mary Horsemanden were:

(1) William Byrd II born March 28, 1674
(2) Ursula born about 1681, died October 1698, a young mother, less than 17 years of age.
(3) Susan who married in London and settled there.
(4) Warham another son, who died in early childhood
(5) Mary Elizabeth the youngest, born about 1680, m. 1698, who, according to genealogists, was living in 1700 when her father made his will, for she was left a small legacy.

Mary Horsemanden, the mother, died in 1699.
William Bryd I, born in London, 1652, died in Virginia, December 1704.

Source: Fischer: Albion's Seed, page 221. < GoogleBooks >

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References

1. Fischer, David Hackett. Albion’s Seed. (1991). Page 220-221. < GoogleBooks >
2. Ward, Charles. “An Account of Some Descendants of James and Mary (Byrd) Duke, of Charles City County, Virginia” (07 Feb 2021) < link >
3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/203171995/mary-duke
4. http://ecctechservice.com/Byrds/Bird-Byrd%20Genealogy%20Book.pdf
5. https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~freshnup/genealogy/markmurph/text/2...
6. https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/duke/2153/
7. https://sites.rootsmagic.com/KaysAncestry/individual.php?p=9274 When William Byrd I made his will in 1700 he specifically referred to his daughter Mary as a single woman and to his other daughters by their married names. In The Secret Diary of William Byrd II of Westover (brother of Mary Byrd), William makes specific references as early as 1709 and as late as 1721 to his brother-in-law James Duke and his sister "Duke" visiting with one another at the Duke's home and also at Westover. Therefore it is highly unlikely that Mary Byrd, daughter of Wm. Byrd I & Maria Horsmanden, was ever married to John Rogers. Some believe that John Rogers was married to Rachel Eastman, daughter of a George Eastman and Mary Bird.
8. From Page 40 of the Duke family by Evelyn Duke Brandenberger. < link >
9. https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~andersoninsco/genealogy/Dukes_Genea... (disproved)
10. WikiTree contributors, "Mary (Byrd) Duke (1683-aft.1721)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Byrd-34 : accessed 30 April 2024). cites
    1. James and Mary (Byrd) Duke < link >
    2. Ward, Charles. "An Account of Some Descendants of James and Mary (Byrd) Duke, of Charles City County, Virginia," posted on Ancestry Message Boards, 15 Jan 2020 (https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.duke/2268 : accessed 14 Feb 2023).
    3. Ward, Charles. "James DUKE and Mary BYRD, of Charles City Co., VA," posted on GenForum, 21 May 2006 (https://www.genealogy.com/forum/regional/states/topics/va/31897/ : accessed 14 Feb 2023).
    4. Find A Grave: Memorial #203171995 < link >
    5. Family Central Personal Genealogy Database < link >
    6. Byrd Genealogy Personal Genealogy Website < link >
    7. Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940
    8. Rand-Hall, Strong and allied families, a genealogical study : with the autobiography of Nettie Hale Rand . < link > Accessed 26 Feb. 2024.
    9. "William Byrd and His Secret Diary on JSTOR." Jstor https://www.jstor.org/stable/1925297. Accessed 26 Feb. 2024.
    10. "Catalog Record: The secret diary of William Byrd of Westover,...." HathiTrust Digital Library https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001263529. Accessed 26 Feb. 2024.
11. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:MFPM-JXM