Mary Farrar

Biography

Updated 23 August 2023

Mary Tanner (daughter of Joseph Tanner, Sr. and Mary)) was born in 1663 at Henrico County, Virginia, and died there on 3 April 1721.

She married Major William Ligon ll (Abt 1660-1689) on 1 April 1679. He was the son of Colonel Thomas Ligon and Mary Harris. They had eight children.

The widow Mary Ligon married second to Major William Farrar lll (1657-1721) abt 1707. He was the son of Col. William Farrar and Mary, and Priscilla Baugh’s widower. No issue of second marriage.

William's widow, his second wife, Mary (Tanner) [Ligon] Farrar, was appointed administratrix of his will on 03 Apr 1721. William Randolph and William Ligon were securities.

The children of Mary Tanner and William Ligon, birth dates estimated, born at Henrico County, were:

1. Mary3 Ligon born about 1677. Mentioned in her father William Ligon’s will dated 21 January 1688/9. Mentioned in her grandmother Mary Platt’s will dated 10 March 1699/1700. m. 1st, William Anderson. A license was granted them July 15, 1698, Henrico Co.a She m. 2nd, Peter Rowlett. Court at Varina January 1716/17 : Statement that Wm. Ligon, deed, left certain land to be divided between his daughter Mary (now married to Peter Rowlett) & an unborn child, now 21 years old, & named Lucretia. b
2. Thomas Ligon, born about 1677, died May 1705. Mentioned in his father William Ligon’s will dated 21 January 1688/9. Mentioned in his grandmother Mary Platt’s will dated 10 March 1699/1700. Married Elizabeth Worsham.
3. William3 Ligon ll, born about 1682, died 25 Sep 1764. Mentioned in his father William Ligon’s will dated 21 January 1688/9. Mentioned in his grandmother Mary Platt’s will dated 10 March 1699/1700. Married Elizabeth Batte.
4. John3 Ligon, born about 1682, died about 1770. Mentioned in his father William Ligon’s will dated 21 January 1688/9. Mentioned in his grandmother Mary Platt’s will dated 10 March 1699/1700. Cared for by Henrico Parish, 1758-1770. No issue.
5. Joseph3 Ligon, born about 1683. Mentioned in his father William Ligon’s will dated 21 January 1688/9. Mentioned in his grandmother Mary Platt’s will dated 10 March 1699/1700.
6. Sarah3 Ligon, born about 1685, m. Henry3 Ligon (11). (According to “Ligon Family and Connections”.) Not mentioned in her father William Ligon’s will dated 21 January 1688/9. Not mentioned in her grandmother Mary Platt’s will dated 10 March 1699/1700. According to Dorman, Sarah who married Henry Ligon was the daughter of William and Mary (Tanner) Ligon's son William and his wife Elizabeth Batte.
7. Phebe3 Ligon, born about 1686. Not mentioned in her father William Ligon’s will dated 21 January 1688/9. Mentioned in her grandmother Mary Platt’s will dated 10 March 1699/1700. (?)
8. Lucretia3 Ligon, born 1689 posthumously, died after 1717. Mentioned in her father William Ligon’s will dated 21 January 1688/9 as “the child my wife now goes with.” Mentioned in her grandmother Mary Platt’s will dated 10 March 1699/1700. Court at Varina January 1716/17 : Statement that Wm. Ligon, deed, left certain land to be divided between his daughter Mary (now married to Peter Rowlett) & an unborn child, now 21 years old, & named Lucretia. b

Sources: Ligon, William D. (William Daniel). “The Ligon family and connections. Volume l” (1947). Page 326. < Archive.Org > (No birth dates listed for the children.) & https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ligon-77 & Dorman, John Frederick (2004). Chapter "Thomas Harris", in Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5: Families G-P. Genealogical Press, p. 268. < GoogleBooks >

Notes

On 2 Apr 1679, Mrs. (Mary) PLATT, made a deed of gift to her daughter Mary, wife of Mr. William LYGON.

Mary PLATT’s will, dated 10 Mar 1699/1700, named daughter Mary LIGGON, and grandchildren Thomas, Joseph, Phebe and Lucretia LIGGON.

Mary (Worsham) Ligon

Mary did not mention Thomas, William, and Matthew in her will because they were dead. Nor did she mention the heirs of William who were living. More specifically, she left an addendum to her will reminding her executors that it was her desire that her land would descend to her living male heirs, Richard and Hugh, and not to William’s heirs. The court ignored her wishes. On 1 November 1706, Henrico County partitioned the land equally between her grandson Matthew Ligon, son of Richard, and William Ligon as heir of his brother Thomas Ligon, son of William Ligon.

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William Ligon will (1689)

Abstract of Will of "William Ligon of Henrico County, dated January 21, 1688-9, probated August 1, 1689"[1]

• Son Thomas
• Son William
• Son John
• Son Joseph
• Thomas Farrar, Jr.
• Daughter Mary
• "child my wife now goes with"
• The transcript of the will does not include his wife's name, although she is provided for in the will.[1]

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Bold names and line breaks added to the transcription copy. (eh)

• Colonial Records of Henrico Co., Book 5, pp. 75-76: AT A COURT HELD AT VARINA, for Henrico County by their Ma:tie« Justices of ye peace for ye sd County on ye first day of our Sovereign Lord & Lady Will:m & Mary bye ye Grace of God of England, France & Ireland King & Queen Defenders of ye faith &c. & in ye year our Lord Xt 1689.:
• In the name of God Amen. I Will:m Ligon being in a Sick condition doe make & ordain this my last will & testam:t in manner & form as followeth.
• I give & bequeath my Soul to Almighty God who gave it hopeing in his mercy to receive full & free pardon for all my sins.
• As for my estate I give as followeth.
• Imps: I give to my sons Thomas & William the plantation I now dwell on to be equally divided between them & to their heirs for ever.
• My part of ye Ashen Swamp that is that lyes about it I Give to my son John & his heirs for ever,
• I give my land that Joyns M.r Hancock’s line to be equally divided between my son Joseph Ligon and Tho. Farrar, Jun. and to their heirs forever.
• My land that lyes on the back of Curles Joyning on ye land wch formerly belonged to Solomon Knibb I give to be equally divided between my daughter Mary & ye Child my wife now goes with to them & their heirs for ever.
• My desire is that my wife lives a widow till my Children comes to ye age of twenty one years they are to continue with her but if she marryes then they are to be at their own disposeing at sixteen years of age.
• I give to my sons each of them a gun to take their choice of them as they come of age.
• All the rest of my estate I give to my dear & loving wife dureing her widowhood; But if she marryes, I give to half of it to be equally divided between my children. My wife to have the other half.
• I desire Capt. Fran: Epes, Mr. Rob:t Hancock and John Worsham to see this my last will peformed.

Source: Ligon, William D. (William Daniel). “The Ligon family and connections. Volume l.” (1947). Page 321-322. < Archive.Org >

Will of Mary Platt - 10 March 1699/1700

(Mother of Mary Tanner)

• In the name of God Amen. I Mary Platt of Henrico County Virginia Spinster being weak in body but of Sound perfect sense & memory, praised be God Doe well Make and Ordaine this my last will & testament in manner & forme as followeth.
• Imp. I give & bequeath my soul to God that gave it; my body to be buried at the Discretion of my Ex.x in True & certain hopes of a joyfull resurrection at ye last day.
• Item. I Give and bequeath to my son Edward Tanner the Cattle he hath in his possession which I delivered him.
• Item. I give unto my son Edward Tanner twelve pound.
• Item. I give & bequeath unto my Daughter Martha Haskins twelve pound.
• Item. I give and bequeath unto my Grandson Thomas Lygon one black cow & one heifer.
• Item. I give and bequeath to my Grandson Thomas Jones twelve pounds to be paid when he comes of Lawfull Age.
• Item. I give & bequeath unto ye said Thomas Jones one feather bed bolster & two pillows wch I bought at the store at my Son Ed Tanner; one pair of blankets, one Rugg, one pair of Coarse holland sheets, two pairs of new canvis sheets four pillow beens one bedstead one whole cord two new pewter Dishes two new basins Ditto two Iron Pots on Large one Small two pewter Dishes half worn one doz: pewter plates.
• Item. I give and bequeath to my Grandson Joseph Ligon to him & his heirs forever two hundred Acres of land to me belonging Lying & being upon Swift Creek in Hen Coty joyning on ye Land of Mr. Eusebius King.
• Item. I Give & bequeath unto my Grand Daughter Phebe Liggon forty Shillings to buy her a beaker and twenty shillings to buy her two silver spoons all to be marked wth her name.
• Item. I Give & bequeath to my Grand Daughter Lucretia Liggon my sidesaddle.
• Item. I give and bequeath unto Charles Roberts thirty shillings.
• All ye Rest of my Estate not yet Disposed of I Give and bequeath unto my executrix she paying all my Debts & Legacies
• and I do hereby will & Ordaine my Daughter Mary Liggon my full whole & sole Ex of this my last will and testament
• in witness hereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 18th day of March Anno Dom 1699 Mary Platt
• Witnesses: Mary Chamberlaine, William Anderson, William Ligon.

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Mary (Tanner) Ligon lived a widow many years after her husband and her name appeared often in the records of Henrico County.

In 1691 Mary sued her brother-in-law Hugh Ligon. It seems her father-in-law, Thomas Ligon, who left land to all of his sons, added in his will, “… all the land that is above express’d that I have given my sons if in case they dye without heirs to return to ye next survivor [emphasis added].” Because son Matthew Ligon left no heirs when he died in 1691 and because William was dead, Hugh Ligon the next younger son, considered he was the “ye next survivor” and took possession of the land. Yet the laws of primogeniture, by which the eldest son inherited land, mandated possession by the eldest son and his heirs. Consequently, Mary’s eldest son, Thomas Ligon, now owned the land.

When Mary engaged the local attorney Edward Chilton to sue Hugh, he alleged that the Ligon will submitted to the court contained errors and demanded the trial be deferred. The court eventually agreed with Mary and “accordingly Order’d That the sherr:f of this County doe Putt [Thomas Ligon] ye sd [plaintiff] into t & peaceable possession thereof And that ye sd [defendant] be Ejected therefrom…” This did not end the controversy. After Mary came back to court complaining that Hugh “doth comitt many trespasses thereon pretending that he Knoweth not the bounds wch he will not suffer to be laid out,” the justices ordered Hugh to pay for half the costs of surveying the disputed boundary.

The Henrico County court certified in 1691 that “Mrs Mary Ligon (ye younger)” was due 300 acres of land for the importation of 6 individuals, one of whom was William Ligon. In 1692 Mary bought half-acre Lot 23 in a new town being created in Henrico County. The deed, which did not identify the name of the town, required her to build a home of at least 20 feet square within 4 months. We presume she lived there. The same year Mary bought 200 acres on Swift Creek in Bristol Parish, Henrico County, which she sold to her mother, then Mary Platt, in 1696.

In 1694 Mary came into ownership of half her father’s plantation “Baldwins,” and 5 years later obtained a patent for 383 acres on Proctors Creek for the importation of 8 persons, all of which Mary Ligon, “the younger of Bristol Parish, Henrico Co., spinster,” gave to her son William in 1701 in return for William relinquishing his right to his father’s plantation to his brother Thomas Ligon. Her objective was to head off a dispute between her two sons regarding the division of land left them by their father. Yet when neither Mary nor William occupied the patent, it was regranted to Charles Evans 20 Oct. 1704.

Mary, widow of William Farrar

Source:“Burgesses and Other Prominent Persons.” (page 233)

References

1. Ligon, William D. (William Daniel). The Ligon family and connections. Volume l. (1947). Chapter XV. Colonel Thomas Ligon’s Children. Person # l. Page 319 - 316. < Archive.Org >.
2. “Worsham and Washam family history”. Page number 18 Page viewer number 32 (of 883) Book Link: http://www.familysearch.org/library/books/idviewer/585974 Page link: http://www.familysearch.org/library/books/idviewer/585974/32 (document attached) # https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I2244...
3. https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I1076...
4. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tanner-922 cites
   1. Torrence, William Clayton. "Early Generations of the Tanner Family of Henrico County, Virginia." The William and Mary Quarterly 25, no. 3 (1917): 198-205. doi:10.2307/1915026. (http://www.jstor.org/stable/1915026)
   2. John Frederick Dorman. Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5: Families G-P. Genealogical Publishing Com; 2004. ISBN 978-0-8063-1763-2. p. 268–. < GoogleBooks >
5. https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/t/u/r/James-M-Turner-VA/WEBSITE-0001/...
6. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/family/MQZF-58M does not list a daughter Sarah.
7. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L8VH-MKN Bio by Gresham Farrar. William Farrar lll (d. 1721) cites:
   1. "The Farrars" by William B. and Ethel Farrar, 1964, p15.
   2. "Some Farrar's Island Descendants" by Alvahn Holmes, 1979, p57,140.
   3. "The Farrar's Island Family" by Alvahn Holmes, 1972, pp146-47.
   4. "Virginia's Colonial Soldiers" by Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck, 1988, pp229,231.
   5. "Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5" by John Frederick Dorman, Vol. I, 4th Ed., 2004, p930.