Mary Wills

Mary Johnson

• AKA Armistead
• Daughter of Mark Johnson and Elizabeth (Westwood) Armistead
• Birth, circa 1720 in Hampton, Elizabeth, Virginia, Colonial America
• Death by Will dated: February 09, 1758 (34-42) in Elizabeth City, Virginia , Colonial America

Married

• Married (1) Thomas Tabb; married Mary Armistead, daughter of Anthony Armistead (son of Anthony and grandson of William Armistead). He left six children according to will proved in 1736, who, according to the Bible and the will of the widow, Mary Armistead Tabb-Willis-Armistead (she was married three times)
• Married (2) Mathew Wills of Warwick, who was married to Lucy Jones, daughter of Allen Jones
• Per Mary’s Tabb/Wills Will, it is highly unlikely that she married a (3rd) time to Robert Armistead. In her Will, Mary is listed as Mary Wills, wife of Mathew Wills, not Armistead. It must of been a different Mary Tabb who married a Robert Armistead. It was Mary Louisa Westwood who married Robert Armistead of Serenity Hall.

Genealogies of Virginia Families from the William and Mary College Quarterly. Vol. IV. Neville-Terrill, Page 46

Thomas Tabb married Mary Armistead, daughter of Anothony Armistead (son of Anthony Armistead and grandson of William Armistead, the emigrant. He left six children, according to his will (proved in 1736), who according to the Bible and the will of the widow, Mary Armistead- Tabb- Wills - Armistead (She was married three times), were Elizabeth, born 1726; married Henry King; John born November 15 1728; Thomas born December 18, 1730; emigrated to Lunenburg county, where he was living in 1767, when he made a deed to to John Tabb, of Elizabeth City County for land left by his mother Mary Wills; member of the Convention in July, 1775. His daughter Anne Married James Nash Jr., Mary born December 24, 1732; Rachel, born February 1.1734, Married ______ Fivash; Martha born April 27, 1738, married William Latimer of Elizabeth City county. The widow Mary Tabb, married secondly , Matthew Wills, of Warwick by whom she had Laurence Wills (who had Thomas Tabb Wills, which last in 1774 married in Amelia Elizabeth Ridgely Morgan,daughter of Samuel Morgan); and thridly, about 1762, Robert Armistead, of Elizabeth City county.

Children with Thomas Tabb

• Elizabeth Tabb; born 1726, Charles King who married Elizabeth Tabb, his wife, had five 'children
• John Tabb; born November 15 1728, married Mary Parsons, daughter of John Parsons & Mary Sweny
• Thomas Tabb; born December 18, 1730; emigrated to Lunenburg county, where he was living in 1767, when he made a deed to to John Tabb, of Elizabeth City County for land left by his mother Mary Wills; member of the Convention in July, 1775. His daughter Anne Married James Nash Jr.,
• Mary Tabb; born December 24, 1732 & died before 1766 because she is the only daughter who isn’t listed in her mother’s Will.
• Rachel Tabb, born February 1,1734, married John Fivash
• Martha Tabb, born April 27, 1738, married William Latimer of Elizabeth City county

Children with Mathew Wills

• Laurence Wills, In Matthew Wills. Page 128, "4--5 Emanuel Willis, " should read --- Emanuel Wills. End of quote and corrections. Lawrence Wills of the foregoing paragraph married a daughter of John and Mary (Armistead) Tabb, Jr. (who had Thomas Tabb Wills, which last in 1774 married in Amelia Elizabeth Ridgely Morgan,daughter of Samuel Morgan)

Correct Will for Mary Tabb, Wills, (born Johnson)

Geneology Update

Mary Johnson is the 1st named child in her father, Mark Johnson's 1718 will, so she may have been their eldest child. Her 2 younger sisters, Jane and Elizabeth, are identified as under 16 in her father's will. While she is not so identified, but she likely was also that young, based on the fact that her mother, Elizabeth Westwood goes on to have 3 more children by her 2nd husband, Anthony Armistead Jr, whose will proved in 1728 names those (1/2 siblings to Mary Johnston) as Westwood, Anthony & Hannah Armistead. Mary Johnson was married about 1725 to Thomas Tabb Jr (son of Thomas Tabb & Mary Hayward/Howard) & they had 6 children born between 1726 & 1736, all named in his will dated & proved in 1739. She then married to Mathew Wills of Warwick, as documented in the April 1750 marriage agreement between them and with Wm Westwood (her uncle) and Charles King, her brother-in-law. This was recorded in the Elizabeth City County Order Bk 1748-55. She also identifies herself as the wife of Matthew Wills, Gent., in her will written in 1758. Matthew and Mary had no children that we know of. The grandson that she names in her will, Thomas Tabb Wills, was through a daughter of Captain John and Mary (Armistead) Tabb, Jr. (who had Thomas Tabb Wills, which last in 1774 married in Amelia Elizabeth Ridgely Morgan,daughter of Samuel Morgan) Mary Tabb who had married, Lawrence Wills.. We know this because the will of Lawrence Wills, proved 1784 in Amelia Co, VA, names this Thomas Tabb Wills as one of his 2 sons.

Here is an abstract of Mary's will, in which she identifies herself as "Mary Wills, wife of Mathew Wills, Gent. of Warwick Co": she then names as legatees her sons John Tabb, Jr & Thomas Tabb,; her daughter Elizabeth King; daughter Rachel Fivash; daughter Martha Lattimer; grandson Thomas Tabb Wills. To Sarah & Elizabeth Smelt, daughters of my late sister Elizabeth Smelt, decd. Executors, son John Tabb, daughter Elizabeth King & Mr. Wm Lattimer. dated 9 Feb 1758. wits, Thomas Tabb, Francis Parker, H. King. proved 3 Jun 1766. James Westwood qualified as having married Elizabeth King. His securities, Wm Westwood, Sr & Wm Latimore. Book 1763-71, p. 78.

As can be noticed in the attached sources, almost all of them mistakenly give her name as Mary Armistead. So we are providing a brief summation of proof which we hope will finally lay aside this long-standing error.
1) Elizabeth Westwood married Anthony Armistead sometime after 1718 (when her 1st husband's will proved) & before 22 Nov 1722, when Mark Johnson's probate records mention his widow Elizabeth having married him. It was therefore impossible she could have had an Armistead daughter old enough to begin bearing children in 1726. Nevertheless, Elizabeth does name among her daughters, Mary Wills, when she wrote her will Sept 1750. This Mary was formerly the widow of Thomas Tabb, as is stated in her marriage agreement, dated Apr 1750, being mother of 6 Tabb children born between 1726 and 1736. Notice that Mary's will names 5 of those Tabb children as hers, and the only one not named was, Mary Tabb, the wife of Lawrence Wills (her step-brother) who had evidently died by then, leaving a child named Thomas Tabb Wills, who Mary names as her grandson.

2) Elizabeth's will, besides naming daughter Mary Wills, also named her granddaughter Sarah Smelt. Mary's will also refers to "Sarah & Elizabeth Smelt, daughters of my late sister Elizabeth Smelt, deceased." Again, both mother and daughter are referring in their wills to Elizabeth Johnson (named as the 2nd daughter of Mark Johnson in his 1717 will) who later married Wm Smelt.

3) Elizabeth's will also refers to several grandchildren with the surname of Allen, specifying that these Allen grandchildren were by 2 men: Wm Allen & John Allen. While it is known that her daughter Hannah Armistead married John Allen; it was her other daughter, Jane Johnson (the 3rd daughter named in Mark Johnson's will) who was the wife William Allen. William's will dated in 1752 corroborates this, as he names his wife Jane, and his children John, Mary, William, Henry and JOHNSON Allen.

In summary, Elizabeth's will confirms her 2 marriages by naming 1) her 3 children--or their children (her grandchildren) the same as were named by her 1st husband, Mark Johnson; and also by naming 2) her one daughter (Hannah) & 2 sons named by her 2nd husband, Anthony Armistead. Because it is Mark Johnson, who names a daughter Mary, while Anthony does not; and because her marriage to Anthony Armistead occurs between 1718, & 1722 (much too late to provide an Armistead daughter capable of bearing children as early as 1726) we can only conclude the obvious: her daughter Mary was by her 1st husband, Mark Johnson, and not by her 2nd husband, Anthony Armistead.

Mary Wallace Hollier Tabb, daughter of John Wallace and Mary Westwood Armistead, from The Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia 1688-1800 Armistead, from The Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia 1688-1800

• In the Will of Mary TABB, she mentions her daughter, Mary Lowry and son-in-law, John LOWRY. Will of Mary TABB recorded in Chapman, Blanche Adams, "Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia and other genealogical and historical items", 1688-1800. Reprinted in an improved format 1895-1958. FHL US/CAN BOOK 975.5412 P2c, page 230 - https://www.geni.com/photo/view/6000000000435813545?album_type=photos_of_me&photo_id=6000000082667135859&position=0

Will of Anthony Armistead, II, witnessed by granddaughter Mary Tabb’s husband John Lowry

• Will of Anthony Armistead, II, from the Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia 1688-1800 - https://www.geni.com/photo/view/6000000001013125275?album_type=photos_of_me&photo_id=6000000082757185176&position=0
• Elizabeth Westwood In Anthony Armistead, II, Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia - https://www.geni.com/photo/view/6000000070874165099?album_type=photos_of_me&photo_id=6000000082759215830&position=0

Will of Elizabeth Armistead from the Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia 1688-1800

• Will of Elizabeth Armistead Settlement of the Estate on June 3, 1760 - https://www.geni.com/photo/view/6000000070874165099?album_type=photos_of_me&photo_id=6000000082760457918&position=0

Sources

• The Armistead family,1635-1910, by Garber, Virginia Armistead -https://archive.org/details/armisteadfamily100garb/page/104
• William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine - https://books.google.com/books?id=WtURAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA123&lpg=PA123&d...
• Genealogies of Virginia Families: From Tyler's Quarterly ..., Volume 1, By Tylers Quarterly Historical and Geneological Magazine, page 490 - https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=55I38FXWyPgC&pg=RA1-PA509&lpg=R...
• Colonial Families of the Southern States of America: A History and Genealogy By Stella Hardy, Stella Pickett Hardy, page 27 - https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YH69nxgFUBgC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&d...
• The Armistead family. 1635-1910, by Garber, Virginia Armistead, pages 104-105 - https://archive.org/details/armisteadfamily100garb/page/104