Mary Tabb

Mary Wallace

• Daughter of John Wallace and Mary Westwood
• Contemporaneously we note that Simon Hollier, the 3rd generation of that name, had married Mary Wallace, the granddaughter of this same just-mentioned Ann Shepherd by her 2nd husband, Rev. James Wallace, by their son John Wallace and his wife Mary Westwood, a sister to Willian Westwood and his wife Mary Wallace, who was a sister to John Wallace; and so when she assumes the administration of her Hollier husband at his death in 1698, her cousin Thomas Wythe III (father of George) is named as her 1st security. All these later familial connections seemingly provide even further circumstantial evidence for the hypothesized relationships proposed herein.

Married

• Married: (1) Simon Hollier. Contemporaneously we note that Simon Hollier, the 3rd generation of that name, had married to Mary Wallace, the granddaughter of this same just-mentioned Ann Shepherd by her 2nd husband, Rev. James Wallace & so when she assumes the administration of her Hollier husband at his death in 1753, her cousin Thomas Wythe III (father of George) is named as her 1st security. All these later familial connections seemingly provide even further circumstantial evidence for the hypothesized relationships proposed herein -
• Married: (2) widow 1st of Simon Hollier who died in 1747 and within 2 years had become the wife of a John Tabb. There was more than one John Tabb at this time period. But in examining the will of Col. John Tabb written in 1761; proved in 1762 Elizabeth City Co, we note the following: 1) he names his wife as Mary. 2) He seems to have had 9 children by 2 wives as noted by this phrase, "to each child by my 1st wife." 3. He names several grandchildren, evidently from these older children. 4. He also names 2 children who are young enough to require guardians: Diana & John Jr. In fact when John Jr died in 1770, he is identified as "orphan of Col. Tabb" suggesting he was still a minor at the time of his death & therefore born sometime in or after 1750. We therefore propose that Col John Tabb (with his 1st wife being Mary Sclater, daughter of Rev. James Sclater will proved 1723 Elizabeth City naming daughters Martha Sclater and Mary Tabb), seems to be the John Tabb that Mrs Mary Hollier married.

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

Children with wife Mary Wallace

• Symon Hollier,
• Mary Hollier,

Mary Wallace Married: (2) Col. John Tabb

Children

• John Tabb; died on June 28, 1770 in Elizabeth City, County, Virginia, British Colonial America.
• Diana Tabb born within a couple years or so of her brother, who was the 1st wife of Allen Jones, born by about 1742, died 1787 and whose will written in 1783 mentions children by his 3 wives and names Bourbon Jones as one of his sons (which you will recall was also the name of our Mary Hollier Tabb's grandson in her will--also written that same year.)

Will of Col. John Tabb, Probated on 2 March 1762

LifeSketch of Mary Wallace

In the 1783 will of Mrs Mary (1) HOLLIER (2) TABB, she mentions her daughter, Mary [HOLLIER] Lowry and Mary's husband, John LOWRY. She also names her son Simon Hollier and grandchildren, Bourbin & Mary Jones. So who were her Hollier & Tabb husbands? And who was she?

To find the answers & possible answers requires a close examination of the Elizabeth City Co Will Books & Order Books. First we note the Appraisal of the estate of Cpt Simon Hollier is ordered 2 Jun 1747. Later that same year we find a Mary Hollier, in the Order Bk naming as her securities these 4 men: Thomas Wythe, John & Wm Allen, and Westwood Armistead. Then under the date of October, 1749, we find an entry for John Tabb & wife Mary, plaintiffs vs John Selden, the appointed guardian of Edmund Hollier, eldest son & heir of Simon Hollier, decd. So it appears that Mrs Tabb who names the son Simon Hollier & daughter Mary Lowry in her will was the widow 1st of Simon Hollier who died in 1747 and within 2 years had become the wife of a John Tabb. There was more than one John Tabb at this time period. But in examining the will of Col. John Tabb written in 1761; proved in 1762 Elizabeth City Co, we note the following: 1) he names his wife as Mary. 2) He seems to have had 9 children by 2 wives as noted by this phrase, "to each child by my 1st wife." 3. He names several grandchildren, evidently from these older children. 4. He also names 2 children who are young enough to require guardians: Diana & John Jr. In fact when John Jr died in 1770, he is identified as "orphan of Col. Tabb" suggesting he was still a minor at the time of his death & therefore born sometime in or after 1750. We therefore propose that Col John Tabb (with his 1st wife being Mary Sclater, daughter of Rev. James Sclater will proved 1723 Elizabeth City naming daughters Martha Sclater and Mary Tabb), seems to be the John Tabb that Mrs Mary Hollier married. It also seems quite likely that it was Col John Tabb's daughter Diana Tabb, probably born within a couple years or so of her brother, who was the 1st wife of Allen Jones, born by about 1742, died 1787 and whose will written in 1783 mentions children by his 3 wives and names Bourbon Jones as one of his sons (which you will recall was also the name of our Mary Hollier Tabb's grandson in her will--also written that same year.)

Having identified Mary's 2 husbands, let us now consider the identity of the John Selden, who was appointed guardian to her husband's eldest son (and likely hers also), Edmund Hollier in 1749. In checking him out we noted that he was a will witness to Ann (Shepherd) Wythe Wallace in 1740. Among Ann's legatees was a granddaughter named Mary Wallace. (Ann had several grandchildren by her son James Wallace who are NOT named as legatees, making us think that this Mary's father, then, was by Ann's other son, John Wallace, who had died 13 years previous.) This Mary Wallace, would have been a cousin of Thomas Wythe [who you will recall was the 1st-named security of our Mrs Mary Hollier when she became a widow] since they were both grandchildren of this Ann. Mary Wallace also had a couple of Westwood cousins who were named in her grandmother's will also. This is even more interesting because when we check out the other 3 securities of our Mary we notice that all 3 of them are either sons in laws (i.e., John & Wm Allen) of Elizabeth (Westwood) Johnson Armistead, or her son, (i.e., Westwood Armistead). So how was this Elizabeth (Westwood) related to Mary Wallace and to Mary's other Westwood cousins? Well, it seems that Elizabeth Westwood's only brother, Wm Westwood was the uncle to this Mary Wallace (having married as his 1st wife Mary Wallace's aunt, also a Mary Wallace!) So this would make Elizabeth an aunt by marriage at least to Mary Wallace. Furthermore, Elizabeth had an only sister, Mary Westwood who was of the right age to be the mother of this same Mary Wallace. Can we postulate that John Wallace had married his brother-in-law's sister, Mary Westwood who then died soon after the birth of their daughter Mary Wallace; & that John died soon after that (his estate was ordered appraised by Jan 30, 1726/27.) If that was so, then we certainly would expect their orphan to have been quite close to her deceased mom's only sister. In fact, our Mary not only chose all of her son/son-in-laws as her securities, but when Elizabeth (Westwood) Johnson Armistead's eldest daughter (Mary Johnson, widow of Thomas Tabb re-married as Mary Tabb in Apr 1750 to Mathew Wills) Mary Tabb Sr [i.e., our Mrs Mary Hollier Tabb] was the only female witness to sign their marriage agreement. Obviously, our Mary was somehow very tight with the children of Elizabeth (Westwood), even more so, it seems than she was with her other Westwood cousins (James & Mary Westwood were the children of Wm Westwood named in their grandmother Ann's will), making us think, again, could they also have been 1st cousins on her mother's side, rather than her dad's? Of course, it is all circumstantial evidence to this point. But lacking a marriage record for who her assumed father, John Wallace, did marry, & based on the common practice of that era of siblings marrying their in-laws, and especially on the close connections we find between our Mary and Elizabeth (Westwood) Johnson Armistead and the known connections of Mary Wallace with this same lady. I suggest that identifying our Mrs Mary Hollier Tabb with this same Mary Wallace explains very well all the evidence we have thus far accumulated.