Rosamond Bourne

The below is copied from the website http://my.rootsmagic.com/mccarter/individual.html#421

Rosamond Jones and William Bourne were early settlers of Grayson County, Virginia. Rosa was born in 1750 in Virginia, possibly to Thomas and Elizabeth "Bette" Jones. William was born in 1743 to Stephen and Hanna Bourne of Louisa County, Virginia. William and his brothers Stephen and John -- also Grayson pioneers -- grew up on the original 300 acre land grant obtained by their grandfather, William Bourne II, in the year 1719. The text of this grant appears in the Cutchshaw book and was signed by Alexander Spottswood, the Lieutenant Governor of the Virginia Colony. The property can be found today at the intersections of highways 611 and 635 at the southern tip of Louisa County near the Hanover border.

William and Rosa were married in about 1765. He was 22 years of age and she was just 15. They lived in Louisa County for a least the first 10 years of their marriage because William and his brother Stephen appear in Louisa County tax books up until 1775.

The 1775 tax lists show the brothers as "patrollers" who scouted the region looking for runaway slaves. Stephen was said to have gained the nickname "Devil Steve" because of his work as a slave trader and his willingness to beat his own slaves as well as the slaves of others settlers who didn't have the stomach for the "task."

In 1768, the Iroquois Nation signed a treaty with King George III abandoning all their claims to the Virginia Territory south of the Ohio River and west of the Cumberland mountains thus making this area available for white settlement.

Sometime before 1782 William and Rosa received a land grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia and left their colonial home for the unsettled territory in southwest Virginia. It was said that settlers selected this land along the New River and its tributaries because it was rich with wild pea vine and other vegetation for their stock.

Rosa and William traveled by wagon as far as Fort Chisel and then had to pack their household goods onto horses to cross the Iron Mountains. They chose Knob Fork on Elk Creek near where it empties into the New River as their home site, joining eight other families who had already settled in the region.

Having to travel as they did, it seems unlikely that they were able to bring much in the way of household goods, but surprising among their possessions was a grandfather clock made in Boston by Aaron Willard of Common House Clocks. It was Grayson County's first clock and was anything but common. Made of mahogany with rosewood inlays, it stood at over 8 feet 3 inches. The fittings were of brass including the key in the shape of a "Z." It was wound every eight days and showed the phases of the moon, as well as telling the time. Some years later it served as a model for a local clock maker. The clock remains in the family residing in the home of a sixth generation descendant in Cleveland, Tennessee.

When William and Rosa arrived in the New River country, they built cabins and other temporary buildings and cleared out the best portion of the land for farming. They grew their own grains, vegetables and fruit and their meat came from whatever game they found in the surrounding forest. They wore homespun clothing made from wool, cotton or flax, and wore shoes or moccasins from the leather they tanned themselves.

William became involved in local government and was among those who successfully lobbied the Virginia State Legislature to create Grayson County from Wythe County in 1792. It was named for William Grayson, one of the first senators of Virginia.

The first Grayson County Court was held in the Bourne barn on May 21, 1793. Later court records of that year mention the court sitting in "Rosa's cabin." William was elected Clerk of the Court, a position he held for 17 years. Some time later other relatives were also appointed to important posts -- Shamrock Greer becoming a Justice of the Peace, and Major Minetree Jones becoming a Magistrate.

Like my ancestor Stephen Hopkins of the Plymouth Colony, William turned his home into an inn. On June 24, 1794 the Grayson County Court fixed these rates to be observed by his establishment and all other "Ordinary Houses."

Shillings Pence

A breakfast with Coffee 1 3 Ditto Without Coffee 1 0 Dinner Warm, if good 1 6 Cold 1 3 Lodging Clean for 1 in bed 0 6 2 in bed 0 4 More than 2 in bed 0 0 West India rum per half-pint 1 0 Gin per Do. 0 8 Whiskey per Do. 0 6 Good Beer per Do 0 6 Small beer 0 4

It appears that lodging was quite affordable if you were willing to eat cold food, drink small beers, and share a bed with strangers.

Eventually William became so successful that he went into partnership with his son William Bourne III and bought 100 acres of land that included the Point Hope Furnace and Forge, gristmill, sawmill and yards, barns, stables, gardens, and houses. The old Point Hope Furnace at the falls on Peach Bottom Creek was Grayson County's first industry. It had been used to process iron ore since before the Revolutionary War.

William also became a member of the Virginia legislature which required yearly trips to Richmond. On one of these trips he attended a slave auction and bought a woman and little girl, apparently a mother and child. The woman's name was Granny Beck and the child's Aimy. In his book, Nuckolls briefly recounts Aimy's story of her kidnaping in Africa and subsequent trip to America on a sailing ship. Granny Beck was put to work tending the cattle on the range and Aimy was the house girl, waiting on her "master and mistress" as long as they lived.

According to Nuckolls, William gave Aimy her freedom in his will stating, "Aimy has been a faithful, good servant and has raised for me 18 children. She is not to be sold or taken in, in the divide." Nuckolls goes on to say "With his children she should be free to go where she pleased."

There has been some debate among the descendants about the meaning of Nuckolls' last sentence and where he obtained this information. The will, as recorded in the courthouse at Independence, does not contain the above passage. Instead, each of the Bourne children is given two slaves and their progeny in addition to $500. While we may never know if these slave children were in fact William's progeny, it certainly wasn't unusual for slave-owners, and often their sons, to have fathered these children.

After William and Rosa's deaths, Aimy went to Old Town to live with Mary Dickenson who owned her daughter Mourning. When Mary died, Aimy went to Elk Creek to the home of Francis Hale who owned Winny, another of her daughters. Aimy died there and is buried in the Hale family cemetery.

Rosa had a reputation for providing well for their slaves. Nuckolls writes, "She was their doctor when sick, their comfort in trouble. When they were ill she'd say, 'You must pray to the Lord for help and I will pray for you and help you all I can.' She was also helpful to her friends and neighbors and would go to them in their time of need."

Nuckolls also tells this story of Rosa's resourcefulness. Each fall William and several of his slaves trekked "over the hollow" to the nearest mill in North Carolina to have their corn ground into meal for their bread. They carried the grain in sacks on their horses, following an old Indian trail through the Blue Ridge Mountains.

One year a deep snow kept them from returning home before the family's food supply ran out. Rosa took matters into her own hands and early one morning roused one of her slaves and told her, "We must hunt for something to eat."

Armed with a rifle and butcher knife, they hiked into the forest looking for prey. They soon found a large deer sleeping in the snow under a tree. Rosa raised her gun and fired, but missed. Fortunately, the startled deer jumped up and struck its head against a limb, breaking its neck. The slave ran and cut the deer's throat, and they drug it back to the house in the snow. The family fed well on venison and hominy while they waited for the men to return with the meal.

William and Rosa had nine children who raised large families of their own and lived to be quite elderly. The daughters were all widowed at the same time but none remarried. All were said to have managed their estates well. The children were:

Patience Bourne born 18 Nov 1770, married Jonathan Thomas, died 29 Sep 1854. Milly Bourne born 7 Mar 1773, married Jessie McKinney. Charity Bourne born 7 Nov 1775, married John Blair. Stephen G. Bourne born 26 Feb 1779, married Patsy Mays, died 29 Apr 1849. Mary Bourne born 5 Jan 1782, married Martin Dickinson, died Sep 1860. Elizabeth Bourne born 20 Mar 1785, married Lewis Hale. Frances Bourne born 5 Jun 1788. Celia Bourne born 25 Dec 1790, married Robert Johnstone, died 19 Jan 1863. William Bourne, Jr. born 4 May 1794, married Mary Johnstone.

She married William Bourne in about 1765, when he was 22 years old, and she was just 15. Tax records show that they remained in Louisa County for at least the first ten years of their marriage.

William and Rosa had nine children, who raised large families of their own, and lived to be quite elderly. The daughters were all widowed at about the same time and apparently chose not to remarry. They were said, by Nuckolls, to have managed their estates well.

The Bourne children were:

Patience born in 1770 married Jonathon Thomas

Milly born in 1773 married Jessie McKinney

Charity born in 1775 married John Blair

Stephen G. born in 1779 married Patsy Mays

Mary born 1782 married Martin Dickinson

Elizabeth born 1785 married Lewis Hale

Frances born 1788 married Steven Hale, Sr.

Celia born 1790 married Robert Johnstone

William, Jr. born 1794 married Mary Johnstone

In the spring of 1852 she wrote to her daughter, Elizabeth Cox, about wanting to pay a visit. At the age of 82, she seems undaunted by the thought of a two-day hike to reach them, but was somewhat reluctant to "waid the waters" of New River during the rainy season.

• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees via son Stephen G. Bourne by SmartCopy: Jan 26 2015, 21:41:30 UTC

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• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees via son Stephen Gary Bourne by SmartCopy: Feb 9 2015, 21:55:44 UTC

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• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees via daughter Charity Blair (born Bourne) by SmartCopy: Jan 22 2015, 17:36:40 UTC

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GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Births Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001. 1,5769::0

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@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Births Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001. 1,5769::0

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@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. 1,4725::0

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Birth year: 1749; Birth city: Knob Fork; Birth state: VA. http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=genepool&h=3043638&ti=0&indiv... Birth date: 14 February 1749 Birth place: Knob Fork, Grayson Co, VA Death date: 16 March 1821 Death place: Knob Creek, Grayson Co, VA Marriage date: 1765 Marriage place: Richmond, Hanover, VA 1,4725::3043638

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@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. 1,4725::0

GEDCOM Source

Birth year: 1750; Birth city: Knob Fork; Birth state: VA. http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=genepool&h=1404984&ti=0&indiv... Birth date: 14 February 1750 Birth place: Knob Fork, Grayson, VA Death date: 16 March 1821 Death place: Knob Fork, S, VA 1,4725::1404984

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@R-2142334084@ 1820 United States Federal Census Ancestry.com Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.Original data - Fourth Census of the United States, 1820. (NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record G 1,7734::0

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1820 U S Census; Census Place: Grayson, Virginia; Page: 44; NARA Roll: M33_131; Image: 61 1,7734::148889

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@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Deaths Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001. 1,5771::0

GEDCOM Source

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=genepoold&h=1443645&ti=0&indi... Death date: 16 March 1821 Death place: Knob Creek, Grayson, VA, USA 1,5771::1443645

GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. 1,4725::0

GEDCOM Source

Birth year: 1749; Birth city: Knob Fork; Birth state: VA. http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=genepool&h=3043638&ti=0&indiv... Birth date: 14 February 1749 Birth place: Knob Fork, Grayson Co, VA Death date: 16 March 1821 Death place: Knob Creek, Grayson Co, VA Marriage date: 1765 Marriage place: Richmond, Hanover, VA 1,4725::3043638

GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. 1,4725::0

GEDCOM Source

Birth year: 1750; Birth city: Knob Fork; Birth state: VA. http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=genepool&h=1404984&ti=0&indiv... Birth date: 14 February 1750 Birth place: Knob Fork, Grayson, VA Death date: 16 March 1821 Death place: Knob Fork, S, VA 1,4725::1404984

GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ Millennium File Heritage Consulting Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003.Original data - Heritage Consulting. The Millennium File. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Heritage Consulting.Original data: Heritage Consulting. The Millennium File. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: 1,7249::0

GEDCOM Source

1,7249::102710026

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@R-2142334084@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1700s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

GEDCOM Source

1,60525::12300506

GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Deaths Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001. 1,5771::0

GEDCOM Source

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=genepoold&h=1443645&ti=0&indi... Death date: 16 March 1821 Death place: Knob Creek, Grayson, VA, USA 1,5771::1443645

GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Births Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001. 1,5769::0

GEDCOM Source

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=genepoolb&h=2484003&ti=0&indi... Birth date: 14 February 1750 Birth place: Knob Fork, Grayson, VA, USA 1,5769::2484003

GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Births Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001. 1,5769::0

GEDCOM Source

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=genepoolb&h=2484002&ti=0&indi... Birth date: 14 February 1750 Birth place: Knob Fork, Grayson, VA, USA 1,5769::2484002

GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. 1,4725::0

GEDCOM Source

Birth year: 1749; Birth city: Knob Fork; Birth state: VA. http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=genepool&h=3043638&ti=0&indiv... Birth date: 14 February 1749 Birth place: Knob Fork, Grayson Co, VA Death date: 16 March 1821 Death place: Knob Creek, Grayson Co, VA Marriage date: 1765 Marriage place: Richmond, Hanover, VA 1,4725::3043638

GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. 1,4725::0

GEDCOM Source

Birth year: 1750; Birth city: Knob Fork; Birth state: VA. http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=genepool&h=1404984&ti=0&indiv... Birth date: 14 February 1750 Birth place: Knob Fork, Grayson, VA Death date: 16 March 1821 Death place: Knob Fork, S, VA 1,4725::1404984

GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ Millennium File Heritage Consulting Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003.Original data - Heritage Consulting. The Millennium File. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Heritage Consulting.Original data: Heritage Consulting. The Millennium File. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: 1,7249::0

GEDCOM Source

1,7249::102710026

GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1700s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

GEDCOM Source

1,60525::12300506

GEDCOM Source

@R-2142334084@ 1820 United States Federal Census Ancestry.com Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.Original data - Fourth Census of the United States, 1820. (NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record G 1,7734::0

GEDCOM Source

1820 U S Census; Census Place: Grayson, Virginia; Page: 44; NARA Roll: M33_131; Image: 61 1,7734::148889

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