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Chapter 1. Why Ann WEST was NOT the wife of Thomas OWSLEY
By Ronny O. Bodine
http://www.ofhs.org/the-west-family.html
Heretofore it was believed that the wife of Thomas Owsley II, of Fairfax County, Virginia was named Ann WEST. This "fact" has appeared and continues to appear in countless publications and websites. The truth of the matter is that Thomas Owsley's wife, though named Ann, was not a West. Let's look at the evidence in a question and answer format.
Q. Whoever said that Thomas Owsley's wife was even named Ann West?
A. In his last will and testament of 30 March 1751 [the year should actually read 1750] Thomas Owsley appoints as executors "…my loving wife and my Brother Hugh West…" The will was recorded in Fairfax County Will Book A-1, Part 2, page 468 on 25 June 1751. The interpretation was that Hugh West was actually Thomas Owsley's brother-in-law and thus Owsley's wife Ann was Hugh West's sister, ergo, Ann West came into being. It was a logical assumption even accepted by this writer.
Q. Who was Hugh West?
A. Hugh West was a prominent resident of Fairfax County who served Truro Parish as vestryman, 1744-1754, and as churchwarden, 1746-1747 and 1748. When Alexandria was organized in 1749 he served as a member of the first board of trustees. From 1752 until his death in 1754, he sat in the Virginia Assembly as a burgess from Fairfax County.
Q. What significance does the West connection have?
A. Hugh West was the son of John West "the elder" (to distinguish him from his younger half-brother, Colonel John West "the younger" (c1716-1777)) and grandson of Major John West, a prominent Stafford County land owner, justice of the peace, and militia officer. As a Captain in the Stafford County Militia he was subordinate to Major Thomas Owsley and in December 1701 was appointed to a commission to appraise Owsley's estate. He died in December 1716 leaving a will that was probated before the Stafford County Court on 13 February 1717. Although the original probate records containing this will are lost, a copy has survived in the land Records of Long Standing, p. 166-169. A transcribed copy of this will may be found in Tyler's Quarterly Magazine, volume 20 [1939], pages 102-104. In turn, it was believed that Major John West belonged to the family of the De La Warre Wests who furnished several British governors of Virginia and have a lengthy ancestry.
Q. What determined that Ann was NOT the sister of Hugh West?
A. When it became evident that Hugh West was actually Thomas Owsley's maternal half-brother and not his brother-in-law. Consequently, his reference to West as "my brother" had more significance.
Q. How could Hugh West have been Thomas Owsley's half-brother? How often was his mother married?
A. Previously, it was accepted that after Major Thomas Owsley died in 1700, his wife, Ann, remained a widow for a number of years and eventually married a man named John Wheeler. But now it is clear that in-between these two marriages she had yet another husband. To better answer this question let's look at the evidence.
Husband 1 was Major Thomas Owsley. They were married about 1680 and six children are known: Jane (c1681), Ann (before 24 Mar 1697/8), Mary (before 24 Mar 1697/8), Thomas (before 24 Mar 1697/8), Poyntz and Sarah (1700). Major Thomas Owsley died 10 October 1700 and as late as 10 August 1702 she appeared in a declaration made by attorney George Mason as "Mrs. Ann Ously administratrix of Majr. Thomas Ously." (Stafford County Deeds, vol. J, p. 488)
Husband 2 was John West "the elder". There were probably married in 1703-4. As noted above, Ann was still "Mrs. Ann Ously" on 10 August 1702, but on 14 March 1704, John West Junr. Requested of the Stafford County Court-- "Mr. Waugh. Please to record a cow and yearling for Eliz. Ridgway given to her by my wife in her widowhood…." (Stafford County Record Book, 1699-1709, p. 259) This establishes that John West, who is here called "Junr." to distinguish him from his father, Major John West, had married a widow, though she was not named in this court appearance.
On 26 September 1714, a warrant was issued to Daniel McCarty for 648 acres in Stafford County which included the description: "...beginning at a corner marked hickory of the land of Majr. Owsley on the Southside and near to the sd. run, opposite to the dwelling houses of the sd. Owsley's plantation now in the possession of the Widdow West, late the widow of the sd. Owsley." The land was granted to McCarty on 19 December 1716 (Northern Neck Grants, vol. 5, p. 129) This land warrant establishes that John West was now dead, his wife was a widow and that she had previously been the widow of Major Owsley.
On 4 January 1715, "Mrs. Ann West, widow" is mentioned in Northern Neck Grants, vol. 5, p. 27. In October 1716 a survey was made for Captain Daniel McCarty of land lying on Pohick and Accotink Creek in Stafford County which included "Part of the Lines of the land the Widow West lives on." (Fredericksburg District Court Plats and Other Papers, Virginia State Library and Archives.)
Finally, in the bible record of Hugh West's son, Rev. William West, he stated his father was Hugh West, born 16 March 1705, the son of John West and Anne Harris. This West family bible record is on deposit with the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore.
John West "the younger" and Ann (Harris Owsley) were the parents of two children- Hugh West, born 18 March 1705 and John West, born about 1706.
Husband 3 was John Wheeler. They were married between October 1716, when Ann was referred to in the land survey as "Widow West" and September 1718, when she came into court as "Mrs. Anne Wheeler" to surrender dower rights to the land Thomas Owsley had acquired in 1694 that Thomas Owsley (II) had finally deeded to Daniel McCarty on 14 August 1718. By this time, Ann was beyond child bearing age and there were no further children. It was on 3 April 1724 that a land warrant was issued to John Wheeler and "Thomas Howsley" for 586 acres in Stafford County, granted 5 August 1724 (Northern Neck Grants, vol. A, p. 60). On 21 February 1729 a 197 acre grant was issued to John Wheeler (Northern Neck Grants, vol. C, p. 32) and on 17 July 1739, Thomas Owsley and Ann, his wife, and Ann Wheeler, all of Prince William County, Virginia sell the remaining 400 acres of the 1696 Thomas Owsley land grant (Prince William County Deeds, vol. D, p. 190).
IN CONCLUSION Major Thomas Owsley died in 1700 leaving his wife as "Mrs. Ann Ously, administratrix of Majr. Thomas Ously." She marries again (to John West), survives her second husband and appears as the "Widdow West, late the widow of the sd. Owsley." She marries a third time (to John Wheeler) and as "Mrs. Ann Wheeler" surrenders her dower (i.e. the part of or interest in the real estate of a deceased husband given by law to his widow in her life. Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, p. 250) rights to Thomas Owsley's land.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The foregoing details were first presented in "The West Family of Stafford County, Virginia - The Final Chapter: Being an Account of the Three Husbands of Anne Harris," by Thomas Spalding, in the March 1996 Owsley Family Historical Society Newsletter. Contributing significantly was Anne Schwermer, author of Report on the History of the Barnes-Owsley Site, completed in February 1995, for the Directorate of Public Works, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Chapter 2: The Two Wives of Thomas Owsley II – the Full Story
By Ronny O. Bodine With special thanks to Aaron Stevens
This article was first published in the September 2009 issue of the Owsley Family Historical Society Newsletter.
http://www.ofhs.org/the-two-wives-of-thomas-owsley-ii.html
The fact that Thomas Owsley II (d. 1750) of Fairfax County, Virginia had two wives is still open to debate, but, I suspect will eventually be accepted by most as an unproven yet highly probably fact. The OFHS DNA Project has established that all but one of the sons of Thomas Owsley was borne to the same father. The DNA testing results have proven that Thomas was the father of his eldest son, Thomas III, as well as his fourth, fifth and sixth sons—Newdigate, Points and Weldon (his third son, William, left no testable descendants), but not his second son, John. Clearly, John Owsley (c1734-1764), the progenitor of the Tennessee branch of the family, was fathered by someone other than Thomas Owsley II. But if Thomas acknowledged John in his will as his son and John and Thomas III transacted land deals in which John calls Thomas his brother, there had to be another woman in the life of Thomas Owsley II. Barring his wife Ann being unfaithful and deceiving her husband into believing John was his natural son, there is only one other explanation, that there was an undocumented first wife who lived just long enough to bear one child, Thomas III in 1731/2, and then passed from history soon after his birth, perhaps even in childbirth, to be succeeded by the better known Ann about 1733, either bringing an infant with her into the marriage or pregnant with one. This Ann, for much of Owsley recorded history was known as Ann West, because her husband, Thomas Owsley, named as his executor of his will his brother (interpreted to mean brother-in-law), Hugh West. And Ann West remains to this day on countless internet websites that have long been abandoned by their owners and yet still report this disproven fact to the otherwise clueless. Those within the OFHS and those who have visited the OFHS website know that Hugh West was not the brother-in-law of Thomas Owsley as was long supposed, but, as stated in the will, his brother, actually his maternal half-brother, and thus Ann lost her connection to the West family and the Owsleys to any descendancy from the Wests. Since that time, more than a decade ago, the question has been raised as to what family Ann did belong to. There has been some speculation, but that is as far as it has gone, just speculation. Until 27 June 2009, that is, when I received an email from Aaron Stevens, someone outside of the society, but with whom I have previously corresponded on the Stephens family of Loudoun County, Virginia. While pursuing his research on the Stephens family he stumbled across documentation that has now clearly established the identity of the second wife of Thomas Owsley II, mother of all of his children, with the exception of his eldest son, Thomas Owsley III. The evidence is clear and there is no doubt. The second wife of Thomas Owsley II is Ann….but let’s start at the beginning.
On 9 Dec 1750, Sarah Settle of King George County, Virginia composed her last will and testament. Therein she did “…give and bequeath to my son William Hudson and William Allan my grandson…one hundred and sixty acres of land to be equally divided between them being 160 acres my Father gave to me, the said William Allan not disturbing or molesting my Daughter Lucy Hudson…” Further, “I give my Daughter Ludy Hudson 1060 pounds of Tobacco due to me for rent of the plantation where Archibald Allan now liveth she paying my debts…” Sarah Settle went on to “…appoint William Allan my grandson and my Daughter Lucy Hudson sole Executors…” The will was witnessed by John Stevens, Sarah Tinder, and Elizabeth Allan. The will was presented in court and admitted to record on 2 Jan 1755. (King George Co. Wills, Book A, p. 39-41)
King George County was created in 1721 out of Richmond County and in 1750, when Sarah Settle wrote her will, was surrounded by the counties of Stafford, Caroline, Essex and Westmoreland.
In analyzing the foregoing will, we find that those named as heirs of Sarah Settle were: Son William Hudson Daughter Lucy Hudson Grandson William Allan, who’s parents may be the Elizabeth Allan who witnessed the will and Archibald Allan, living on Sarah Settle’s plantation and paying her rent.
It is also clear that Sarah had at one time been married to a Hudson, but was subsequently the wife of a Settle. Examination of King George County Court Order Book 1 (1721-1734), revealed on page 489 that on 6 March 1729/30, administration was granted to Sarah Hudson, widow of William Hudson, deceased, and that on the same day she acknowledged her bond as his administratrix with Rush Hudson, her security (King George Co. Bond Book 1 [1723-1735], p. 276) and that an inventory was recorded on 3 April 1730 (King George Co. Inventory Book 1 [1721-1741], p. 141).
Based upon undocumented postings on various websites, Sarah Hudson married as her 2nd husband, Benjamin Settle, the date of 1742 being given in many cases, with no reference to a source. I was unable to find any reference to Benjamin Settle and Sarah Hudson in the same context, but did find that on 5 March 1752, Edward Dixon gave his bond as administrator of the estate of Benjamin Settle, deceased, with Samuel Skinner as his security. (King George Co. Bond Book 3 [1739-1765], p. 115)
And who was Rush Hudson? Perhaps a sibling of William Hudson? What with such an unusual name the heritage of this family should be easily traced. Were it only so. According to the will of Joshua Hudson of Westmoreland County, Virginia of 6 June 1704, his sons were John, Joshua, Caleb and Rush
no William. [Westmoreland Co. Deeds and Wills, Book 3 [1701-1707], p. 246-247) Rush Hudson died in 1735 as on 7 Nov 1735 administration on his estate was granted to Edward Turbervile and Sarah, his wife. Sarah was the widow of Rush Hudson and, as the saying of the time goes, “Marry well and often,” did not wait all that long to remarry. Edward Turbervile, actually Turberville, was her 3rd husband and outlived all three, dying shortly before 28 May 1761 in Orange County, Virginia (Orange Co. Wills, Book 2 [1744-1778], p. 310-311).
It is fortunate for the posterity of Thomas Owsley II that Sarah Settle’s daughter, Lucy Hudson, also left a will. Written on 24 July 1756, just about one and one-half years after her mother’s passing, and probated on 2 Sept 1756, Lucy Hudson of the parish of Hanover, King George County did “…give and bequeath to my cousins Samuel Peril and Pine Housley all my money & the money of a Thousand Weight of Crop tobacco which Capt. Joseph Strother hath to sell for me. To my Sister Ann Housley my Mothers green cloak & the Country Cloth that is at the weavers Vizt.” She makes further bequests to “…my Sister Elizabeth Allen,” “…my Sister Martha Peril…” and “…my Brother William Hudson…” whom she appoints as Executrix and Executor. Witnesses to the will were John Stevens, Ann Stevens and John Hammit. (King George Co. Wills Book A, p. 52-53).
In the foregoing will, Lucy Hudson names Ann Housley as her sister and refers to Pine Housley as her cousin. In the records of Loudoun County, Virginia, Poyntz or Pointz Owsley, son of Thomas II, is occasionally referred to Pine or Pines Owsley or Housley. The term “cousin” was, for that time period, applied to a near relative such as a nephew or niece, which Ann’s son was to Lucy Hudson.
So, in combining the family relationships named in the two wills, we can produce the following chart:
William Hudson = Sarah = Benjamin Settle
d. 1730 d. 1755 d. 1752
____________________|_____________________________________
Lucy Hudson William Hudson Ann Owsley Martha Peril Elizabeth Allen
d. 1756 | | |
Pine "Housley” Samuel Peril William Allen
And what of the land that Sarah Settle devised in her will upon her son William Hudson and grandson William Allan? The 160 acre tract was received by her from her father and was to be divided equally between the two. I was unable to identify the tract with the resources available to me. It is also unclear who Sarah’s father was. Most websites name him simply as William Allen or John Allen with no reference to a source and this should be considered with caution. The 160 acre tract would have been originally situated in Richmond County and perhaps earlier in its parent county of Old Rappahannock from which it had been formed in 1692. I found no description of this tract in Sarah Settle’s will nor in the deeds of Richmond and King George County, but the share of William Allan was described in a King George County deed of 27 Oct 1779 between William Allan and Mary, his wife, of Culpepper County and Thomas Smith, of King George County. This tract of land was in Hanover Parish, King George County and contained 98 ½ acres “…according to survey lately made thereof [by] John Triplett Junr., Surveyor of County of King George, which land was given to William Allan intailed by the Last Will and Testament of Sarah Settle, deceased, dated the nineteenth day of December one thousand seven hundred and fifty four…” and bordered on that of Samuel Kendal and Colonel William Green. (King George Co. Deeds, Book 5 [1765-1783], p. 1195.)
William Allan died in 1799 as per his will of 12 July 1799 which was proven on 16 Sept 1799 in Culpepper County, Virginia (Wills, Book D [1791-1803], p. 256-258).
The other portion of the land had earlier been disposed of by William Hudson as by deed of 15 Sept 1770, William Hudson and Abagail, his wife, of Hanover Parish, King George County sold their share of his land to Samuel Kendall, his neighbor and described it as lying between the land of Kendall and William Green. (King George Co. Deeds, Book 5 [1765-1783], p. 855.)
And so I come to the conclusion. There are many avenues yet to explore and I will open this to the reader. I utilized the resources of the Washington Memorial Library of Macon, Georgia which may house the finest genealogical collection in the state. Yet there are other, larger collections scattered across the country that may have resources that will fill in the gaps. I now challenge you, the reader, to go forth and find the answers. And when you have done so, the OFHS Newsletter will stand available to present your work.
Chapter 3: The Two Wives of Thomas Owsley II
"There’s More to the Story"
By Ronny O. Bodine
This article was first published in the December 2009 issue of the Owsley Family Historical Society Newsletter.
Author’s note: The Two Wives of Thomas Owsley, published in the September 2009 Newsletter, certainly generated more interest than any other article in recent years. I left it open for readers to contribute any new information they may uncover in their own research and this follow-up is the result, hopefully, just the first.
Martha Peril and her son Samuel Peril, were named in the 1756 will of Martha’s sister, Lucy Hudson. Floyd Owsley wrote to say that Peril was undoubtedly Pearl and went on to point out that her husband was likely William Pearl in who’s will of 24 May 1785, proved 28 July 1785 in Fauquier County, Virginia (Wills 2: 61-62) he names his wife Martha and sons Samuel, William and Richard, leaving all of his estate to his widow, one of three executors. Although the will makes no mention of any Hudson, the identity of Martha as Lucy’s sister seems to be confirmed by the following. William and Martha Pearl’s son, William Pearl also left a will, written 24 Feb 1814 and proved in Lincoln County, Kentucky naming sons John, Henry and Edward Pearl and among his daughters, Nancy Owsley. The following chart better illustrates this complex relationship.
William Hudson = Sarah = Benjamin Settle
d. 1730 d. 1754 1687-1752
|
_______ | ____________
| | 1st Wife = Thomas Owsley II = Ann Hudson Martha Hudson = William Pearl
| d.1750 | c1725-1785
| |
Thomas Owsley III William Pearl
1731-1796 c1747-1814
|____________________________ _____|_______ | | | | William Owsley Daniel Owsley = Nancy Ann Pearl |
1749-1813 1765-1835 c1776-1853 |
|_________________ ___________|
| |
Mary Owsley = Henry Pearl
1784-fl. 1853 c1779-1853
Recall also that one Rush Hudson served as security in 1730 for the administration of Sarah Hudson on the estate of her husband William Hudson. The relationship of Rush Hudson to William Hudson is not known. He was not his brother. But, two of our members, Sage Joyner and Bettina Esser, wrote to report that they were descendants of this Rush Hudson and one, Sage Joyner, noted another Owsley connection among his ancestry:
William Hudson = Sarah Rush Hudson
d. 1730 security in 1730
| | 1st Wife = Thomas Owsley II = Ann Hudson David Hudson
| | Thomas Owsley IIII = Mary Middleton Margaret Hudson=Reuben Arnold
| |
Mary Owsley = John Bryant |
|_______ ______________________|
| |
Jane Bryant = Isaac Arnold
I consulted Peggy Frances Rush’s The Willis Family of the Northern Neck in Virginia 1669-1737 (Heritage Books, 2007) which provides some detail on the Rush family. But, on page 95, even Ms. Rush comments “The relationship between William and Rush Hudson is unknown to me.”
And here is where we stand for the moment. There remains much to be uncovered. What is the family connection of William Hudson to Rush Hudson? Who were the parents of Sarah, recalling the Sarah had received 160 acres from her father. Could it be William Allen, a name alluded to in a website but offering no evidence?
Chapter 4: The Ancestry of Ann Hudson, Wife of Thomas Owsley II
By Ronny O. Bodine
This article was first published in the September 2010 issue of the Owsley Family Historical Society Newsletter.
http://www.ofhs.org/the-ancestry-of-ann-hudson-wife-of-thomas-owsle...
The following should be considered a work in progress. Readers are encouraged to continue working on these lines so as to remove any doubt of their validity or prove that interpretations were erroneous and provide the necessary evidence to support their own conclusions.
On the afternoon of Saturday, 5 June, I was sitting at a table in the library of the East Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville, on the final day of our 32nd Annual Meeting, pondering over an imponderable. Is the ancestry of Ann Hudson traceable? With all that has been published for that time period, nothing leapt off the page to provide that one important clue to open the path to her ancestry. Sage Joyner was sitting opposite me. Sage is a descendant of Rush Hudson, the man who was security for the administration by Sarah Hudson on her husband’s estate in 1730. I said that it seemed so unlikely that it was just coincidental that Rush Hudson came forward to provide this security and happened to have the same name as she and her late husband. Sage said why could he not have been his brother? I responded saying there was nothing anywhere that tied the two together other than this one reference. And then the clouds of confusion began to part. Indeed, they must have been brothers!
Let’s reexamine that singular clue. On 6 March 1729/30, in King George County, Virginia, administration was granted to Sarah Hudson, widow of William Hudson, decd. Rush Hudson provided security. The estate inventory was recorded 3 April 1730. [Court Order Book 1 (1721-34), p. 489; Bond Book 1 (1723-35), p. 27b; Inventory Book 1 (1721-41), p. 141].
Rush Hudson was the son of Rush Hudson Sr. and his unknown 1st wife. Rush Sr. died in 1735 and soon after, his widow (his 2nd wife) married Edward Turbervile. On 7 Nov 1735, administration on the estate of Rush Hudson was granted to Edward Turbervile and Sarah, his wife. [Court Order Book 2, p. 36]
Sarah Hudson Turbervile died shortly before 28 May 1761 on which date her son, Rush Hudson, presented his mother’s will of 18 June 1760, before the court of Orange County, Virginia. Therein, Sarah Turbervile, of Orange County named her sons as John Willis, William Willis, Henry Wood, David Hudson, Joshua Hudson, and Rush Hudson and daughter Sarah Hawkins, and Rush Hudson’s children Rush, Mary and Elizabeth. [Orange Co. Will Book 2 (1744-78), p. 310-311] Sarah Turbervile had been married 4 times, being the widow of William Willis (d. 1716), Henry Wood (d. 1722), Rush Hudson (d. 1735) and Edward Turbervile (d. 1750).
Because the will of Sarah Turbervile failed to name a son William Hudson, I was thrown into a state of uncertainty. That is when Sage Joyner pointed out she named only her living children and three favorite grandchildren in her will and that is why William was not included. He had died 30 years before, perhaps even before she married her 3rd husband, Rush Hudson. Of course, it then all made more sense. Why would she name the deceased child of her former husband unless she was planning on leaving a bequest to his children, which she did not.
So, before moving on, it is necessary to make it clear that there is no hard, direct evidence, as yet, that proves William Hudson was the son of Rush Hudson Sr. Only the fact that Rush Hudson (Jr.) came forward to serve as security for Sarah Hudson on William’s estate is there a connection to associate the three men. If one accepts this premise then the ancestry of William Hudson unfolds.
The following genealogies have taken the lines back as far as can be proven. If one searches the internet all sorts of connections may be presented as apparently factual when the only thing tying them together is a common name. There is speculation that Joshua Hudson was the son of a John Hudson, based on the belief that if John Hudson had a son Joshua, then Joshua Hudson of Westmoreland County must be the one. And just because the two men may have actually lived in the same county does not establish a relationship. Until evidence is presented to the contrary, the following accounts are based upon facts and not hearsay or wishful thinking. If there is any uncertainty, then it will be clearly stated to that effect.
THE HUDSON FAMILY of Westmoreland County, Virginia
JOSHUA HUDSON was born, perhaps about 1650. On 3 Jan 1673/4, Wm. Rush gave to Jossua Hudson of Upper Machoteck 100 acres “For natural love and affection I bear unto my daughter Elizth. As also a marriage contracted and so solemnized between Jossua Hudson of Upper Machoteck and my said daughter.” [Westmoreland Co. Deeds, Patents, etc. (1665-77), p. 175a-176]
Upper Machoteck refers to Machodoc Creek which in 1653 was made the dividing line with Northumberland County from which Westmoreland County had been formed in July of that year. So, unless Joshua was several years younger, he may have been born in Northumberland County.
Joshua Hudson died leaving a will written 6 June 1704 and proved 26 July 1704. Therein he made bequests to sons John Hudson, Joshua Hudson, Caleb Hudson and Rush Hudson. He appointed his wife Elizabeth and son Joshua Hudson as executors. [Westmoreland Co. Wills, 1701-07, p. 246-247]
By his wife, Elizabeth Rush, Joshua Hudson was the father of:
RUSH HUDSON was born, perhaps 1678-1680, as the 4th son of Joshua Hudson. On 22 April 1708, he and his brother Caleb witnessed the will of their brother John in Westmoreland County [Deeds and Wills, 1707-09, p. 137-8]. The name of his 1st wife is not known. Before 6 July 1722, he married Sarah Wood, widow of Henry Wood and previously of William Willis. It was on that date that administration on the estate of Henry Wood was granted to Rush Hudson and his wife, Sarah, widow of the deceased. On 7 June 1723, the King George County Court dismissed charges against Rush Hudson for not attending church after Hudson stated he was a member of the Quaker Communion. [King George Co. Order Book, 1721-23, p. 92] Rush Hudson died intestate before 7 Nov 1735 when Edward Turbervile and Sarah, his wife, were appointed administrators of his estate. An inventory and appraisal was submitted to the court on 5 Dec 1735 showing a valuation of 238 pounds, 8 shillings and 8 pence. The inventory included 7 slaves. As noted earlier, Sarah Turbervile died leaving a will written 18 June 1760, proved 28 May 1761. Rush Hudson, by his 1st wife, was the father of Rush, Jr.; Joshua, David and of:
WILLIAM HUDSON was born, perhaps around 1698 and died before 6 March 1729/30 when administration on his estate was granted to his widow, Sarah Hudson, with security by Rush Hudson. Sarah Hudson married 2ndly, Benjamin Settle, and left a will as Sarah Settle, written 9 Dec 1750 and proved in King George County on 2 Jan 1755. Therein she named as heirs, son William Hudson and daughter Lucy Hudson and grandson William Allan. [Will Book A, p. 39-41]. Her daughter, Lucy Hudson, also left a will, written 24 July 1756 and proved 2 Sept 1756 wherein she named as her heirs, brother William Hudson, sisters Ann Housley, Martha Peril and Elizabeth Allan, and cousins Samuel Peril and Pine Housley. [Will Book A, p. 52-53] William Hudson was the father of:
ANN HUDSON. Born, perhaps 1716/7. Her 1st husband is not known, but the marriage was brief, producing a son, John, born about 1733/4. Her 2nd husband was Thomas Owsley II of Fairfax County. Thomas II accepted Ann’s son, John, as his own, and thus, as John Owsley I he founded the Tennessee branch of the Owsley family. Ann went on to bear her husband 8 more children and survived her husband’s death in 1750. She was named Ann Housley in the 1756 will of her sister Lucy Hudson which is the latest date that can be established for certain that she was yet living.
The RUSH FAMILY of Westmoreland County, Virginia
WILLIAM RUSH. Two men named William Rush are known to have come to America in the first half of the 17th-century. The first William Rush arrived in 1635 aboard the Matthew when he was 20 years old. The second William Rush was transported in 1650 by Sir Thomas Huntsford, Bnt. It seems likely that one of these men was the father of:
WILLIAM RUSH. In or before 1658, William Rush married Anne, daughter of Francis Gray. The following deed, written 20 Nov 1658, was recorded in Westmoreland County on 28 Nov 1658 (Deeds & Wills, Vol. 1, p. 78):
Francis Gray of Appamattox, Westmoreland Co. to William Rush for many and sundry considerations me there unto moving as well as the tender affection I bear unto my daughter, Anne, have and doe by these presents freely give, make over and bestow upon and unto William Rush, husband unto my said daughter, a tract of land containing 100 acres, being part of a tract owned by me lying in the county aforesaid, and being at a place commonly called the Round Hills, nigh unto the Machodick river—to William Rush and his heirs by the body of my said daughter, forever. The said William Rush yielding and paying unto me and my heirs for an acknowledgement, one pepper corn an annum, the said pepper corn to be paid at or upon the feast of St. Michael, the archangel.
The aforesaid 100-acre tract was in turn given on 3 Jan 1673/4 to Joshua Hudson upon his marriage to William Rush’s daughter Elizabeth (refer to the above account of Joshua Hudson).
Three generations of William Rush’s are attested to in the following lease and release of land recorded in Westmoreland County Deed Book 8-2, p. 145-147:
William Rush of Washington Parish, Westmoreland Co., Va. to Rev. David Stuart, of St. Paul’s Parish, Stafford Co., Va., being 100 acres purchased from Robert Howson by William Rush, the grandfather of the above mentioned grantor and lesser, and granted by deed of gift to William Rush his son, the father of the above grantor, as by deed bearing date the 22 July 1689, relation thereunto being had, may more at large appear, and now descended by inheritance to William Rush, the grantor thereof, the grandson to the above William Rush, the first purchaser hereof, the which tract was re-patented and granted to William Rush the first purchaser aforesaid the 10th January, 1704.
William Rush was living 22 July 1689 when he deeded the above 100 acres to his son, but what became of him remains to be determined. Because of the three generations all bearing the same name it is difficult to distinguish what event pertains to whom. The third William Rush died 1707-8 and it was Joshua Hudson who was one of his creditors (Westmoreland Co. Deeds and Wills, Book 4, p. 165)
ELIZABETH RUSH. Wife of Joshua Hudson. See the above account.
The GRAY FAMILY
of Westmoreland County, Virginia
Note: The spelling Gray and Grey was often used interchangeably.
FRANCIS GRAY. Born before 1616. He was one of the first emigrants to Maryland, found living in 1637 at St. George’s Hundred just three years after the arrival of Leonard Calvert and his emigrants. That year he served St. George’s Hundred in the General Assembly of Maryland and was reelected annually until 1643. On 26 Nov 1638, Francis Gray applied for a license to marry Alice Moorman, which license was issued (Archives of Maryland, IV, p. 51). Alice Moorman had been brought to Virginia in 1637 by Capt. Thomas Cornwallis, one of the Council of Maryland (Neill’s Founders of Maryland, p. 78).
From The William and Mary Quarterly, XII [1904], p. 267-8: Owing to the disturbances in Maryland occasioned by William Clayborne and the differences between Catholics and Protestants, several settlements were formed about 1638 on the south bank of the Potomac, at Machodoc and Chicacoan, under the government of Virginia. Francis Gray took an active part in these troubles against Lord Baltimore, and finally found it more agreeable to settle in Virginia. He sold his cattle in Maryland in 1647, and removing to Machodoc, Westmoreland County, Va., died there in 1667.
Francis Grey patented 1000 acres in Westmoreland County on 16 July 1654 for transporting 20 persons to America, including one George Rush, which patent was renewed 18 March 1662. He patented another 374 acres on 16 Nov 1664. (Cavaliers and Pioneers, Patent Books 3, p. 288 and 5, p. 501)
The will of Francis Grey was written 7 June 1667 and proved 31 July 1667. Therein he referred to his loving wife Alice Grey, son Francis Grey, daughter Anne Rush, the wife of William Rush, and Ann Lancelott, the daughter of John Lancelott. His widow, Alice Grey, was appointed as executrix. (Westmoreland Co. Deeds and Wills, 1653-1671, p. 312-313)
ANNE GRAY. Wife of William Rush. See the above account.
The GRAY, RUSH, HUDSON and OWSLEY Families
FRANCIS GRAY = ALICE MOORMAN WILLIAM RUSH = N.N.
d. 1667
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ANN GRAY = WILLIAM RUSH
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JOSHUA HUDSON = ELIZABETH RUSH
c1650-1704 |
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N.N. = RUSH HUDSON = SARAH
d. before d. 1735 d. 1760
1722 m. 4: Edward Turberville
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WILLIAM HUDSON = SARAH RUSH HUDSON
d. 1729/30 d. 1755 living 1760
m. 2: Benjamin Settle Security for Sarah Hudson
| 1730
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N.N. = ANN HUDSON = THOMAS OWSLEY II
d. 1750
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JOHN OWSLEY I 8 CHILDREN
c1733-1764
Adopted by
Thomas Owsley II