Monday Is for Mothers: Dorothy Moss (About 1655 - About 1718)

This far up my maternal family tree it isn't surprising that we know so little about this 8th great grandmother, especially considering that she lived in Virginia where early records can be scarce.

[Ancestry.com. Virginia, Marriages of the Northern Neck of Virginia, 1649-1800 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Headley, Robert K. Married Well and Often: Marriages of the Northern Neck of Virginia, 1649–1800. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2003.]

When her husband Abraham Stapp made his will in 1710 Dorothy was to retain "all property" during her lifetime so she was alive at that point although it's not clear to me that she still was at the time Abraham's will was probated four years later.*

[Section: Essex County, Wills and Deeds, 1711-1714.

Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Vol. II [database on-line]. Ancestry.com]

Essex County is located on the south side of the Rappahannock River, roughly here:

[Detail from "A New Map of New England New York New Iarsey Pensilvania Maryland and Virginia" 1685.

Source: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection]

Here's how I'm related to Dorothy through her son Joshua:

[Ancestry.com]

I wrote about Dorothy's granddaughter Martha Stapp earlier this year.





*It wasn't uncommon for a man's will not to be changed to reflect later deaths in the family.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: Thomas Mathews - Northampton, North Carolina, 1770

In an earlier post we saw that Martha Stapp's husband Thomas Matthews received one shilling in her father's Joshua's 1759 will and noted that her only other mention in surviving records is in Thomas's will which presented in the Northampton County court in March of 1770.

I haven't found a birth date for this maternal sixth great grandfather, but since their first child was born about 1739 it's likely to have been in or before 1720, so he must have been in his 40s when he put his mark on his will on April 20, 1761. At that time his three sons (James, Claiborne* and Lawrence) were under age so he left everything to Martha as long as she didn't remarry. If she died or took a second husband all his property was to go to his oldest son, if he died then to my ancestor, and finally in case both his older sons were dead, to his youngest son Lawrence.

["North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:2:77T2-JR3V?cc=1867501&wc=32L6-3T5%3A169791301%2C170254301 : 21 May 2014), Northampton > image 103 of 273;

county courthouses, North Carolina.]

                                      Thomas Matthews Will
In the name of God amen, I Thomas Matthews of the County of North
ampton, being in a low State of Health, but of sound & perfect sense
& memory, Do hereby this my last Will & Testament, revoking 
all former wills by me heretofore made.
Impremis I give my Soul to almighty God, its Creator, hoping thru the mediation
                of my Saviour Jesus Christ to Receive full & ardent Redemption 
                all my sins, my body I Desire to be decently interred at the Discre
                tion of my Execr hereafter appointed.
Item         I give & bequeath unto my loving wife Martha Mathews,
                while she Continues sole & my widow, all my Estate but in Case
                my wife shall die or marry, I give my land unto my son James
                Matthews ^his heirs & assigns. In case my son James Mathews^
                should die under age, I give my Land to my son Chil
                borne Mathews, & his heirs forever. In case my Son Chilborne
               should die under age, I give my land to my son Lawrence Mat
               thews & his heirs forever.
I Constitute & appoint my wife Martha Matthews ^to be^ , Exer of this my last
                will & testament, & I desire all my just debts to be paid by my Exer, In
                witness thereof I have set my hand & seal this 20th day of April 1761.
                Signed Sealed & Delivered           Thomas [his | mark] Matthews & seal
                as his last will & testament in presence of
                Teste Thos Short,  George Raglund.                 

Even though Thomas lived another nine years after drawing up this will, he apparently saw no need to make another and this was the one recorded in 1770.

["North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:2:77T2-JR3K?cc=1867501&wc=32L6-3T5%3A169791301%2C170254301 : 21 May 2014), Northampton > image 104 of 273;

county courthouses, North Carolina.]

Northampton County ?? March Ct 1770.

This will of Thomas Matthews deceased was proved by the 

Oath of Thomas Short Esq. and ordered to be Certified &

Recorded.

                                                Teste Willis Jones Cct.

Northampton County has extensive probate records but somehow Thomas Matthews' original will doesn't seem to have survived nor is there any further probate records that I could find.



*Claiborne is my direct ancestor. His great great granddaughter is Sarah M. Matthews, the wife of George W. Slater.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Martha Stapp (About 1715 - After 1770?)

Martha's father Joshua Stapp (or Stepp) didn't mention her by name when he signed his will in Northampton County, North Carolina, on November 2, 1759, but he did leave one shilling to her husband Thomas Mathews. His other son-in-law also received one shilling, with all the rest of his estate going to his son Joshua Jr. No provision was made in case the younger Joshua died without legal heirs.*

[A compleat map of North-Carolina from an actual survey; John Collet & J. Bayly. Published in London by Samuel Hooper, 1770.

Source: Library of Congress, Washington D.C.]

[Detail of above, showing general location of Northampton County south of the Virginia border..]

["North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:2:77T2-JRSP? cc=1867501&wc=32L6-3T5%3A169791301%2C170254301 : 21 May 2014), Northampton > image 78 of 273;

county courthouses, North Carolina.]

Martha and Thomas's first child was born in about 1839 so presumably they were married sometime before then. My direct ancestor, Claiborne Mathews, was their second child.

[Ancestry.com]

As is to be expected, given the times, the only mention we have for this maternal 6th great grandmother are in the wills of her men-folk. Here is how Thomas referred to her in his will dated April 20, 1761, wherein he left his property to her (during her widowhood) and also named her his executor.

[North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970, Family Search]

This will was presented for probate in 1770 in Northampton County and I'll take a closer look at it on Friday. Unfortunately none of the other probate records from this time period seem to exist.

There's no indication in the surviving records of Martha's date of death.



*Joshua Sr. died in 1765 and his son acted as his executor.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.