Throckmorton of England and Virginia; Wm. and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 3, No. 1 Transcribed by Kathy Merrill for the USGenWeb Archives Special Collections Project ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** Throckmorton of England and Virginia W. G. Stanard William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 1. (Jul., 1894), pp. 46-52. THROCKMORTON OF ENGLAND AND VIRGINIA. BY W. G. STANARD. The first question that arises in tracing this pedigree is as to which of the Robert Throckmortons named in the last generation of the Visitation of 1613 was ancestor of the Throckmortons of Virginia; but there can hardly be a doubt, from the evidence given blow, that it was the Robert, son of Gabriel Throckmorton of Ellington, and htat it was his will, which is next copied: [P.C.C. Bruce, 74]. In the name of God, Amen -- seeing that nothing is more certaine then death and withall that noething is more uncertayne then the type of death, and least I should depart this life without setting my house in order in some good measure according to my mynd and true meaning without disposing of such earthly substance eyther in land or goods wherewth all the Lord hath mercifully blessed me I Robert Throgmorton now of Osford Cluney and heretofore of Ellington in the County of Huntington, Esquire . . . do now this present 14 Setember, 1657, make my last will and Testament: First . . . my body to be buried in decent christian burial at the discretion of my Exor and overseers . . . and whereas I have heretofore by fyne or other conveyance made feofment of my mannor of Ellington with ap- purtenances in the County aforesd and other my Lands, Tenements hereditamts with appurtenancs in Ellington of some part or parts to the use of such person or persons as I should by my deed declare lymitt and appoynt. And, whereas by one other deed that the said mannor of Ellington . . . and all & every the sd lands . . . services and hereditaments for the use of such persons In pursuance thereof and according to such provisoes conditions trusts I doe now by this my last will and testament give will lymitt devise & dispose with the reversion & reversions remaynder of the same & likewise all my goods and personal estate, viz: Imprimis I doe appoynt my eldest sonne Albion Throgmorton sole Exor. being confident of his love and conscionable care in the probate and performance of the same: Item I give unto the poor people of Ellington Page 47. and Sibthorne 40|: and if I dye inhabitant of Osford Cluney that 20| shall be distributed to and amongst the poore people there: unto my eldest sonne Albion Throckmorton & to his heirs for ever for the better enableing him in the performance of this my last will All that Cottage or Tenement and three selions of land and leyes lately enclosed by estimacon three half acres, & also 5 acres of errable Lands & green sword & also 1 acre of Leyes lieinge in Stockeinge with the quicke hedge their all wch said cottage or tenemt three selions & six acres aforsd are lyeing within the Towns, fields, bounds or precincts of or in long stowe upthorpe and Spauldwicke in the co of Huntington to have & to hold unto the said Albion Throckmorton or his heires and assigns forever. To the end that the same may be sould and the moneyes imployed towards the performance of this my will and legacies: To my son Albion all my mannor of Ellington afsd . . . except onlye the lands - tenements, services, heredimts there by me conveyed or settled upon Judith my wife for her Joynture; to my sonne Robert Throckmorton L200, to be paid att my mannor house in Ellington at his accomplishment of the age of 24 yeares; unto my sonne John Throckmorton L200, in like manner at his atteyning the age of 24 yeares; unto my daughter Mary Throckmorton L10 to buy her mourning and also a watch of myne which was her mother's and likewise L300 - viz. L200 at age of 21, or day of marriage, L100 six months after decease of Judith my now wife; unto my loving wife L20 for mourning; unto my daughter in lawe Mrs. Anne Dorrington upon request ye use of child bed lininge returning the same to my Exor: unto my brother Gabriel Throckmorton, & to my sister Bromsill, my sister Jackson, my sister Phillips, my sister Anne Dorrington, to every of them a gould ring of 20|- value to weare in loving remembrance of me; and if my said daughter in lawe, Mrs. Anne Dorrington shall be unmarried & resident with me att my death, then I give her L10 to buy her mourning; to my servants dwelling with me att my death 5| a peece . . . My well beloved brother in law, Owen Bromsall and Lewis Phillips, gent to be overseers of this my last will; all reside of my Jewels debts credits to my son Albion - signed in presence of us Henry Dorrington, John Burden. Robert Throckmorton. Proved at London 21 June, 1664, by Albion Throckmorton, son of deceased & sole executor. Page 48. It is also believed that the Robert Throckmorton, of whose will the following is an abstract, was the son of John Throckmorton, who is named in the preceding will: Will of Robert Throckmorton, of Peyton Pawa, Co. Huntingdon, dated 1 March, 1698, proved 3 May, 1699, in which he leaves Mary his wife land at Ellington, with reversion to his son Robert - mentions his daughters Susanna, Alice and Mary - leaves property to his eldest son, Bromsall Throckmorton, and L500 to his son just born - mentions his father-in-law Thomas Bromsall, Esq., and his uncle Edward Mason - Gives his brother Albion Throckmorton all his plantation and effects in Gloucester County upon York River in Virginia, and to his brother Gabriel Throckmorton his other plantation and effects in New Kent County, near Rappahannocke River in Virginia. The testator was probably the Robert Throckmorton, who patented 300 acres in Charles Co., Virginia (then including Gloucester) at "the White Marsh", August 24, 1637 (and was himself a head-right), and 650 acres on the west side of Nansemond River, in 1644. The second doubtful, or rather unproven, point in the pedigree is of course as to the paternity of John Throckmorton, spoken of above; but from him on there is no further trouble in tracing the line. A descendant of the Throckmorton family, living in West Virginia, has an old Bible, with numerous entries of births, marriages and deaths, evidently contemporary. In some of these entries the ink has so faded as to render the date illegible; but what remains is of the highest importance in tracing the descent of the family. Statements from this, and other family Bibles made use of, will be referred to by the letters F.B. The first entry in this old Bible is "John Throckmorton of Ellington in the County of Huntingdon, Great Britain, born . . " married . . . and died . . . (F.B.) He had issue: 1. Robert, born . . . living at Ellington in 1683 (F.B.) Page 49. An abstract of his will has been given. His son, Bromsall Throckmorton, was living at Heming Abbotts, Co. Huntington, in 1720 (F.B.) 2. Albion, born 1672, "about 12 years old in 1684" (F.B.) Whether he was ever in Virginia is uncertain, though he may have been the Albion Throckmorton, who was an early vestryman of Ware parish, Gloucester. There was also a John Throckmorton, vestryman of Ware in 1672, who canot be accounted for. Perhaps he may have been the John Throckmorton, of Ellington, names in the Bible entry; 3. Gabriel. GABRIEL THROCKMORTON of Ware parish, Gloucester Co., Virginia, born 1665, "aged 19 in 1684, then in Virginia" (F.B.) He married in 1690, Frances Cooke, daughter of Mordecai Cooke, of Ware Parish, Gloucester, (F.B.) and died in January, 1737. His obituary in the Virginia Gazette states that he had long been presiding Justice of the County, and that he died in his 77th year (a mistake as to his age). Issue: 4. Elizabeth, born . . . married John Perry, and had a daughter Frances, who married Francis Whiting (F.B.); 5. Robert; 6. Mordecai. 5. MAJOR ROBERT THROCKMORTON, of Ware parish, born . . married (i) August 14, 1730, Mary, daughter of John Lewis of Ware parish, (ii) Sarah Smith of "Shooter's Hill", and died . . (F.B.) He was appointed a Justice of Gloucester, 1737 (Council Journal). Issue (1st m): 6. John; 7. Frances, born Dec. 21st, 1733, married Wm Debnam, of Ware parish (F.B.) A traditional account says she was the wife of Col. James Barbour. 8. Gabriel, born Aug 16, 1735. He may have been the Gabriel Throckmorton, who was living in Caroline Co., in 1769, (Va. Gazette), and the person of the name, who (as appears from the Essex records) married in, or before 1761, Judith, daughter of Thos Edmundson of Essex; 9 Robert; 10. Albion; 11. Elizabeth, born . . married Barton Davis, of Northumberland Co. (F.B.); 12. Mary, born . . married Thomas Throckmorton (F.B.); a traditional account says she was the wife Page 50. of Major W. Moore. (2e m.), 13. Mordecai; 14. Warner; 15. Sarah, born . . . married in 1771, Peter Presley Thornton of "Northumberland House", Northumberland Co. who was a Lieutenant Colonoel of minute men at the beginning of the Revolution, and a member of the Convention of 1775. 6. CAPTAIN MORDECAI THROCKMORTON, was born . . died 1768; married Mary, daughter of Thomas Read, of Ware Parish (F.B.) He was probably the Mordecai Throckmorton, who was sheriff of King and Queen Co., in 1740 (Council Journal). Issue: 16. Lucy, married Robert Throckmorton, of Culpepper Co. (F.B.); 17. Thomas. 6. JOHN THROCKMORTON, of Ware Parish, Gloucester Co., born Dec. 20th, 1731, married (i) Rebecca, daughter of William Richardson, of Ware Parish, and m (ii) Elizabeth, daughter of John Cooke, of Gloucester (F.B.) According to a manuscript left by Mrs. Ann Page, (nee Dixon) of Gloucester Co., he removed for a time to the Western portion of the Colony (probably to "Roxton", in the present Jefferson Co.); but after the death of his first wife returned to Gloucester. On Sept. 5th, 1767, died Robert Throckmorton, of "Hail Western", Huntingdonshire, (his death is recorded in the Gentleman's Magazine) and left the larger portion of his estate to this John Throckmorton. (An old estate of the Throckmortons, on Ware River, Gloucester, Va., was named "Hail (or Hael) Western", and still bears the name). The following letter, to Robert Throckmorton, father of John, has been kindly copied from the original, by a descendant of the family: "London 12th Sept., 1767. Sir: The chief purport of this is to inclose you a Line just rec'd from Mr. Bailey, of Huntingdonshire, informing us that your namesake, of Hailweston in the said County died the 5th Instant & by will have given a good real estate & the principal part of his personal estate to a gentleman described as follows: To the Eldest son of my Cousin Robert Throck- morton, Esqr now or late upon York River in Glouc- Page 51. [Transcriptionist Note: Some text is obviously missing.] and if so, the sooner he comes over the better, without waiting for any further Information than this. Mr. Bailey recommends, as he is an entire Stranger to every party here, that it will be necessary for your son to bring with him proper Certificates signed by the Govr & put under the Colony Seal with every Credential to prove him to be the Identical person described as above, or else he will meet with great Difficultyes in the disposal of the real estate or getting into his possession the personal, which is Vested in the Publick Funds, & who, when the least doubt is made, will never part with a six pence; as we are doubtful whether Mr. John Throckmorton is your eldes son, we have not wrote him, but referr'd everything to yourself. What services can we render him, you, or any of your family we shall with great pleasure do. What we can learn, the estate left to your son is worth Eight thousand pounds. We give you joy of this event & remain Sr your most hum. servts. ROBERT CARY & Co. Major ROBERT THROCKMORTON". Upon receipt of this intelligence, John Throckmorton went to England, and secured the estate. While in that country he obtained a confirmation of his family arms. The original emblazoning is now in possession of a descendant of the family in Texas, and bears, written across the back, the following certificate: "The arms, crest & quarterings, depicted in this achievment, belong to John Throckmorton, of Ware Parish, in Virginia, extracted from evidences preserved in the Heralds' Office, London, by RALPH BIGLAND - Somerset Herald. Reg. 3 March, 1769. See the pedigrees of htis family in the visitations of Huntingdon, or in the Heralds' Office." Recent correspondence has ascertained that there is, at the Heralds' College, a pedigree tracing the descent of this John Throckmorton from the Throckmortons of Ellington, and that a copy will cost five guineas. It is to be hoped that Page 52. some one interested will obtain a copy, which the William and Mary Quarterly will take pleasure in publishing. Issue: (1st m.) 18. Robert; 19. William, born . . (F.B.); 20, Albion; (2d m.) 21, John, born . . (F.B.); 22. Elizabeth, born . . (F.B.); married Lewis (F.B.) Mrs. Page's manuscript says she married Col. Buckner - perhaps a second husband. 9. ROBERT THROCKMORTON, born Nov. 20th, 1736 (F.B); removed to Culpepper Co., and was a justice there in 1769 (Calendar of Va. State Papers); married June 16th, 175- Lucy, daughter of Mordecai Throckmorton (F.B.); 26. Frances, born Feb. 24th, 1765 (F.B.), married General Wm Madison, of "Woodberry", Madison Co., brother of President Madison, 27, Lucy, born Jan 15, 1767; 28. Elizabeth, born April 6th, 1769, (F.B.) married Ebenezer Potter (Hayden's Va. Genealogies); 29. Lewis Read, born May 14th, 1793; was a merchant and lived at Orange C.H.(1) [To be continued.] _______________________________________ (1) The compiler of this genealogy is greatly indebted to Mr. C. W. Throckmorton of New York, Dr. A. G. Grinnan of Madison Co., Va., and Mercer Slaughter of Atlanta.